The air of the shop was thick, the same temperature as Blaine's mouth as he breathed it in. Summer made the sounds of spanners cranking duller and the smell of motor oil sharper. He spotted the back of his boyfriend in one of the corners, bent as he leaned under the hood of a car. Kurt's overalls were unzipped, pushed down to his hips, leaving his torso clothed only in a white vest with a few streaks of black from a day in the shop. Blaine walked up behind him, knowing Kurt would be completely focused on the car, the world out of the engine nonexistent to him. It was this that allowed Blaine to slip his arms around Kurt's waist before the other boy noticed him.

Kurt gasped and straightened before he realised he would hit his head that way. All the same, the movement pressed his back into Blaine's chest and they both gasped this time. Blaine kissed the nape of Kurt's neck languorously, glad Burt's assistant was the only one in the garage and was currently on a sliding board under another car.

"Hi," Blaine whispered before licking the vertebra that formed a ridge at the base of Kurt's neck. Kurt groaned at the heat of Blaine's tongue and the sudden coolness that followed it when Blaine stopped, leaving Kurt's skin wet.

"Hi," Kurt replied, his voice quiet. He reached an arm up behind him, grasping the back of Blaine's head and tilting it down so he could kiss him. "So," he said when he pulled away, "is this how we're greeting each other from now on?"

"I couldn't resist. You look surprisingly sexy in overalls."

Kurt wrinkled his nose and turned back to the car. "I'm disgusting. I don't even want to think about how sweaty I am right now. You should probably step away."

Blaine just licked Kurt's exposed shoulder, loving the tangy taste of Kurt's skin. He'd never thought another person's sweat could be attractive, but Kurt managed it. "Mmm, but you taste so good."

Kurt dropped his wrench and had to quickly catch it again. "Blaine," he hissed, "you can't say things like that. Not here."

Blaine whined and licked behind Kurt' ear before sucking the tip of the shell into his mouth and enjoying the way Kurt's hips pressed back into his own. "Why?" He tilted his head so he was speaking directly into Kurt's ear. "Does it turn you on?"

Kurt moaned and dropped his head back onto Blaine's shoulder. "You're making it really hard to concentrate."

"So don't bother. Come out to lunch with me."

Kurt kissed the side of Blaine's neck and lifted his head. "You're so irresponsible. If only the Council could see you now."

"I'd rather they didn't." Blaine pressed his hips forwards into Kurt, trying to make it seem accidental, but Kurt knew better.

"Stop it," he said, pushing at Blaine's arms weakly. "I can't. I have to at least fix this before I get a lunch break."

"Eugh, fine." Blaine pushed himself away from Kurt. "I'll help you."

Kurt raised his eyebrows.

"Come on, Kurt, I've told you the Father Trying to Make Me Straight with Manly Car Building story. It'll make it faster."

Blaine saw the flicker in Kurt's eyes and he knew the other boy wanted to apologise for making Blaine remember that summer. Thankfully, he didn't, as Blaine was training him out of apologising for things he hadn't done or weren't his fault.

"Okay. Pass me the carburettor."

"What's that again?" Blaine bit his lip, staring at the pile of parts on the floor of his garage. His father chuckled behind him and pointed at one of them.

"That one, Blaine."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He clapped his son on the shoulder. "You can't remember everything straight away. Now, you ready to get your hands dirty?"

Blaine handed Kurt the part and began to examine the inside of the car. He was trying to push thoughts of his father out of his head and concentrate on the car, on Kurt. "What's wrong, then?"

Kurt rapidly explained the problem, but Blaine had been unprepared for the amount of jargon the other boy used. He just stared at Kurt blankly.

"Oh, never mind," Kurt huffed with an affectionate eye roll. "Just do what I tell you, okay?"

"Just do exactly what I say. That goes there. No, a bit to the left. That's it, son. See? You'll be able to do this in your sleep soon. Good trick to show a girl, believe me. They lap it up." Edward laughed again and patted Blaine's back.

He didn't notice how Blaine's jaw had tensed and his fingers were now white where they gripped the carburettor. "What do I do now?" Blaine asked, trying to keep his voice level.

Blaine followed Kurt's instructions to the letter, ignoring the memories trying to battle their way into his head. He forced himself to glance at Kurt at regular intervals. This was Kurt. This was not his father. They were in love, it was summer, the day was perfect.

"Blaine. Blaine."

Blaine snapped his head up, seeing Kurt staring at him with a frown. "Sorry, sorry. What were you saying?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just hot. What were you saying?"

"I've got some lemonade for my boys," Blaine's mother called as she walked into the garage, tray in hand.

"Thank you, darling." His father kissed her cheek and took a glass, slapping her lightly on the bum. "You're wonderful."

She giggled and tried to give a reprimanding look. "Hush. Blaine, here's yours." She held out the glass to Blaine, the condensation dripping down the sides in the summer heat, and he took it with an expression of thanks.

"I was just telling Blaine how girls love a man who can fix a car. Wouldn't you agree, darling?" Edward's eyes were dancing and his grin was cheeky as he looked at his wife, but her expression had suddenly become forced. Her eyes flicked to Blaine, who was staring at the floor and drinking his lemonade in silence.

"Who doesn't love a man who can fix a car, male or female?" She kept her tone light and her grin wide, but when she caught Blaine's eye he could see that it was fake. She was trying to be kind, trying to help him.

His father just huffed and took a sip from his glass. Blaine smiled gently. "Thanks, mom," he whispered.

"You're turning it the wrong way. Really, Blaine, are you sure you're alright? You look kind of dazed. Do you want something to drink?"

Blaine blinked, attempting to clear his head. "Um, yeah. That would be great."

Kurt leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Okay, give me a minute."

"Kurt!" Blaine called as his boyfriend walked towards the small kitchen at the back. "No lemonade."

Kurt looked concerned again, but he nodded.

"How was it?" his mother asked when he flopped into a chair at a kitchen table.

"I feel straighter already." Blaine let his head hang back and stared at the ceiling as he let out harsh breath which was almost a laugh.

"Oh, Blaine, honey…"

"Don't worry about it."

She took his hand, stroking the back of it with her thumb gently. "Do you want me to talk to him? I tried before, but I'll do it again."

Blaine lifted his head to look at his mother. Her eyes were giving him the same look they had in the garage earlier and she was squeezing his hand a little too tight. He shook his head. "No, let him have this. Maybe he'll start to get it when I'm still gay at the end of it all."

"Come on, there's no point in trying to finish this now. My dad won't kill me for eating." Kurt straightened up from the car and put his hands on his hips.

"Are you sure?" Blaine asked, confused as to why Kurt had changed his mind.

"Yes. Take me somewhere nice." He glanced down at his outfit. "Oh, God, no. Take me somewhere horrible where there's no-one I know."

Blaine laughed and walked around the car to pull Kurt into his arms. "You look beautiful."

Kurt twined his arms behind Blaine's neck and kissed the tip of his nose. "Don't think flattery will get you out of buying me lunch."

"You're not cheap, are you?"

"Blaine, have you seen my wardrobe?"

---

The moment they had placed their orders in the tiny diner Blaine would never have thought he could drag Kurt to even with promises of money and McQueen, Kurt turned to the other boy with a serious expression. "What's wrong? And don't tell me you're fine, because you're not. You've been out of it since we started on the car."

Blaine fiddled with his paper napkin nervously, trying to appear as though he was not fussed in the slightest. "No, I haven't."

"Blaine, I told you that I am secretly a whore who happens to love sucking blood and you didn't even blink. In fact, you didn't even look at me. You just kept turning the wrench the wrong way."

"Oh." Blaine tore a piece off the napkin, then started to shred it. "I…I guess I was. Out of it, I mean."

Kurt reached across the table and stilled Blaine's hands. Blaine dropped the shreds of napkin immediately and Kurt took the chance to lace their fingers together. "Were you thinking about your dad?"

Blaine continued to stare at the table. "When did you start reading my thoughts?"

"When I fell in love with you. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you fix the car with me."

Blaine pulled Kurt's hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. "You're ridiculous, you know that?" He looked up finally to see Kurt with a worried expression that reminded him painfully of his mother. "I practically forced you to let me help you. It's not your fault in any way. I'm just… I was being stupid. I shouldn't let him get to me like that."

"You're not—"

Kurt was interrupted by their waitress placing two burgers in front of them. "Enjoy," she called, already turning back to the kitchens.

"Thanks," Kurt muttered, rolling his eyes and then looking at his burger in disgust. "I can't believe I actually love you enough to let you take me here."

Blaine grinned at him. It was not quite as winning as normal, but it was still there. "Kurt, can we just eat and not talk about my father, please?"

Kurt considered his boyfriend for a second. He thought about whether he could simply not return to the garage that afternoon, whether his dad would notice. He decided he didn't care. "Okay. But afterwards, we're going to talk."

Blaine was very accomplished at distracting his boyfriend. He somehow managed to convince Kurt to go to a playground – "Seriously, Kurt, five-year-olds do not care what you're wearing unless they're the past you" – and play on the swings with him. Kurt let Blaine deceive himself into thinking he'd escaped having to 'talk' for a couple of hours and just enjoyed the company of the other boy. Kurt had foolishly promised his father he would help out at the shop that summer, so he and Blaine had very little time to spend together without a mechanic looking over their shoulders. Blaine had come by almost every day, but Kurt had never just left work to be with him before. He supposed they deserved some respite, and those few hours pretending to be kids again acted as that.

Eventually, he forced Blaine to lie down in the grass with him, their heads close together and their eyes shielded from the sun by the shade of a beech tree. He threaded their fingers together and raised their hands towards the sky, elbows pressing into the earth.

"What did he say to you back then?"

Blaine knew he had just been allowing himself to believe that Kurt had forgotten their planned conversation, but it didn't make the prospect any more pleasant. "He didn't sayanything directly. Nothing you could…nothing you could take him to court for. He would just drop hints or make pointed comments. In many ways, that was worse. At least when it's direct, you can fight back. When someone is passively insulting you and every person you will ever love, it's horrible. You can't call them out on it because they can just deny it. It wasn't directed at you, you took it the wrong way, whatever they want to say. And my father is particularly accomplished at avoiding blame for things."

Kurt let their hands lower to the ground and turned on his side to face Blaine. He pressed his lips gently against his boyfriend's cheek and let his nose rest there, just touching Blaine's skin. "You're so strong, Blaine. You say you're weak, that you ran to Dalton, but it's just not true. If I didn't have my dad, my life would have fallen apart by now. I need his support to help me through the days when I wish I never had to leave the house. I don't know how you can live without that and still be as confident and kind as you are."

Blaine turned his head so the side of his nose was resting against Kurt's. "I'm not strong, Kurt. Not really. I act like I am, but I'm just as scared as the rest of the world. My mother…she tried, you know. She really tried to make him listen, but he was in that mindset and that was that. Is…is it strange that I respect her for not leaving him?"

Blaine could feel Kurt's frown where their noses were pressed together. The skin pulled tighter and he could imagine exactly the face Kurt would be making.

"I don't know your reasons, so I couldn't say."

Blaine kissed Kurt's cheek. "She didn't just abandon him because of his intolerance. People would say she should, but she…She always reminds me, reminds herself that she loves him, because she does. She loves him, she married him for a reason, and she therefore has faith that he will, to quote her, 'become the man she saw he would be when she married him.' Maybe she should just end it because he doesn't accept his own son, no matter how much he might pretend. But she doesn't because she trusts in him. Or the future him. Or the him that the past him had the potential to become."

Kurt didn't want to break the contact of their hands even though he wanted to stroke Blaine's cheek. He settled for running his thumb across the back of his boyfriend's hand. "I've never heard of anyone thinking that way before. It always seems to be the mother doesn't leave because they are homophobic too, or they're afraid of what their husband will do to them. I can understand why you would respect her for staying true to those she loves. But don't you sometimes…resent that she won't—?"

"No," Blaine said, stopping Kurt before he could say anymore. He pressed their lips together lightly. "I could never resent her for being in love. And every time I think about her leaving him, I think about how, that way, he would never be able to change. He would blame the break-up of his marriage on his gay son, and he'd never learn to see the world any differently from how he sees it now. I trust that one day she'll show him and then…then he'll accept me. Maybe that's hopeful and stupid, but love has a great deal of power."

Kurt moved a little bit closer to Blaine so that their chests were just touching. "It's not stupid. You know how much faith I put in love."

Kurt felt Blaine's smile against his own cheek. "I do." They kissed again. "He does love me, you know. We can still have conversations and watch football games together. There are times when I forget the way he acts because he's just being my father again. It's only occasionally that his…views become a problem." Blaine pressed his forehead against Kurt's. "Those times really hurt, though."

Kurt could wholeheartedly empathise with those emotions. He may have a supportive father and friends who loved him deeply, but each time someone glared at him in the hallway or whispered a slur under their breath, it cut at him. He understood how Blaine felt, but he couldn't think of adequate words to comfort him. Instead, he pressed their lips together, initiating a kiss harder than any they had had that day. He pushed Blaine onto his back in the grass and hovered over him, not breaking the contact even when he knew that Blaine was crying.

---

They had said little after that. Instead, they lay together, letting their skin soak up the sun, and just enjoyed their ability to be with each other. Kurt's father had rung him to ask where he was, but he told Kurt he'd been working too hard and probably deserved a break. They stayed so long and walked back so slowly that, by the time they reached the garage where they were to collect the possessions they had left there, it was dark.

They had put kisses in the spaces where words would have been that afternoon. It wasn't as carnal as it had been when Blaine greeted Kurt that morning, but it had left them both breathless. So, when Kurt walked into the back of the garage in search of their stuff, Blaine followed. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around Kurt, spinning him and pushing against the counter. The other boy squeaked in surprise, but allowed Blaine to kiss him. Both boys' lips were still a little swollen and they tingled when they were pressed together. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck when his boyfriend's tongue licked into his mouth and across the back of his teeth. Much more quickly than normal, Blaine pulled away and began to kiss down Kurt's chest, towards his crotch.

"Blaine, oh my God, no. What are you doing?"

Blaine grinned up at him. "What? There's nobody here."

Kurt gave a low moan as Blaine began to nuzzle at his cock, just starting to get hard. "Blaine, my dad works here. I have to work here."

Blaine kissed the fabric of Kurt's overalls. "That's even better. When you're fixing a car tomorrow, you can look over here and remember that I sucked you off right on this spot."

Kurt whined and his fingers seemed to grab Blaine's hair involuntarily. "This cannot be happening."

Blaine mouthed over the head of Kurt's half-hard cock through the overalls. When Kurt threw his head back, thighs quivering as he tried not to thrust forwards, Blaine laughed, the vibrations travelling right through Kurt. "You can think of it as a very good sex dream if you want."

"Who…" Kurt was panting. "Who says I dream about you?"

Blaine leaned away and frowned up at him, ignoring how Kurt tried to pull him back. "Do you?"

Kurt caught Blaine's expression and he wanted to roll his eyes, but could only accomplish an exasperated sound. "Of course I dream about you, Blaine, don't be ridiculous."

Blaine nodded in relief, then paused when that statement started to sink in. His cock pulsed and he immediately returned to kissing Kurt through his overalls. He reached up and tugged the zip all the way down before pulling the fabric over Kurt's ass and down his thighs. Kurt gripped the counter as Blaine kissed him through his briefs. Blaine licked at the head through the material, smiling when Kurt's arms started to shake.

"Definitely no-one here?" Blaine asked, making sure to let his lips brush on Kurt's tip as he spoke.

"Nngh, no, no. No-one."

"Good. You can be as loud as you like, then."

Kurt couldn't control himself when Blaine talked to him that way, especially when he could feel Blaine speaking on his cock oh my God. He arched into his boyfriend's mouth and let out a moan louder than he had ever been able to before. Living with their parents led to an uncomfortably quiet sex life, so Kurt was going to take full advantage of this moment. And if he could undo Blaine a little as well, that was just a wonderful, orgasmic bonus.

Kurt wasn't paying enough attention: when Blaine suddenly pulled his briefs down, he was completely shocked. He was only just getting over the jolting feeling of the air – blissfully cold compared to earlier – on his cock when Blaine's mouth was all around him. He seemed to have lost all control over his hips as he bucked into Blaine's mouth. Blaine choked a little, but recovered quickly.

"Blaine, I'm so sorry, oh my God, are you okay?" Kurt's hands fluttered around Blaine's head, unsure what to do. He really wanted to be repentant, but Blaine's mouth was still on him and thought was difficult.

Blaine nodded with Kurt still in his mouth, humming what would have sounded like 'fine' to Kurt if the boy hadn't been so distracted by the vibrations travelling up his cock. His hands gripped Blaine's hair, resisting the urge to tug his mouth forwards. Blaine obliged to Kurt's unspoken wish anyway, taking Kurt all the way in. His mouth was so hot and wet and Kurt thought he must have died right then and there. Nothing could feel this good, but Blaine managed to make it better every time. The other boy chose that moment to drag his mouth back down Kurt's cock, cheeks hollowed as he sucked, and Kurt was suddenly afraid his knees would give out.

"Bl…" He couldn't speak properly. His eyelids were flickering and he knew he was probably hurting Blaine with how hard he was pulling his hair. Kurt's thighs were sweating with the effort of not pushing forwards.

Blaine pulled off when he reached the tip. Kurt immediately whined and started tugging on his hair wantonly, trying to pull him back, but Blaine resisted. He looked up at Kurt until he caught the other boy's eye – which wasn't easy because Kurt was staring at Blaine's red lips, slick with spit and perhaps some of his own precome, and his head was spinning again.

"Just let go," Blaine whispered.

"What? I am letting go." Kurt moaned a little, not caring how desperate he sounded, and tried to pull Blaine back to him again.

"No, I mean really."

"Blaine, please, I don't know what you mean and I just really need your mouth on my cock right now."

Blaine smiled at Kurt in a way that was utterly evil and blew a stream of cold air over the head of Kurt's length. "I mean, that I want you to fuck my mouth."

Kurt stared at him for a second, unsure whether this maybe was some sort of dream, then let out a choked sound. "You sure?"

"Totally."

Kurt had to breathe deeply a couple of times, trying to process what was about to happen, then nodded. Blaine grinned and Kurt didn't know smiling could be such a turn-on until that moment. He let out an unidentifiable noise, somewhere between a growl and moan, and dragged Blaine's head towards him. The other boy obliged, still smiling when the tip of Kurt's cock entered his mouth. Even though Kurt's hands were holding him in place, he could still use his tongue. He swirled around the head once before Kurt was suddenly thrusting into him.

He hadn't been expecting it, but he managed to relax his throat just enough. He forgot to suck when Kurt drew out again, but he knew he would just have to try harder next time. Blaine kept the back of his throat lax, looking up at Kurt, catching his eye. He tried to communicate silently that this was okay, that Kurt should carry on. The other boy seemed to get it, twisting his fingers even tighter into Blaine's hair as he began to snap his hips back and forth.

Kurt threw his head back and groaned at the sensation. He was pushing himself in and out of the heat of Blaine's mouth and he could feel the back of Blaine's throat each time. The other boy was sucking on every pull out, causing Kurt's whole body to shake with pleasure. He had to put one hand on Blaine's shoulder as his thrusts sped up; he was so close already. Kurt's mind was swirling with images he'd never really let himself think of before. He was imagining what it would be like to fuck Blaine, if it would be like this, if it would better. His movements were erratic and he knew it was going to be over soon, but he didn't care how embarrassing that was. He needed it.

Blaine sucked harder, wrapping his hand around himself as Kurt continued to thrust into him. He squeezed his own cock desperately, feeling this overpowering need to come when Kurt did. He could feel the coiling in his stomach and moaned with Kurt still in his mouth.

Kurt arched his back and yelled Blaine's name, coming deep his throat. Blaine held onto Kurt's hips with his free hand, holding the boy up as he rocked into Blaine's mouth through his orgasm. As he felt the last drops leak from Kurt's cock, Blaine finally reached the edge. He let Kurt slip from between his lips and laid his head against his boyfriend's stomach as he came, moaning loudly.

They lay on the floor of the garage afterwards. It was cold and very uncomfortable, but neither of them complained about it. Blaine had his head on Kurt's chest and the taller boy was running his fingers through Blaine's curls.

"Don't get angry with me," Kurt whispered.

"What? You haven't done anything," Blaine mumbled against Kurt's skin.

"No, but I'm going to ask you something and you might not like it." He paused, but Blaine just hummed against him, still a little lightheaded. "Did you do that to distract yourself from thinking of your father?"

Blaine turned his head, putting his chin on Kurt's chest. The other boy had his head on the floor and couldn't see him from this angle, but Blaine looked at him all the same. "I thought you might ask that."

Kurt laughed a little and began to stroke the back of Blaine's neck. "We spend too much time together."

"No, we don't spend nearly enough time together. I'd spend every second with you if I could." He kissed Kurt's chest. "That's why I did it: because I love you. I wanted to feel close to you in that way. I suppose a part of me wanted to give you something in return for being so wonderful today, but it wasn't to distract myself. I'd never use you – us that way."

Kurt pushed himself up on one elbow so he could look Blaine in the eyes. "Don't ever feel that you have to repay me. I want to be there for you."

Blaine couldn't look at the fierce expression in Kurt's eyes any longer; he could already feel his eyes prickling with tears again. He buried his face in Kurt's chest. "I know."

Kurt lay down again, stroking his fingertips back and forth across Blaine's back. "I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it."

"Oh, I could tell you enjoyed it. We need to do this more often because you are way more vocal than I expected."

Kurt slapped him gently. "I promise you, this is a one time thing. We are never doing anything like that in my dad's workplace ever again. I have this paranoia that he's just going to know when he comes in tomorrow."

"Oh, God," Blaine said with a shudder. "Does he actually have a gun, or was he just trying to scare me?"

Kurt laughed again and wrapped an arm around Blaine's back. "He was joking, Blaine. Do you really think he would shoot you?"

"I don't think you realise how intimidating he is."

"I'll tell him you said that."

Blaine pushed himself up so his face was hovering above Kurt's. "No, don't you dare."

Kurt was going to say something back, but he was distracted by Blaine's eyes, suddenly very close to him. As he watched, Blaine's expression changed from amused to one so full of love that it made Kurt feel as if was glowing from the inside out. He reached up, threading his fingers into the hair on the back of Blaine's head and pulled him gently towards him. They both whispered an 'I love you' just before their lips met.