Blaine had changed back into his dirty clothes, left the ones Carole had bought him on Kurt's bed, tugged on his sneakers and backpack, and had allowed Carole to pull him into a tight embrace on the threshold. The fact that Blaine had only hesitated for a fraction of a second before returning the gesture gave Kurt hope. This was going to work out somehow. Even his father's shoulder pat had been greeted with a small, appreciative nod. It was his own hug that Blaine dove into, squeezing him tight until Kurt felt like his ribs were being crushed by a trash compactor. The light pressure of Blaine's lips against his had been brief, but the mumbled, "I love you" that had followed had made his heart explode like a supernova. It felt like he'd been waiting forever to be able to freely say those words to Blaine and to have them said in return with the same amount of conviction.
Kurt had promised to be over early in the morning for a breakfast date, hopefully when Blaine had good news from his interview, and then they would spend the afternoon together.

The following morning, however, Kurt was awoken much earlier than he'd anticipated. Someone shook him awake roughly, and when he groaned and rolled over, the numbers on his alarm clock told him it was just after seven.

"Dad?" Kurt muttered weakly, staring up blurry-eyed up at his father's distinct form hovering above him.

"Come on, bud," Burt said. "I need your help with something important this morning."

"But I've got a d– "

"It's for Blaine," Burt added, tugging him into a sitting position. "For his apartment. You can go on your date after."

Baffled by his father's words, but completely intrigued, Kurt untangled himself from his blankets and slowly made his way into the bathroom.

"Be quick," Burt called after him. "We've got a lot to do."

As Kurt scuffled over to the shower, part of what his father had said repeated itself in his head. Date. His date with Blaine. He felt a pleasant heat flare across his cheeks and smiled giddily. Perhaps they'd gone about their relationship a little oddly, a little backwards even, but he could finally say for sure that him and Blaine going out together meant it was an actual date. The thought woke him up quickly and he wasted no time getting ready.

Between how happy he was, his own curiosity and desire to see Blaine as soon as possible, he was in and out in half an hour. He skipped his moisturizing routine for the morning and took a rushed shower before racing upstairs and following his father outside to his Navigator. When his father directed him to drive them to the hardware store across town Kurt was even more confused than he had been before. Was his father going to build Blaine a... a what? Perhaps Burt would buy Blaine a nail gun so he could shoot at the assholes that always harassed him.

As Kurt pulled into the almost empty lot, Burt pulled a list from his pocket and got out without saying a word to him. Kurt followed doggedly after him, happy to see his father's normal strolling pace again, but still dying to ask why exactly they needed to be here when the store first opened.

"I'm going to need you to pick this stuff out," Burt told him, stopping at the end of one of the aisles to allow Kurt to catch up with him. Kurt paused next to him and glanced dubiously down the aisle his father was pointing toward. There wasn't a nail gun in sight. "It doesn't have to be exact, but at least the same size and shape for the part that attaches to the door so we don't have to drill a bigger hole... "

Something hard seemed to have become lodged in Kurt's throat as he took a few steps down the aisle and stared around at the vast selection of locks and doorknobs.

"I figure we can get him a couple more for when he's there," Burt said, eyeing a few chain latches.

"That's... "Kurt paused and sucked in a deep breath as he tried not to let his emotions get the better of him. "It's a fantastic idea, Dad," he said gratefully as he pulled his father into a tight hug. "You're too amazing for your own good sometimes."

Burt laughed softly at Kurt's words and steered him down the aisle. It took him almost twenty minutes before he found one that he thought was the perfect replacement for Blaine's busted doorknob and also wasn't a gaudy shade of gold. They grabbed the kit that came with it and picked out four more little locks. Kurt started to make a beeline for the registers, but his father surprised him once more by steering him past them to the far side of the store and to the outdoor and lawn section.

"Dad, Blaine doesn't have a yard," Kurt deadpanned as he was dragged past a huge shed and then a row of lawn mowers.

"I know that," Burt said, and even though Kurt couldn't see his face from this angle he knew his father was rolling his eyes. He was content to spend the entirety of this unexpected shopping trip feeling comfortably naive if it all benefited Blaine in some way. Burt stopped at the next section and pointed up at the tarps. "Finn kept going on and on about how he'd taped comic book pages to his window. I can't really get curtains without the right dimensions, but I figured we could hang that over the window instead."

"Oh," Kurt said softly. It was something he would have never thought off. Replacing the curtains had crossed his mind, but the interior designer part of his brain would have never allowed a tarp to decorate the walls.

"How big would you say his window is?"

Kurt thought for a moment, trying to picture Blaine's little ransacked bedroom. He hadn't been back there since they'd come back to find the room torn apart. The slur painted on the wall flashed through his mind as he turned back to his dad.

"That one should work," Kurt told him, pointing to a dark green one hanging on display. He watched his father grab one of the packaged ones and head back towards the front.

"Dad?" he called after him.

His father spun around on the spot, and something about his voice must have given away how upset he was by the memories.

"What's wrong, Kurt?" Burt asked gently, coming back over to him.

"Do you think we could get, like, one of those sample paint cans and a brush?" Kurt asked hopefully, folding his arms and bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.
Burt's face scrunched up at his words, and Kurt swallowed thickly as he realized he hadn't mentioned this part to his father because it would make him furious.

"When they broke in," Kurt began, staring at one of the lawn mowers next to them instead of his father's worried face. He paused and dropped his voice, "They spray painted 'faggot' on his wall over the bed."

Burt's expression was stony, but Kurt could see the fire blazing in those green eyes. Kurt rolled his shoulders and looked back over to the lawn mower. He hated telling his father things like this. Hated making him worry or feel guilty or reminding him of what the world wouldn't allow itself to understand right now.

"What color do you want to get?"

Kurt smiled slightly and debated with himself for a moment. "Something bright," he answered as he dragged Burt over to the paint section by his coat sleeve.

After Kurt had picked out a nice, pale yellow to cover the word up they piled their bags up on top of the pillows, tool kit, blankets, and Blaine's new pajamas that Kurt didn't remember leaving on his backseat. Apparently Burt had been up much earlier than himself this morning and had put the time to good use. However, the nice gesture towards his boyfriend's well being still didn't stop him from scolding his father the whole way to Blaine's apartment.

"You can't push yourself too much, Dad. It'll send you right back to the hospital," Kurt exclaimed in exasperation.

"Kurt," his dad cut in sharply and Kurt snapped his mouth shut as he turned into the parking lot of Blaine's building. "I am fine. It was a big scare, I know. But I am going to do my absolute best to make sure that never happens again. Just walking around the house and out to your car isn't going to make me relapse."

"I– sorry, I just– "

"Worry," Burt interjected with a resigned sigh. "You shouldn't have to, Kurt. Neither of us should have to worry about each other that way."

Kurt pulled up to Blaine's front door and killed the engine. His father unbuckled his seatbelt and got out, motioning for Kurt to pop the trunk. With a small nod, Kurt pulled the little handle for the trunk release by his feet, climbed out of the car, and approached Blaine's door. Part of him was ridiculously hopeful that Blaine would answer the door and be here for this – could take part in making his apartment even just a fraction safer than it was now – but another part of him was hoping he wasn't. That Blaine was still at his job interview and he'd come back to a great surprise. He rapped his knuckles on the door, and it creaked open a few inches. The wind blew and pushed it the rest of the way open. He felt his father's hand drop on his shoulder as he stepped inside.

"This is... it?" Burt said quietly and Kurt nodded, looking around at how much everything had changed since it'd been destroyed.

Like Finn had told his father, the window was covered in comic book pages. He took a moment to read a few word bubbles, and then glanced at the rest of the room. One of the curtains was bundled up on the bed in a heap by the pillow he'd given Blaine. The dresser was now a hollow frame covered in taco and burger wrappers. The broken boards from the drawers were stacked up at the end by the door. Kurt circled around the bed, pulling open the mini- fridge to find that it at least still worked. The acoustic guitar was gone, along with Blaine's skateboard, backpack, and the usual pile of dirty clothes.

"He must still be at his interview or doing laundry," Kurt deduced, giving the night- stand a little shake to see how sturdy the stack of comics and books holding it up was. It barely budged from its spot, and Kurt nodded a little to himself. Blaine was nothing if not resourceful with the little bit he had.

A few pieces of paper fluttered down past his head and Kurt looked up to see his father ripping notebook paper off the wall to reveal the graffiti. The red letters were no longer shining wetly on the wall, but they were still just as glaringly bright and eye catching as before.
"You paint over this and I'll hang the tarp," Burt decided, bending down to pry the paint lid off and toss Kurt the brush.

Kurt set to work quickly, painting a large yellow rectangle over the word while his dad hung the tarp and then started to remove the busted doorknob. When he was done painting he went out and got the pillows, pajamas, and blankets from the car and took his time straightening the bed out and making it look neat. After that he sat on the edge of the dresser and watched his father as he fit the new doorknob, keeping an eye out for Blaine through the open doorway.

They had just finished screwing in the other little locks and were getting ready to test the doorknob when Kurt heard loud catcalls and laughter from the street. He stiffened and closed the, hopefully now locked, door behind himself and stepped out onto the sidewalk. He was certain one of those laughs was familiar to him, and it made his stomach knot up with nerves because that meant the men who had destroyed Blaine's room were heading their way. That they were laughing and so gleeful sounding only worried him more.

Burt had turned in the same direction, staring out towards the turn in for the parking lot, the keys for the lock jingling softly in his hand.

"What's all that noise about?" he asked Kurt, but Kurt didn't even have to answer. Right then Blaine wheeled his way into the parking lot on his skateboard, backpack slung over his shoulders.

"Hey, come on, faggot! Wait up so we can do some more remodelling!"

Blaine shifted his feet and kicked off from the ground again. Kurt's heart plummeted as two of the guys turned the corner. Thankfully, the other half of the group didn't seem to be present today, but it didn't do much to settle his unease. He didn't think Blaine had even noticed them standing outside his room.

"Maybe you should call that little bitch you've been fucking," one of the men sneered. "We could use his... expertise."

Blaine's foot dropped as soon as the swear left the man's mouth. Burt lurched forward next to him, but Kurt held him back. The last thing Burt needed was to pick a fight when his heart was just beginning to heal. But holding his father back also prevented him from stopping Blaine, and he'd be willing to bet if he called out to him the two men would head straight for him and his father.

A sharp whack against the pavement made him jump and he watched as Blaine's skateboard popped up. Blaine moved quickly, catching the board as he turned and grabbed it by one of the trunks as he spun and swung it out. It smacked the man who had spoken across the nose and the other in the neck. They both stumbled backwards with pained shouts as Blaine pulled out his pocket knife.

His father struggled against his hold again.

"Kurt, let me go!" Burt snarled and even though Kurt knew the anger in his voice was directed at the trio of men, it still made him flinch.

The two men heard Burt's angry words, and the sight of his enraged father seemed to unnerve them even more.

"Piss off," Blaine growled, swiping his knife through the air between them. He didn't move at all to acknowledge them standing a few feet behind him until the men slowly started to trudge their way back across the lot.

Blaine waited a few seconds before pocketing his knife and turning back towards them and heading over. Kurt dropped his father's arm and made to rush towards him, but Blaine ducked down and scooped up the busted doorknob and threw it across the lot, hitting one of the men in the back of the head.

The man stumbled forward into his buddy and turned to either run back across the lot at Blaine or shout something, but he didn't do any of those things. Kurt followed the man's line of vision and took in his father's livid expression. Blaine flicked the men off as they glared at them.

"This isn't over, you fucking fag!"

They left the lot quickly after those parting words, clearly thinking Burt would come after them if they hung around too long.

"Dad," Kurt said worriedly, rubbing his father's shoulders and trying to get him to calm down. "Relax, please. This isn't good for your heart. You're sick, remember?"

Burt continued to breathe heavily as Blaine turned back to them. Kurt tried to smile at him, and even with what had just occurred it wasn't hard, because, god, he'd missed Blaine. It had only been sixteen hours and his chest and stomach were aching as if he'd reached inside his ribcage and torn his insides out. He really hoped it wouldn't be much longer before Blaine was with them all the time. Then he could pull Blaine into his arms at any given moment and lose himself, could know that as long as Blaine's chest was rising and fall against his own that he was safe. He didn't know how much more worry and fear his father's heart or his own could take.

Blaine's face was set in a deep, unwelcoming frown as he looked them over, and Kurt felt his stomach drop like a bowling ball onto the floor. Blaine had been so reluctant to say goodbye yesterday, and now he seemed... annoyed with him. Or maybe it was the situation he'd just been in. He hoped it was the latter.

"Blaine– "

"You shouldn't be here," Blaine snapped, shoving past him towards his door. "Go home."

Blaine's hand took hold of the doorknob and pushed. The door didn't budge. Blaine froze, staring down at the handle as he jiggled it and tried to turn it. Kurt let go of his father again and pulled one of the keys from his hand.

"Here," he said softly, prying Blaine's tight grip off the doorknob and placing the little key in his hand.

"You– him and– "Blaine's entire frame was shaking as he stopped talking and bit his lip.

Kurt knew that look by now, and slid his arm around Blaine's waist and kissed his cheek. He hated how shocked and amazed Blaine was whenever any of them showed him an ounce of kindness. It wasn't right that Blaine expected nothing but hatred and indifference from the world. Kurt only wished there was an easier, simpler way to make Blaine see how much love they all wanted to give him.

"Open it," Kurt encouraged. Blaine swallowed loudly and let Kurt take his wrist and guide his hand back to the doorknob. Smiling slightly, Kurt watched Blaine's trembling hand fit the key into the lock and twist it. The lock clicked and Blaine remained frozen against his side for so long that Kurt looked over at him. His eyes were bright, and shining with unshed tears, and Kurt could see how much this meant to him. Something as simple as a new lock for his apartment sent Blaine into an incredulous, downward spiral that he didn't understand or know how to get himself out of yet.

Blaine swallowed thickly again, his body trembling as he muttered, "I feel like I should make a terrible metaphor about the key to your lock right now, but I– why? Just... why?"

"Because we care and we want you to be safe no matter where you are," Burt said from behind them. He handed Blaine the other key, and Blaine stared down at it. "You can keep the extra one in your locker at school or something."

"N- no," Blaine stammered, and Kurt couldn't stop himself from smiling when Blaine looked up at him, still as amazed and flabbergasted as ever, but there was a brightness to his eyes that made his heart swell; made him feel like he could run a marathon or fly or jump right on stage to fill in for a Broadway role he'd never read the script for. The second key was slid into his palm, and Blaine closed his fingers over it. "I... I want you to have it."

"Okay," Kurt replied softly, brushing a thumb over Blaine's cheek as his own heart pounded in his chest. He'd expected Blaine to do what Burt had just suggested in case he locked himself out, or even to keep it somewhere else in case he locked himself out. But for him to trust Kurt with it, to give him the only thing he had to trust anyone with was huge. That level of trust, from a boy who had nothing, would have overwhelmed him a few weeks ago, but that same boy meant everything to him now – that trust was something he craved and wanted to hold in his chest for safe keeping for as long as Blaine would let him. "We did some redecorating inside, too," Kurt added as he pushed the door open. "It isn't much, but... "

Blaine stepped inside and his mouth fell open a tiny bit as he looked at the tarp over the window, the drying paint, and the extra pillows and blankets and the pajamas he'd been given to wear around the house yesterday.

"This is... ," Blaine turned to him as he stepped through the door after him. Kurt felt his father follow him and close the door. Two hands reached up and cupped his face and Blaine's forehead was suddenly pressed against his own. "This means... so much. You don't have any idea... "

"I think I might," Kurt told him. "You were there for me in a way nobody else was when my dad was in the hospital. It's kind of like that, I think." Before Blaine could say anything else Kurt pulled him into a warm, loving kiss.

"Thank you," Blaine breathed against his lips as he pulled back. "I know I don't say it enough, I just– "

"It was my dad's idea," Kurt told him, pulling back a bit more so that Blaine could see his father standing behind him. Kurt could see how bright Blaine's eyes were becoming with unshed tears, but Burt just motioned Blaine forward, and showed him the other locks they'd installed.

"You're... "Blaine started, staring up at Burt as he slid the last little lock closed. "Um... t- thank you." Blaine's voice trembled as he stared hard at the chain lock and tugged it back and forth experimentally.

"I know you aren't completely comfortable at our house," Burt said gruffly. "When you're here I want you to be able to relax and be at ease as much as you are when you're there." Burt bent down slightly and turned Blaine by the shoulders. "You are always welcome with us. You will always be safe and loved there. I know it's all overwhelming and muddled right now, but I will never turn you away or shut you out," Burt continued and Kurt could see the tears starting to build in Blaine's eyes as his own started to fall. "You always have a home with us, Blaine, and we will give you as long as you need to be comfortable with that."

Blaine drew in a shaky breath and turned away from Burt, dragging a hand through his curls as he tried to hold in his tears. Kurt took a step forward to pull him into a hug, but Blaine let out a shaky, quiet laugh and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "I think I can see why you and Carole are so good together."

Burt chuckled as he undid all of the locks before pulling the door open. "We've got to get back home," he said, waving Kurt over to him, and Kurt hesitated to follow him. He really didn't want to leave yet. "If you want to come over today you're more than welcome."

Kurt watched his father step outside and then turn back to him expectantly. Kurt wrapped Blaine in a tight hug, and pulled back slowly, reluctant to let go when he'd only just gotten here, but his father was starting to look tired and he couldn't drive himself home. "I'll be back a little later?" Kurt said uncertainly. "Can we do lunch instead?"

Blaine stared at him in wonder, and then shook his head. "No," he said softly and Kurt's heart almost shattered at the words, but then he continued, "Give me a minute. I'll go with you guys."

Blaine took off his backpack, tossed his skateboard into the corner, and started pulling a bunch of clothes out of his bag. He took the pajamas lying on the bed, and held them up to Kurt. "I never pictured you wearing something like this."

Now Kurt was confused, because Carole had bought those for Blaine a few days ago. He would never be caught death in something like that... well, maybe if he'd just stripped them off of Blaine and put them on himself, but...

"Those aren't mine," Kurt told him. "Carole bought them for you."

Blaine started at his words, his hand pausing as he riffled through the handful of shirts and the two pairs of jeans he'd just piled onto his bed. "Oh," Blaine mumbled simply, pulling one of the shirts and jeans out of the little pile and stuffing them back into his bag.

"You left your razor as well," Burt added from the doorway. "You ready, then?"

Blaine zipped up his bag and nodded stiffly, looking suddenly uncertain at all the mentions of his new possessions. Kurt looped his arm through one of Blaine's and tugged him outside, stopping to let Blaine lock the door before they piled into his Navigator.

Kurt drove them back home, and Burt passed out on the couch ten minutes after they'd walked through the front door. Blaine stood awkwardly next to the door until Kurt dragged him into the kitchen and made him help with lunch. He didn't have anything fancy in mind, just a salad for each of them and some sandwiches for Finn and Blaine, who would both need a salad bowl the size of his Navigator to fill them up.

Everyone was rushing around to eat. Finn wolfed his food down quickly and then left for a last minute football practice. Carole took hers to the kitchen table with her as she looked through the grocery sale ads. Kurt took his father's out to the family room and left it on the table for him, and then went back for his own and Blaine. After Carole gave him the okay, they headed downstairs to his room to eat and relax.

Blaine settled down on the bed next to him and started on the huge stack of sandwiches Kurt had made him. His face scrunched up after the first bite, and Kurt stared at him.

"What?"

"This meat tastes like plastic," Blaine informed him, making a big show of swallowing the mouthful of meat and cheese.

"It does not," Kurt retorted with a huff. "It's vegan."

"It's crap," Blaine replied bluntly.

"Boys!" Carole's voice echoed down the stairs to them. "Me and your father are going to the grocery store. Do you two want anything?"

"Real meat!" Blaine hollered before Kurt could smack a hand over his mouth. He couldn't stop the way his heart fluttered at the ease with which Blaine had shouted out that reply.

"Oh my god, you are just like Finn," Kurt said in disgust as Carole started laughing and descending the stairs.
She stopped on the landing and smiled at them. "It tastes like plastic, doesn't it?"

Blaine nodded vigorously next to him and Kurt glared at them both. "It does not," he insisted vehemently.

"I'll make sure we pick some up, Blaine," Carole assured him. "Anything else?"

"No," Kurt said, and Blaine agreed quickly.

"We'll be back in a few hours," Carole called as she headed back upstairs. Kurt was surprised to hear the door snap shut, but also thrilled. He missed having the chance to be alone with Blaine whenever they wanted to be. He settled down and finished the rest of his salad, watching Blaine out of the corner of his eye and waiting for the sound of the front door to slam shut upstairs. He heard the door close as he set his own empty bowl aside, watching the way Blaine's jaw moved and his Adam's apple bobbed, and god, he'd missed kissing Blaine's skin, and touching his chest, or feeling Blaine move inside him...

Blaine stood up with his empty plates and started towards the stairs, clearly planning on taking his dishes upstairs.

"Leave those for later," Kurt told him hurriedly, latching onto Blaine's shirt and pulling him back towards the bed. The dishes were set on the night- stand as Blaine stumbled forward.

"Wh– oh," Blaine hummed as Kurt wrapped his arms around his waist and started sucking on his neck. "Finally learned the art of seduction, have you, Hummel?"

Kurt pulled his lips back and licked a path up to Blaine's jaw, grabbing the hem of Blaine's shirt and starting to pull at it until Blaine raised his arms. As Blaine's shirt hit the floor he kneeled down on the bed and attached his lips to Kurt's.

"I love undressing you," Kurt muttered, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops on Blaine's jeans. His sweater was popped open as he spoke and Blaine was suddenly pressed against him, forcing him backwards into the pillows. They kissed slowly for a few minutes, softly moving their lips together as they re- familiarized themselves with each other's mouths. Kurt could feel Blaine shivering against him wantonly as he ran his hands over the other boy's broad shoulders and sides, and felt himself hardening against the tight fabric of his pants.

"Please, tell me you have lube," Blaine gasped against his lips, rolling his hips against Kurt's thigh and Kurt groaned and arched up into the hard- on rubbing against him through the thick material of their jeans. God, he was so glad he'd decided to go out and buy lube and condoms after Monday morning. It may have been embarrassing, but there was absolutely no way he could have said no right now.

"Top drawer," Kurt breathed as Blaine rolled off of him and fumbled around the drawer. Quickly, Kurt tugged his unbuttoned sweater off and pulled the shirt underneath up and over his head, tossing it to the floor with Blaine's shirt as he rolled onto his side to face Blaine.

Blaine rolled back onto his side with the bottle of lube and two boxes of condoms in hand. "Got a little eager with the condom buying, I see," Blaine intoned lightly, shuffling closer until their chests touched. They both groaned, their hips jerking forward until they were grinding against each other.

Kurt sighed and arched his body forward, securely winding his arm around Blaine's chest, and sliding the other hand over Blaine's pectorals. He nipped lightly at Blaine's chin as he traced his hands over the firm muscles and murmured, "I wasn't sure what size we both needed."
Blaine gasped breathlessly and whined in the back of his throat as Kurt tilted his head and started sucking gently on his jaw. "Kurt, yes," he moaned, and Kurt groaned in reply as Blaine's hips surged forward to rut against him harder.

Kurt's hand trailed down Blaine's back and he dipped his thumb under the waistband of his underwear and rubbed softly along the top of Blaine's ass. The loud keen was all the encouragement Kurt needed to shove the rest of his hand in and grab onto Blaine's ass cheek. Blaine's back arched, his ass pressing back into Kurt's hand and his heaving chest rubbing roughly against his own.

Blaine's mouth sought out his own, and Kurt's body jerked as his lower lip was sucked into Blaine's mouth and nibbled on. A pair of arms looped around his neck as he pulled his mouth away from Blaine's and went back to kissing over his neck and jaw, his cock throbbing painfully at the breathless little pants his touches were drawing out of Blaine's mouth. He rolled Blaine's ass cheek in his hand firmly, and it only made his cock ache more – made him want what he hadn't yet experienced.

"Fuck, touch me, Kurt," Blaine demanded, pushing his ass back against Kurt's hand more. The movement made Kurt freeze, his heavy breaths catching in his chest. He didn't need more specific instructions to understand what Blaine meant, to know that Blaine wanted him to stretch him, to open him, and slide inside him and make him feel as incredible as he'd made Kurt feel. But he'd never done this before – have never been on the other side of this. He didn't know how to finger anyone. He hadn't even had the chance to do it to himself yet. What if he did it wrong?

Blaine's arms were tight around his chest, rubbing over his skin and pulling him closer as they breathed against each other's lips. Those hazel- green eyes flickered open at Kurt's sudden lack of movement and Kurt met his gaze. Everything seemed to somehow change in that second, the entire tone and mood went from desperate and needy to something he couldn't describe properly. It was a feeling he'd never experienced, but it slowed him down and made every brush of Blaine's skin against his feel like an electric shock a thousand times more intimate than anything they'd done before.

"Please," Blaine reiterated softly, pressing a light, lingering kiss to Kurt's lips. "Touch me."

"I- I don't know how," Kurt stuttered as Blaine pulled his hand from his pants and laced their fingers together. "I've never done... "

He trailed off and something in Blaine's face made him pause instead of fumbling for the bottle of lube between them. There was a nervousness in Blaine's eyes that made his heart pound faster.

"Neither... neither have I," Blaine admitted quietly. Kurt sucked in a deep breath, and pressed his forehead to Blaine's. Blaine's admission had caught him off guard, but he wasn't entirely clear on what it meant either. There were countless memories of Blaine's talking about fingering himself whipping around in his head.

"I thought you... fingered yourself," Kurt said uncertainly.

"I do, but I," Blaine bit his lip and took a deep, steadying breath. "I've never let anyone– never trusted anyone enough... "

Surprise and understanding flooded through Kurt's brain as the words left Blaine's mouth. He'd never expected that, but somehow it made sense to him as well. The way Blaine had always talked, the way he'd said he'd wished he'd had Kurt inside of him last week, had all made him certain that Blaine had bottomed before. But Blaine hadn't remotely trusted anyone in years. Not until he'd met Kurt and unintentionally let him into his heart.

Kurt could see his own uncertainty reflected back at him in Blaine's eyes as he tilted his head forward and pulled Blaine in for a warm kiss. "Are you... are you sure?" he asked hesitantly. Whether the hesitation was for himself or Blaine's uncertainty he didn't know.

"I want you," Blaine murmured in reply.

"Okay," Kurt breathed as Blaine let go of his hand and reached behind himself. With a few quick tugs Kurt pushed Blaine's jeans and underwear down and then pulled them from around his ankles. Blaine remained on his side facing Kurt, and Kurt dropped back to the spot he'd just vacated, moaning deeply as Blaine's right leg slid over his thigh and pulled his body close again. The wet head of Blaine's cock brushed against his navel as his hand was lifted up and his fingers were slicked up with a cold, thick liquid.
His fingers slid in and out of Blaine's fist, the lube warming up between their hands as Blaine nuzzled his nose against Kurt's before moving Kurt's hand back around to his ass. Blaine wiped the rest of the lube onto his side and then tangled his fist into Kurt's hair and pulled him in for a deep kiss.

Kurt was barely able to focus on the feeling of Blaine's tongue slipping into his mouth or massaging his own tongue as he hesitantly slid his fingers down between the halves of Blaine's ass. A breathless gasp brushed over his lips as he dragged his finger along the dip, finally pushing against the puckered skin.

"Please," Blaine whispered. "I want you, Kurt. Only you."

Blaine drew Kurt in for another kiss, longer and reassuring as he rubbed over his entrance, and then slowly pushed in. The hitch of Blaine's breath and the way he immediately drew his mouth back and tensed made Kurt stop and start to panic. The other boy's mouth had fallen open, his eyes still closed, but the expression on his face was one Kurt was familiar with. The look of ecstasy and spine- tingling pleasure made Kurt thrust his hips forward on impulse. Slowly, he eased his finger out, groaning at the pull of the hot, clenching muscles – the feeling of Blaine surrounding just one small part of him – and pushed back in up to the first knuckle. Blaine's hips bucked against his, and he moaned softly.

"That's okay?" Kurt asked him, slowly pulling his finger out again and sliding it back in. Blaine groaned louder and slammed his mouth against Kurt's, swallowing his surprised gasp as Blaine started rocking his hips.
"Fantastic," Blaine managed to say between panting breaths. "Move."

Kurt nodded, letting Blaine drop his head back onto the pillows and moan as he started thrusting his finger in as deeply as he could and then all the way out of him. The leg hooked over his thighs tightened its grip and started pressing him forward as Blaine rolled his hips.

"Kurt, m– " Blaine panted, breaking off to moan loudly, his arms wrapping tightly around Kurt's neck and Kurt suddenly found his face nestled against Blaine's neck. "More."

As soon as Blaine said it, Kurt pushed a second finger inside next to the first. He stopped then, mesmerized by the hot clench of the ring of muscles around his fingers and the way Blaine arched and moaned. He'd never imagined he'd see Blaine falling apart so beautifully like this. That he would be the cause of it, or that Blaine would ever completely trust him and let him in this way.

"Shh, baby," Kurt mumbled kissing his neck softly as he started to thrust his fingers again. "Let me make you feel good."

He crooked his fingers on the next thrust, and Blaine keened, his breaths coming faster and shorter, but Kurt knew he hadn't found what he was looking for that time. He did the same thing again, arching his fingers the opposite way towards Blaine's front and this time he found it. Blaine cried out, and clinched tightly around his fingers, his hips snapping forward.
"Fuck," he swore as Kurt rubbed over his prostate slowly. "That feels so much better when you do it."

A high- pitched whine broke through Blaine's lips as Kurt kept massaging his fingers over Blaine's prostate and started to suck softly on his neck again. Kurt felt Blaine's hands untangle from around his neck and drop to his waistband and start fumbling with the buttons on his jeans. He whimpered as his jeans moved over his erection, squirming to try and help Blaine remove the offending article of clothing. His jeans were forced over his erection and down his hips, his boxer- briefs catching on his cock and making him moan as it sprung free, his cock brushing against Blaine's.

Blaine twisted his torso a little more and found one of the boxes of condoms he'd dropped on the bed and worked on opening it. Kurt could see it was taking all of Blaine's energy to focus on ripping it open with him thrusting his fingers into him and his tongue licking over his neck. He slid a third finger inside and Blaine shouted in surprise as he finally got the box open and pulled one of the condom packets out.

Kurt hummed against Blaine's neck as Blaine started to fall apart again, his eyes drifting shut as he moved with the motion of Kurt's fingers inside him.

"Kurt, I'm gonna– if you don't stop– "Blaine warned him. Kurt stilled his fingers, feeling Blaine's muscles relax around them as Blaine tore the condom open. And this was the part Kurt had been desperate for and had been dreading. He wanted this to be as good for Blaine as it had been for him their first time together. What if he didn't move right or hurt Blaine?

The condom was rolled down his cock and Blaine started to coat him with lube, pressing soft kisses to the corners of his mouth and chin. The weight of Blaine's leg hooked over his thighs disappeared as he pulled Kurt's fingers out of him, rolled onto his back, and pulled Kurt with him. Kurt held himself up, watching as Blaine pushed his jeans and boxer- briefs down his hips and he kicked them the rest of the way off on instinct. What if he was terrible at this?
Blaine propped himself up on his elbows, spreading his legs wide and tugging Kurt down until he was settled between them. His cock rubbed against Blaine's again and he moaned into the kiss Blaine pulled him into, his body relaxing at the soft, reassuring caress of Blaine's lips moving over his. Their positions may not have been familiar to him yet, but the press of Blaine's lips, the feeling of his strong body flush against his, the comforting warmth of his skin was all he needed to know how incredible this was going to be. No matter what he might think, he was with Blaine. Every time they touched it made his heart melt and ache and gave him a pleasure he'd never imagined could existed. This would be perfect for both of them because they were with each other.

"I need you inside me, Kurt," Blaine whispered against his lips, wrapping his hand around his cock and guiding it down towards his entrance. Kurt gasped as the tip of his cock was pressed between Blaine's ass cheeks, as the overwhelming heat coiled around him and engulfed him as his hips shifted forward slightly. He pushed in slowly, and Blaine threw his head back, his moan coming out low and deep as he wrapped one arm around Kurt's waist and the other up over his shoulder blade so that his hand was cupping the back of Kurt's head. Kurt whimpered slightly as he slid into Blaine, finally stopping to breathe when his balls pressed against Blaine's ass.

Blaine pulled him in closer, and kissed him again. "Move, baby," he murmured, wrapping his legs around Kurt's waist.
Arms shaking slightly, Kurt dug his elbows into the mattress for leverage and eased his hips back, groaning as he felt Blaine's tight heat drag his foreskin over the head of his cock with the condom. He moved his hips forward again and Blaine moaned and bucked his hips.

"God, you make me feel so full," Blaine muttered against his lips.

Kurt's hips jerked at his words and they both gasped as they started rocking together slowly, dipping in for a few soft kisses every couple of thrusts. Kurt knew his thrusts were uneven and sporadic at first, but, god, this felt incredible. He had never imagined something so hot and deliciously tight around himself, tugging at him, and gripping his entire cock tightly when he snapped his hips forward and buried himself.

"Faster, Kurt," Blaine begged, pressing their foreheads together and forcing Kurt to look into his eyes. Blaine's thumbs brushed over his cheekbones as their eyes met, and Kurt felt his breath catch in his chest at the affection, warmth, and love he found staring back at him.

"Kiss me," Kurt requested, feeling the sweat beading across his back as he snapped his hips forward faster, and Blaine clenched around him. The brush of Blaine's lips against his made Kurt cry out. Blaine's breath caught and he bucked beneath him, moaning loudly in a way that Kurt had never heard before. His voice had cracked, was high and strained as Kurt let go to instinct and started slamming his hips forward as Blaine squeezed around him. Fuck, it felt so good.

"Kurt!" Blaine gasped. His head was tilted up, cupped between Blaine's hands and he could see the desire in Blaine's eyes, the unbelievable rapture and edgy need. His stomach tightened as Blaine's internal muscles started to seize up around him.

"Come with me, Kurt," Blaine moaned. "I'm so close."

Blaine covered his mouth with his and Kurt felt himself spiralling at a thousand different speeds in a million more directions. Everything was hazy and blurry as Blaine's hands rubbed over his back and shoulders and traced over his spine.

"Oh, god, Blaine," Kurt cried out, squeezing his eyes shut as Blaine tightened around him.

"Look at me," Blaine whimpered, rocking himself with the motion of Kurt's powerful thrusts. "I want to see you when you come."

Kurt barely managed to open his eyes before he felt the rush building inside of him explode up his spine and through his limbs. Blaine's eyes darkened, and his lips parted slightly as his breath caught and his body tensed. Blaine shouted with him, pressing their foreheads together, and Kurt could see the lust swirling in the other man's eyes, feel the hot come dripping down between them as Blaine came.

Body shaking, Kurt collapsed forward onto Blaine, pressing his hot and sweaty forehead into the crook on Blaine's neck and kissing the salty skin softly. Blaine was trembling beneath him, his arms wound tightly around Kurt's body as they breathed heavily together. Kurt closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of himself rising and falling with Blaine's chest as Blaine's legs fell from around his waist.

"I love you," Blaine murmured, turning his head and pressing a lingering kiss to his forehead.

Kurt smiled and looked up into Blaine's face, at his bright, twinkling eyes and big, goofy grin. "I love you, too." He made a move to pull his hips back and ease out of Blaine before he got completely soft, but Blaine whined and held him still.

"Don't," Blaine told him, fumbling for the blankets to cover them up.

"Blaine," Kurt said, attempting to sound exasperated, but mostly just sounding sleepy and tired. "You can't keep me inside you forever."

"Wanna bet?" Blaine challenged immediately. He yawned loudly then, and turned his head, nuzzling his face against Kurt's.

Kurt shut his eyes and decided not to argue. It wasn't as if he didn't want to stay this way forever. If everything could always be this perfect, this fantastically normal, he would never have to worry again. He snuggled down against Blaine's chest and let the sounds of Blaine's steady heartbeat lull him to sleep.
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As Carole stumbled through the front door, arms draped with grocery bags, she suddenly wished that she'd made Kurt and Blaine go with them to the store. While she'd let Burt carry a few of the lighter bags in ahead of her, she'd been very adamant about taking the heaviest ones so he didn't strain himself. It wasn't the best idea she'd had today. That spot was reserved for giving Kurt and Blaine some time together somewhere that wasn't a broken apartment with people trying to break in.

Burt walked out of the kitchen from dropping off his considerably lighter load and spotted her bracing herself against the wall, arms drooping from the excessive weight. He rushed over quickly.

"Here, give me some of these."

"No, Burt, you can't lift anything heavy– "

"Because a bag of cereal boxes and soup cans is such a heavy burden," Burt cut her off sarcastically. And it was comments like that, moments like this, when she saw so clearly where Kurt could his sarcasm and humor from. Wordlessly, she raised a shaky arm to let Burt tug the bags over her wrist and carry them into the kitchen. She followed after him, setting the bags on the kitchen table and turning to follow him back to the car to stop him from carrying any of the water cases or the soda packs that Finn guzzled.

However, Burt had paused in the hallway next to Kurt's bedroom door. Kurt's closed bedroom door. She knew Burt had been too sleepy when they'd left to notice the door being shut, but now he was staring at it grimly. Heart thumping fast, she cupped his elbow and tried to gently steer him back towards the front door. It wasn't hard for her to guess what Kurt and Blaine had been doing while they were gone, and she definitely didn't want Burt to find out the same way she had.

"I told them to keep the door open," Burt said in exasperation, moving to yank the door open, but Carole dashed in front of him and blocked it.

"Let's get the rest of the groceries," Carole said diplomatically. "I can go down and check on them after."
Burt's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he allowed her to pull him back out to the car to unload the last of the bags. As soon as they dropped them off in the kitchen Carole had to block his way back into the hallway.

"Burt," Carole said sternly and he stopped to fix her with a glare that clearly told her he knew she had either been involved in this door- shutting catastrophe or that she knew what he'd find if he went down there. It really wasn't difficult for her to see what he was thinking or that he was worried about what exactly that closed door meant. After her own experience last year with Finn she couldn't entirely blame him for his worries, but she also knew it wasn't in their control. Kurt and Blaine were young and in love. Anything that brought them closer together and helped heal either of them from their pasts was perfectly fine with her. Burt would definitely not see it the same way, and she could see her own nervousness was only making him more suspicious of what had been going on for the past few hours. "I will go downstairs. You need to relax."

"They shouldn't be doing anything that requires a closed door."

"I closed that door when we left," Carole told him, resigning herself to the inevitable explosions those words would bring. "They deserved a quiet afternoon together."

"You gave them the okay?" Burt asked in alarm. "The okay for what exactly?"

"Burt," Carole said, frowning slightly. "There is nothing wrong with them having some time to themselves– "

"They're sixteen and moving way too fast!" Burt hollered, and Carole had been waiting for those words ever since she'd seen the two boys together on Blaine's birthday – since they'd met Blaine in the McKinley High parking lot, really. It was one of the reasons she loved Burt as much as she did – he was the most caring and genuine father any child could ever ask for, but with his love came a ton of over protectiveness. She'd seen it kick in at Breadsticks all those weeks ago, because while Kurt may have been in denial or oblivious to what had been happening, Carole hadn't been. Which meant Burt most definitely had noticed as well. Until Blaine, Burt had been the one person who knew Kurt best, and even if Kurt hadn't realized at the time how fast and hard he was falling, they both had.

"They're young and in love," Carole told him bracingly, voicing her earlier thoughts aloud. "I know Kurt is always going to be your little boy, but he's growing up, Burt. You can't stop him from living his life or sharing his love with Blaine. Besides, I think we'd both rather have them here than at Blaine's apartment."

"I– "Burt paused, his alarm and anger fading back into concern as he tugged his hat off and rubbed his hand over his head. "I just want them both to be safe, but they're just so young and... " he glanced down at his shoes and his shoulders sagged slightly. "I never imagined that Kurt's first boyfriend would be like this. I figured I'd only hear about him over the phone when Kurt was off at college, you know? They'd break up before Kurt ever had the chance to bring him around here. I wouldn't ever have to deal with him, but then Blaine showed up... "

"It's almost like fate that they found each other," Carole said softly. "I can't imagine how much more Kurt would have hurt without him here. Blaine would probably be back in juvie or worse by now."

Even as she spoke, the reality of Blaine's life washed over her and made her heart twist painfully. They still didn't know why he'd been locked up, why he had that ankle monitor, or even how either of his parents had died. If Kurt had found out any more since last week, he hadn't mentioned it, but she didn't think that was very likely. She just wished they had more to go on and that Blaine would fully open up to them, or even just to Kurt.

"I'll go start putting stuff away," Burt decided. "Tell Blaine there's a football game on later if he's interested." Carole breathed a sigh of relief as she turned to head downstairs. She'd followed Kurt's lead and hadn't mentioned the extent of Kurt and Blaine's intimate relationship to Burt, but it was obvious by now that he had made an educated guess in the proper direction.
Carole pulled Kurt's door open slowly and called down to them. When she got no answer she started down the steps into the dim room, pausing on the landing when she spotted them curled up together under the covers. It was a nice change compared to how she'd always found Kurt over the summer when she stopped by or stayed the night. He had someone warm and real and loving to curl himself around instead of a cold lifeless pillow or blanket. Carole glanced at her watch, and then back down the remaining stairs and made a quick decision. After the last time she'd walked in on such an occasion she wasn't keen on waking them up herself, but they couldn't sleep all afternoon either.

She headed down the last few steps and circled around the bed, avoiding the articles of clothing scattered across the floor, and trying to ignore the way she blushed at the sight of the condom boxes. Kurt and Blaine were safe, and that was the most important thing. They were safe at Burt's house tonight, and safe when they spent the afternoon making love. The rest was irrelevant for now, or until Burt sat them down for a long discussion on house rules. Carole only hoped she was around for that particular discussion, because she could already see Burt stumbling over his words and getting flustered, while Kurt stared stonily at the table and Blaine started up a long, never- ending string of lewd comments. Her presence was definitely going to be a necessity that night.

After setting Kurt's alarm to go off at four, Carol cast one last look at them snuggled up together under Kurt's blankets and headed back upstairs. As soon as she stepped onto the ground floor's landing, Burt was right there, trying to look around her and over her shoulder.

"Nothing to see," Carole said forcefully, steering him away enough to close the door again.

"Nothing I want to see or nothing to actually see?" Burt questioned as he was pushed back towards the living room. His tone alone told Carole that he really didn't want an answer to that question, but he still felt the need to ask after their well being.

"Both," Carole replied flippantly. She pushed him down into his chair and handed him the remote.

Burt stared up at her in annoyance. "That answer doesn't make any sense."

Carole bent down and pecked him on the cheek. "I'm me, sweetheart," she murmured teasingly. "I don't have to make sense if I don't want to."

"You know," Burt called after her as she started up the stairs. "Sometimes I think I love you so much that I almost hate you," he paused and frowned at her. "Now is definitely one of those times."

Smiling brightly, Carole climbed the remaining stairs and went to take a shower and change into something more comfortable for the football game they would be watching. By the time she was changed and back in the living room, Blaine was stumbling through the door of Kurt's bedroom. She was happy to see him in something besides the clothes that had littered the bedroom floor, even though his sopping wet hair was dribbling water all over his clean shirt.

"Do you want a towel?" Carole offered with an amused smile. Sometimes he reminded her so much of Finn.

"Uh, sure," Blaine muttered, dragging a hand through his curls. "Kurt told me to get out if I wasn't going to let him cut or style my hair."

Burt chuckled from his spot on the couch. "Maybe you'll get lucky and go bald early. Then you won't have to worry about him messing with your hair."

The offended look on Blaine's face made her nervous for a moment, but as she headed into the kitchen for a dish towel she heard Blaine's reply.

"But I like my hair. It covers all the lumps on my head," Blaine told him, sounding highly affronted. "Besides, who knows if me and Kurt will even still... "

She stepped back into the room as Blaine trailed off and handed him the towel. There was a slight frown on Blaine's face at his own words, but he accepted the towel and started drying his hair.

"Maybe you'll wake up bald in the morning," Burt offered, clearing his throat uncomfortably at Blaine's words.
Blaine stared at him again, and Carole saw the briefest mixture of horror and disgust flicker in his gaze. "And I thought I was morbid," Blaine grumbled.

Burt nodded towards Blaine. "I don't know if Carole told you already, but there's a football game on at five," he said by way of invitation."Finn'll be back to watch it with us."

"Browns?" Blaine asked as he rubbed vigorously at the hair curled over the tops of his ears.

"At Seattle," Burt clarified.

Carole watched Blaine continue to rub at his hair for another minute. It was getting long, so long it was starting to curl into his eyes and hide his handsome face. "You really could use a trim," Carole decided, reaching up to tug on a loose curl.

"Oh, not you, too!" Blaine cried in exasperation, ducking away from her hand and circling around to Burt's side.
"Blaine, I can see nine split ends from here," Kurt said suddenly from behind her. Carole spun around to find Kurt staring pointedly at Blaine, one hand on his hip, the other armed with a pair of scissors.

Blaine instantly retreated a few more steps and dropped into what was unmistakably a fighting stance. "Bring it, Hummel," he said, watching the scissors flash through the air as Kurt twirled them in annoyance. "You're not dolling me up or gelling my hair or whatever."

Kurt rolled his eyes and held the scissors out to Carole. She took them silently and watched Kurt approach Blaine as he spoke. "The absolute last thing I want to do is gel down your curls, but I'm pretty sure my fingers almost made it to Narnia a few hours ago," Kurt told Blaine and Carole smiled at the teasing note to his voice. "It's only a trim, Blaine. Just so it's how it was a few months ago, okay?"

Blaine eyed Kurt suspiciously for a moment and said, "A few more weeks and the Narnians will be pouring out my scalp like sweat. I've always wanted to meet Aslan."
Carole giggled slightly at the pout in his voice as Kurt finally slid his hand into Blaine's and tugged him towards the bathroom. Kurt's smile was radiant and satisfied.

"I'll even let Carole supervise if it makes your hair feel safer."

"Shut up," Blaine snapped. "You'd scream like a girl in a horror movie if I came towards your hair with a pair of scissors."

"No, I'd come at you like Michael Myers," Kurt quipped back, lightly brushing his fingers over his perfectly coiffed locks. "Or I'd blind you with my hairspray."

"Remind me again why I'm dating you?" Blaine countered as Kurt directed him towards the bathtub. They both paused in their banter and looked at each other. Carole stopped in the doorway, and felt Burt inch up behind her. This was the first time she'd ever heard Blaine solidify his relationship with Kurt out loud. He looked surprised at his own words, even a little unsure of them, but Kurt pulled him forward with a brilliant smile and pushed him down into the edge of the bathtub. He wrapped his arms around Blaine's shoulders from behind and kissed his cheek.

"Because of my fantastic sense of fashion, my glamorous good looks, and my undeniable charm."

"See, now you're just flattering yourself," Blaine smiled in amusement. "I'm pretty sure that's my job."

Carole watched on fondly as Kurt cut Blaine's hair and they continued their playful, teasing banter. Burt wrapped a tight arm around her waist and rested his head against hers.

"He's not what I expected, but he's definitely what I hoped for," Burt whispered in her ear. Whether he was referring to Kurt or Blaine she didn't know, but either way the she knew the sentiment was true.

"You're all what I hoped for," Carole replied. She heard the front door open and close followed by her son's loud footsteps. "We're in the bathroom, Finn!"

Finn stopped behind them and stared over at Kurt finishing up with Blaine's hair. Carole was happy to see how neat and manageable it now looked.

"Looking sharp, dude," Finn said with a little nod. "We're still watching the game, aren't we?" he asked, turning to Burt.

Carole felt Burt nod against her cheek. "Even Kurt's gonna watch it with us," Burt informed him and Kurt's head shot up at the words.

"I'm doing what now?"

"Watching football with– with us?" Blaine said uncertainly, and Carole's heart twisted in her chest at the nervous look he shot Burt and Finn. It was almost as if he thought he was no longer invited, or wasn't allowed to sit down in the living room with them.

Kurt looked surprised both at Blaine's words and his tone. "Since when do you like football?" he asked. "I don't think I've ever seen you at one of Finn's games."

Blaine was suddenly on his feet, running his hands through his shorter curls and looking defensive. "I can't exactly stay out that late unless I want to sleep in an alley or something," Blaine said bluntly.

Kurt bit his lip as Blaine sighed in aggravation. "Come on," Kurt said gently, nudging Blaine over towards the others. "Let's go watch the game."

Blaine nodded wordlessly, and wiped his nose on his sleeve. For some reason Carole couldn't place, the motion was jarring. It reminded her of Finn when he was a little boy, but there was something else there that she couldn't place. Why did that seem so familiar? She didn't think she'd ever seen Blaine do it before, but whatever it was was right there at the back of her mind, dancing just out of reach.

"Hey," Blaine's voice broke through her thoughts and she felt a tentative and nervous arm loop through hers. The arm wasn't as thick and heavy as Burt's or at an awkward angle because of Finn's height or even as sure and warm as Kurt's, but it felt entirely natural to her as she looked up into Blaine's eyes. The same jolt ran through her again as she looked into those warm hazel- green eyes, but she still couldn't place whatever it was that she couldn't remember. "You coming?"

"Yeah, of course, sweetheart," Carole reassured him as he guided her into the living room with her other boys. Blaine flinched at the last word, but made no comment. Still she caught the unsure flicker of his eyes, and it almost felt like he knew something she should, but didn't.

"You really don't like it when I call you that, do you?" she asked hesitantly as they dropped onto the couch with Finn and Kurt. Kurt wrapped an arm around Blaine quickly as Blaine grimaced at her words.

"You just... remind me of someone," he said quietly. "That's all. She... she called me that. Well, I think she called me that. I don't know about that memory... "

Carole's heart wrenched in her chest because she was almost positive he was talking about his mother. The beautiful, vibrant, joyful woman from that old photograph that Carole couldn't bear to think of Blaine having to live without.

Blaine was looking at her with the tiniest bit of hope in his gaze, but then it flickered out as he turned away to watch the kick off. Carole had no idea what exactly had just happened, whether Blaine was looking at her like that because he saw her as something equivalent to his own mother or if it was something else. For a moment she almost thought he'd been talking about her, but that made even less sense to her.

The thought that Blaine's memories of his own mother were so shaky he couldn't even be sure any of it was real broke her heart. She could barely imagine that adorable, happy little boy from the photograph having something so tragic thrown at him, and– she gasped inaudibly as she recalled that photograph. The small, little boy with tangles of curly hair, and big, bright eyes wandering down a white, sterile hallway in his blood soaked jeans. The quiet sniffles as he'd stopped walking and just stared around. She'd been too distressed in the middle of the break- in to really pay attention to the picture, but now that she recalled it... God, had the little boy been Blaine?

She couldn't even remember what year that had been, or anything from when she'd worked at Lakefield out in Westerville. But that night, she'd never forget it. Between the terrible car accident, the double stabbing, and then finding that lost, little, trembling boy in a hallway only to later find out his mother had... had killed herself just hours ago.

The tears welled up fast in her eyes as she glanced over at Blaine again. That had been him, hadn't it? He'd even mentioned something about playing the piano for his mother, and Blaine played beautifully, judging from what Burt had told her last night. She opened her mouth to say something, though she didn't know what she could say – how she could bring up something Blaine probably didn't remember – but then stopped and closed it.

The last thing Carole wanted was to scare Blaine off when they were all happily sitting down together, while he was safe and loved, and with them. She didn't know how he'd react if she mentioned something like that, or if he'd believe her if he didn't remember it. After excusing herself to the bathroom she stood in the hallway where they couldn't see her and tried to collect herself.

Now wasn't the moment to bring that up, but finally she knew just a tiny piece to the mystery of Blaine's past. The only thing she couldn't understand was why the beautiful, loving woman she'd felt like she'd seen in the picture would leave her little boy all alone in the world. Her mind couldn't wrap around how that picture could lead up to the Blaine she'd met six weeks ago, the Blaine out in the living room that was trying so hard to remember how to love and be loved.