Burt really wants you to come home for Christmas break.

Kurt sighs as he reads the text message from Finn again.  This is why he likes it when class starts on time – it doesn’t allow for his mind to wander to the places that he inevitably knows it will wander.

Granted, he was the first to arrive, but the teacher should be there before any of the students, at least in his opinion.

He senses Blaine sliding into his seat in front of Kurt, feels the slight thumb as he turns around and places his elbows on his desk.

“What’s wrong?” Blaine asks, and Kurt glances up from his phone to look into the bright, hazel eyes.

“They all want me to come home for Christmas,” Kurt says slowly, slipping his phone into his pocket after deciding that it would be best not to answer Finn on impulse.

Blaine’s silent for a moment as he studies Kurt’s face.  “I’m sorry,” he says eventually, “But I don’t think I understand what the problem is.”

“It’s just –” Kurt starts.  But he doesn’t really know what the problem is.  “I mean – I have this big secret now, you know? I go to this school that trains us to work against the government – and I know, Blaine, I know that we don’t technically work against them, they just don’t know we exist, we’ve had this talk before - and I just don’t know if I can keep this from them.”

Blaine puffs his cheeks out before exhaling, bringing his hand up to rub at his temples as he nods.  “It’s harder for me to understand,” he says after a moment.  “I mean, my brother teaches here, my parents know, so…”

“It’s not the same,” Kurt supplies for him.

Blaine nods again and reaches out to squeeze Kurt’s hand.  “I’ll come with you, if you want,” Blaine says, his eyes looking up into Kurt’s, filled with sincerity.

“Don’t you have plans?”

Blaine shrugs and squeezes his hand on the desk again.  “Cooper decided a few days ago he didn’t really want to deal with our parents and their interrogations this year,” Blaine tells him.  “So we decided we were just going to stay here.”

Kurt swallows, but he knows that he doesn’t even have to think about Blaine offer – especially since his thumb is tracing circles across the back of his hand.

“Okay,” Kurt agrees after a few moments of silence.  “I’ll ask my parents tonight.”

“Great,” Blaine grins – and god, his grin is so adorable, Kurt thinks – before leaning in and pecking him on the cheek just as Cooper walks in to teach their Weaponry Through the Ages class.

He catches Kurt’s eye as Blaine pulls away and turns around, sending him a saucy wink that has Kurt blushing for the rest of the class period.

“Now, if you could all turn to page 78, but not too fast because even us assassins aren’t immune to paper cuts…”

…..

“Hey, dad…”

“Hey bud. Have you thought about coming home?”

“Yeah and…I want to but…”

“What?

“Can Blaine come with me?”

“….Blaine?”

“Yeah, remember? You met him when you were moving me in…”

“Oh yeah.  But doesn’t he have his own family?”

“He wasn’t planning on going home for the break and I suggested he tag along.”

“…”

“Dad?”

“Is he your boyfriend, Kurt?”

“I – what?”

“Is he your boyfriend?”

“Um…yes…”

*a pause* “Yes, bring him. I want to make sure he’s treating you right.”

“…Thank you, dad.”

“And you said his brother’s a teacher there too, right?”

“Yes…”

“Bring him too. No need for him to be alone for Christmas because you’re stealing his brother away from him.”

…..

“Is that everything?” Blaine asks as he closes the trunk to Kurt’s Navigator.

“I think so,” Kurt responds as he hops into the driver’s seat and shuts the door, watching as Blaine shuts his own door and turns to grab his seatbelt, his muscles in his arms flexing as he does so.

He catches Kurt staring and winks, purposefully flexing more for affect.  “Good,” he says once he buckled in, “Cooper’s been sitting back there for fifteen minutes waiting for us to load all our stuff.”

Kurt glances back through the mirror as he pulls out of the parking lot, shaking when he sees the older Anderson brother leaning against the window, his mouth open and clearly asleep.

They drive in silence for the first part of the trip, Kurt silently thanking Dalton for already covering driving and high speed chases and how to know when a police is nearby. 

“I’m not sure how this week is going to go,” Kurt says when they’re less than fifteen minutes away.

“It’ll be fine,” Blaine replies, squeezing Kurt’s shoulder gently.  “You’ve got us to help you, too.”

Kurt sighs and nods.  “I know,” he says.  “And thank you again.”

“I’d much rather spend time with you then my parents,” Blaine says as he lets out a humorless laugh. 

They pull into Kurt’s driveway then, Blaine reaching back and picking up one of Cooper’s discarded shoes before chucking it at his head.

“You ass,” Cooper groans as he sits up and scoops his shoe off of the seat from where it had bounced off his head.  “You could have just told me to wake up.”

Blaine shrugs and opens his door.  “That was more fun.”

Kurt chuckles and waits for Blaine to run around and get his door for him, knowing from past experiences that if he does it himself Blaine will make him get back in so that he can be a ‘proper gentleman.’

“Cooper you can bring our bags in,” Kurt says as he grabs Blaine’s hand and begins to lead him towards the door.  “Since you made us load the car while you slept in the backseat.”

Cooper sighs in defeat before popping the trunk, Kurt figuring that he can handle it just fine himself.

“Come on,” Kurt says as he urges Blaine into the house.  

“Is he going to kill me?” Blaine whispers as his eyes dart around for any sign of Burt.

“No, and besides, I think you could do more damage than he –” He’s cut off by Blaine nudging him with his elbow and tipping his head towards where his father is coming down the stairs.

A smile splits across Kurt’s face and his fears are cast aside for a moment because he hasn’t seen his dad in over a month.  He releases Blaine’s hand and rushes over before wrapping his arms around Burt.

“Hey bud,” he whispers as he hugs Kurt back.  “It’s good to have you back.”

Kurt looks up and he can feel the tears stinging in his eyes, threating to spill over.  He takes a steadying breath before turning back to Blaine, holding his hand out in a gesture for him to come closer.

Blaine’s fingers close around his own and Kurt has to tug a little to get him to move.  “Dad,” he says slowly, his eyes never leaving Blaine’s worried face.  “This is Blaine.”

Blaine holds his free hand out.  “Hello, Mr. Hummel,” he says smoothly.  “Thank you for having us over for the break.”

Burt shakes his hand, his grip firm.  “Anything to get Kurt to come home,” he responds as he releases Blaine’s hand.  “We were all bummed when he couldn’t make it for Thanksgiving.”

Kurt instantly feels guilty, his cheeks tinting with embarrassment as he drops his gaze. 

“It’s alright,” Blaine whispers discreetly in his ear, so quiet that there’s no chance of Burt hearing them.  “You did what you had to do.”  He gives Kurt’s hand another squeeze just as the front door opens again and Cooper walks in, carrying all of their bags in one trip.

“Aw,” he says as he closes the door and drops the bags on the welcome mat.  “I missed the introduction.”

Blaine chuckles and Kurt rolls his eyes. 

“That’s my brother Cooper,” Blaine says.  “He has no manners, so I’m going to apologize for him in advance and hope that it covers our whole stay here.”

Burt chuckles and moves around the two boys to go and help Cooper with the bags, even though it was made blatantly obvious that Cooper was done with them and that they were no longer his responsibility.

…..

The first week in uneventful, for the most part.  Only a few awkward and possibly disastrous conversations, which Kurt considers to be a success.

…..

“So Cooper, what class do you teach at Dalton?”

Cooper straightens and reaches for more potatoes as he answers, “History.”

Well, it technically isn’t a lie.  He just didn’t elaborate on the fact that it was basically the history of weapons.

.....

“How are the Warblers, Kurt?”

Kurt’s eyes widen and he turns to Blaine, who catches his eye before answering the question from him.  Because, if what Blaine told him was accurate, the Warblers hadn’t even performed since the day Kurt came to spy on them.

Which, Blaine also later told him, they only did because they were basically trained spies who knew he was coming and it was all just part of their cover.

“We aren’t performing at any competitions this year, but we get together about once a week,” Blaine says smoothly, and it’s times like these Kurt remembers that Blaine has been trained to lie like this for all of his past schooling.

But Burt and Carole nod and smile, and Kurt can’t help but be thankful that his boyfriend is a talented assassin-in-training.

…..

Christmas comes and goes in a flurry of presents and turkey and tinsel.  Kurt pins up two extra stockings for Blaine and Cooper on Christmas eve before sneaking down in the middle of the night to sleep next to Blaine on the couch.  Blaine grins and wraps his arms around him before tugging the blanket over the both of them, knowing that Burt won’t have the heart to get mad at them on Christmas.

It’s perfect.  Everything’s perfect.

“This is perfect,” Blaine whispers into Kurt’s ear before the other boy can go to sleep.

“It really is,” Kurt replies as he shifts in Blaine’s arm so that he’s facing him.  He leans in and presses a soft kiss to Blaine’s lips before dropping his head onto Blaine’s shoulder.  “Merry Christmas, Blaine.”

“Merry Christmas,” Blaine breathes as he strokes Kurt’s cheek.  “Thank you for letting me spend it with you.”

“Thank you for being here for me when I needed you.”

Blaine smiles and kisses Kurt’s temple as he squeezes his waist, listening as his breathing evens out and he sags into Blaine’s body even more.

…..

It’s three days before their break is over when it happens.

Kurt and Blaine are lounging on the couch watching a movie, Blaine leaning against the arm rest with Kurt wedged between his body and the back of the couch with his head resting on his chest.  Kurt’s dozing, his eyes drooping as Blaine’s fingers stroke his hair softly and as he presses gentle kisses onto his temple every few minutes.  Burt and Carole went to the grocery store, Finn having left hours ago for either an extra basketball practice or to go to Quinn or Rachel’s or whoever it was he was dating.

Blaine’s hand is slowly creeping up Kurt’s shirt to rub at the smooth skin on his hip.  Kurt feels the Goosebumps popping up on his skin where Blaine’s fingers trail, shifting slightly so that he can reach Blaine’s face and press their lips together.  Blaine sighs and shifts Kurt so he’s sitting in his lap, his hands fisted in Kurt’s sweater, keeping him close and there and kissing him.

Kurt’s just starting the trek down Blaine’s jaw when he hears Cooper running down the stairs.  After a faint groan of protest from Blaine, he shifts himself off of his lap and sits down at the end of the couch, plopping Blaine’s socked feet in his lap.

Blaine turns to see what the commotion is about, but when Cooper appears, something in his expression must throw Blaine off.  He’s up and off the couch in an instant, his stance taut and his expression alert.

“What –” He starts, but Cooper’s already ahead of him.

“I got a call,” he says as he slips on his coat.  His eyes dart from Blaine to Kurt a few times before settling on Blaine again.  “I need you to come with me but –”

Kurt stands up then and goes over towards the two brothers.  He can see a glint of a gun inside of Cooper’s jacket, his phone buzzing every few seconds.

Kurt can tell that they’re having a conversation with their eyes.

“You could take him to –”

“Or lock him in –”

“No, Cooper, we aren’t locking him anywhere.”

“Blaine, he needs to be safe.”

“Then I need to stay with him.”

“He is right here,” Kurt huffs as he crosses his arms across his chest.  “Now, whether you like it or not, I’m a part of the school too, and since you’re already talking about me I would like to be informed as to what is going on.”

Blaine sighs and turns to Kurt.  His expression is one Kurt has only seen a few times – all business, stern and professional.

“One of the Dalton professors has gone missing,” Cooper says, “as have a few of the students.  We have reason to believe that they’ll come looking for you since you’re the most inexperienced.”

Kurt stiffens as he looks up at Blaine’s expression, which is now showing just a hint of worry.

“One of the missing students is supposedly located close to here,” Cooper goes on after shooting Blaine a concerned look.  “The Headmaster wants me to go and see if I can find him, but I need backup.”

“Which would be Blaine,” Kurt finishes for him. 

“Right,” Cooper agrees as he finishes lacing up his shoes.  “But then there’s the problem that if they’re looking for you, leaving you here unprotected is possibly one of the stupidest things we could do.”

Kurt worries his bottom lip between his teeth as he slowly nods.  He looks from Cooper to Blaine a few times.  It’s clear that Cooper is conflicted – he needs help, but he wants to make sure Kurt is safe.  And then there’s Blaine who looks torn, too – torn between helping his brother and protecting his boyfriend.

“Go with Cooper,” Kurt says to Blaine softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“But –”

“I’ll be fine,” Kurt assures him, forcing a look of confidence on his face when he’s feeling anything but confident.  “I – I’ll hide in my basement and I can grab a kitchen knife just – just in case.”

Blaine looks pained as he stares at Kurt’s face, opening his mouth and closing it before turning to Cooper.  Their eyes meet for a moment and Cooper nods before walking out of the house, leaving the door open.

“What –”

Kurt means to ask Blaine what’s going on, but he’s cut off by Blaine wrapping his arms around him and squeezing all of the air out of him.

“Be careful,” Blaine breathes into his neck.  “I don’t want to leave you, I really don’t, I don’t think you know how much it’s going to hurt to leave you here undefended –”

“You’re doing what you have to do,” Kurt replies as he swallows the lump in his throat.

“But if they are looking for you –”

“Which is just a suspicion.”

Blaine takes a deep shuddering breath as he continues to lean his forehead into Kurt’s neck.  “Lock the doors,” he says as he pulls away, and all of his composure is back.  He looks like he never fell apart, like he never let his emotions show.  “Go to the basement, and if you hear anything, hide under your bed.”

Kurt nods and squeezes Blaine’s hand as he pulls away.

“Blaine,” Kurt calls just as he’s exiting through the door.

Blaine turns around, his face expressionless.

“Be careful,” Kurt whispers, so quiet that he isn’t even sure Blaine can hear him.  “Come back to me.”

A small smile forms in the corner of Blaine’s lips.  He holds his hand to his heart and mouths “Always” to Kurt before walking out, closing the door behind him.

…..

It’s been four hours.

Kurt’s sitting on one of the chairs in the basement.  His cellphone is turned off just in case he could be tracked through it.  The TV and lights stay off, and he’s been playing Solitaire with himself in the dark for at least two and a half hours now.

He’s down to about ten cards in the pickup pile when he hears something upstairs.  He barely heard the door open, the only give away being when it was closed and Kurt picked up on the faint footsteps on the hardwood floor above him.

He can feel his heart beating faster with every second that passes before he remembers that he’s just sitting there and that he should move or hide or something.

Remembering Blaine’s words, Kurt jumps up off of the chair and runs as quietly as possible to the couch – since they moved a few weeks ago, his bedroom was no longer in the basement and, therefore, there were no beds to be seen.  Luckily, there’s just enough room for him to squeeze under the couch.  It’s uncomfortable and cramped, but if he just doesn’t move it should be fine for at least twenty minutes.

His breathing seems louder, Kurt thinks as he covers his mouth with his hand to stop any unwanted noise from escaping.  It shouldn’t be, and that stupid cramp in the back of his calf should go away because the last thing he needs is to flinch and give himself away and –

Kurt’s thinking is cut off when he hears the door to the basement open.  He holds his breath as he listens to the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, quiet and stealthy and sounding like the owner of said feet does not want to be heard.

He can feel the tears forming in his eyes the closer the footsteps get, and he’s scared, dammit, if that’s one thing they teach you at Dalton it’s that you can’t be scared, that fear only makes situations worse, that –

“…Kurt?”

At the sound of his name, Kurt exhales and a soft, quiet whimper escapes from his lips.  It’s Blaine, Blaine’s there and it’s Blaine and Blaine’s okay and he’s okay and it’s not an intruder.

“Oh thank god,” he hears Blaine breath before the flap of the couch is being lifted up and then Blaine’s hands are there, gently tugging him out until he’s no longer under the couch.  He crawls into Blaine’s lap and clutches his shirt in his fists, burying his face in Blaine’s neck and just letting himself cry.

“You’re fine,” Blaine whispers, pressing a soft kiss to Kurt’s temple.  “I’m fine.  Cooper’s fine.  We found all the students and the missing professor in a warehouse near Dalton.  They apparently saw a gang of sorts selling stolen cars over the break and didn’t know that the head of the operation had seen them.  It had nothing to do with Dalton, nothing to do with you.”

Kurt takes a deep breath again, willing his heart to stop pounding in his chest.  “You sounded relieved when you saw me, though,” Kurt whispers into Blaine’s neck.

“There was still a part of me that was convinced that someone had come and taken you while we were gone,” Blaine replies, his voice stiff as he grips Kurt closer.  Kurt can feel the outline of a gun on the inside of Blaine’s jacket, but he doesn’t say anything, he knows that Blaine is safer with one and that he would only use it if absolutely necessary.

They hold each other for a little longer, Kurt wrapping his legs around Blaine’s waist in a death grip, wanting to be as close to him as he can and never wanting to let them go.

When Cooper comes down the stairs after doing a quick inspection of the house, he finds them in the same position.

“Burt and Carole are home,” he tells them, his voice soft and quiet, like he knows that their emotions are running high right now.  “They brought dinner.”

Kurt nods against Blaine’s shoulder and mumbles, “Tell them we’ll be up in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Cooper agrees, and Kurt can hear the hint of amusement in his voice, “but just so you know, they think you guys are getting up to ‘funny business’ down here.”

Blaine laughs at that, his breath ghosting across Kurt’s cheek. 

“Well we would have been,” Kurt chuckles, “if you hadn’t come storming down the stairs when we were in the living room.”

Cooper full out laughs at that and shakes his head.  “I knew it,” he says as he hoists Kurt off of Blaine and ruffles his hair, “but the situation was keeping me a little preoccupied.  But now I’m upset.  I missed a prime opportunity to make Blaine blush.”

Blaine blushes, though, and Cooper just laughs harder.