A/N: I love Blaine not being in control far more than I should. I still say he's really just a kid and he really doesn't think of 'consequences' too well. And just as a personal note, I think Jeremiah's a sweetheart but for the sake of this prompt, he couldn't be. Written for the glee kink meme on Livejournal.

SPOILERS: This is an AU of the scene after the Warbler's Gap Attack in season 2, episode 12: Silly Love Songs so if you've not seen the episode, I highly suggest watching that first.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, and some of the text taken from this fic is directly from the episode.

"Was it too much?" Blaine asked, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his overcoat.

It was cold outside, but Blaine hardly noticed. His scarf had already begun to slide off and he couldn't even feel the navy beanie half-warming his ears anymore. His insides were too much in a twist, worry gnawing at every nerve ending, unease clear in the way he sat. He just couldn't stop squirming for the life of him, glancing between the door of the mall and the boy seated beside him.

Kurt just sent him a deadpan look in response to his question and Blaine felt his heart sink. His worry escalated as his friend's eyebrow hiked up closer to his hairline. Caught, afraid, he looked away, missing the way that Kurt rubbed at his leg (a fair indication that it was a lot colder outside than he could register.)

"It-it was too much," Blaine concluded, his voice hitching. Shifting on the bench that he and Kurt were seated on once more, he clenched his hands in his pockets.

Kurt still didn't answer, but Blaine likely wouldn't have heard him even if he'd tried. His attention was suddenly caught completely. The door to the GAP swung open.

Semi-blond curls were the first things he noticed. The almost-tweed jacket was the second.

Jeremiah's drawn, very tight expression was what Blaine noticed last and instantly he fought the urge to sink down into his seat.

Afraid. He was afraid on so many levels and that was precisely why he suddenly shoved himself up onto his feet. Remaining seated would have let his fear blow out of proportion and even as a mask of a smile fell over his face, he still felt the fear circling him. It was an animal, fangs dripping with hunger, ready to sink its teeth into Blaine's chest at the first available opportunity.

"Jeremiah! Hey," he smiled, drawing the man's attention before he could back out. He knew Kurt was watching; it was one of the only reasons he tried so hard to pretend to be confident.

It took the blond a few moments to look around before he slowly raised the hood of his jacket. Instantly, Blaine felt his stomach give a twist; it didn't bode well. In all the time Blaine had known the man (admittedly, not all that long) Jeremiah had always made a point to keep his hair uncovered. It was obviously a point of pride. To cover it now meant... trouble, and Blaine wasn't even sure how he knew; he just did.

"What the Hell were you doing?" Jeremiah asked as soon as he was close enough, his voice drawn and tense.

"What?" Blaine grinned, well aware his smile wasn't even close to reaching his eyes. He knew he was in trouble, and even talking scared, Blaine found himself ashamed at how attractive he still found the man across from him.

Jeremiah's expression tightened even more. "I just got fired."

Suddenly Blaine froze. He didn't know how to answer.

His smile died instantly and – unseen to him, over his shoulder – Kurt's expression drew in tighter. His friend sat considerably straighter, his eyes unwavering from Jeremiah.

Blaine tried, but he couldn't think of anything to say. 'Sorry' jumped into his mind perhaps tenfold, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his mouth to work.

Fired? Because of him? ... Blaine felt awful – he remembered, suddenly, Jeremiah telling him over coffee just how much he'd needed this job.

"You can't just," Jeremiah continued, his chin drawing closer to his chest as he began to gesture somewhat wildly with his hands," bust a groove in someone else's workplace!"

Blaine swallowed thickly, his mind completely blanking. Words came to his lips unbidden but he hardly heard them – the sound of his heart shattering was much too audible. "But... they loved it."

"Yeah, well," Jeremiah snapped back, "my boss didn't." Jaw clenching tighter, the blond reached up and briefly rubbed at his forehead, anger all but reverberating off of him. "And you know what? Neither did I."

Forget his heart shattering. Blaine was pretty sure some unseen force was now grinding the shattered pieces into a fine dust. There was no way he could pretend any longer that he was smiling. Instead he began to step back, his chin drawing down to his chest as his hands shoved themselves deeper into his pockets.

"Blaine, for Chrissake, no one here knows I'm gay!" It was a hissed whisper and Blaine paused to glance up just long enough to note how Jeremiah glanced around before saying it. He was clearly ashamed of himself, of being gay. It was written all over his face, and... God, Blaine couldn't have possibly felt like more of an idiot.

He didn't notice Jeremiah taking a step closer, and at that point, Blaine had almost forgotten Kurt was there.

"Can I be honest?" Kurt jumped in, and Blaine didn't register the steel defensiveness behind Kurt's eyes, or the way he had seated himself straighter. "Just with the hair, I think they do."

It was played off as a joke, complete with a sarcastic expression that Blaine hardly saw. He missed the quick look Kurt gave Jeremiah as they stared one another down.

Though distracted by glaring at Kurt for a moment, Jeremiah quickly remembered who his real target was, and Blaine drew in a quick breath as pale blue eyes once again turned to him. They weren't so stunning anymore, not while drawn and clouded in anger.

"Blaine, I am going to be perfectly clear here, and let's hope you can absorb this into your admittedly thick skull, okay?"

Again Jeremiah took a step closer and Blaine glanced up, wincing, his expression drawn.

"You and I got coffee." He held up two fingers, jabbing them under Blaine's chin. "Twice. Only twice. We are not dating."

Blaine couldn't even bring himself to swallow that time. He was honestly suddenly wondering if he'd ever felt worse in his life, shoulders lax as he fought the urge to just curl up in a hole somewhere.

"You know why? 'Cuz there are plenty of reasons," Jeremiah went on, his hands moving up to grab at Blaine's arms through his jacket. It was a stronger grip than Blaine had anticipated and he tensed slightly. "One, you are 15 years old…!"

"N-not... I'm sev-" Blaine cut in, thicker eyebrows drawing down.

"It doesn't matter!" Jeremiah all but growled, turning his eyes skyward for a moment. "You're still fucking jailbait, Blaine. Fuck! I'm not looking to get myself arrested too!" The glare that jumped onto his expression was vicious. "On top of being fucking fired."

Blaine couldn't feel anything but the cold by that point. His chest ached; he knew his face had to be flushed in humiliation, and all he could do was belatedly shake his head. "J-Jeremiah, I'm... I swear, I didn't mean for that-"

"What did you expect, Blaine?" It was almost a shout, tempered only by the people passing by. Of that, Blaine was sure. "For the love of God, do you have absolutely no sense at all?"

Jeremiah tightened his grip and Blaine found himself unsure if the pathetic sound he had just heard was in his head, or if he'd actually let it out. He wasn't sure if he cared either way, to be honest; he had literally never felt lower. "I'm sorry," he tried, his voice so soft even he had a hard time hearing it. "I am, honest. I'm s-sorry..."

"Oh my God, you are a child," Jeremiah spat, releasing Blaine's arms to near beseech the heavens in his frustration. "Do you really think I care? Do you really think that fixes anything? If you honestly think I care that you didn't think of the implications of singing a sex song to an older man in the middle of the fucking GAP, please enlighten me."

Blaine tucked his chin down closer to his chest, his scarf beginning to slide off of his shoulder. As such, he wasn't expecting the light shove when it came and, startled, he stumbled back a bit.

"Go ahead," Jeremiah snapped, "tell me again that you're fucking sorry, Blaine, because I really, really want to hear it."

Blaine frowned, his expression all but creased in humiliation and vulnerability. All he could do was shrug, biting at his lower lip. "I-I am... Sorry, that is-" he began, but he didn't get to finish.

Apparently Jeremiah had reached the end of his rope. One moment Blaine was standing weak against the cold and anger flooding his way, and the next his back was thrumming with pain. It took him a few seconds to realize he'd been shoved – hard – back onto the bench. The metal of the bench had hit his spine dead on and for the moment all he could do was curl in on himself, breath caught in his lungs.

"All right, that is enough," Came the sudden growl from what sounded like a distance. All Blaine could register for those few seconds was pain, pain, pain and then the warmth at his side leaving. A new, volatile anger was suddenly palpable in the air and he hesitantly opened one of his eyes to see what was happening.

Jeremiah looked startled. That was the first thing that Blaine noticed. The reason why was something he almost couldn't believe.

It was hard to see Kurt's face from where he'd been shoved on the bench, but what little he could see of his friend was pissed. Twin spots of color were high on Kurt's cheeks and Blaine just knew it wasn't from embarrassment.

"Do you really think that was a good idea?" Kurt all but snarled at Jeremiah. "You think he's not good enough to call the police on your ass? Because please tell me if so, because if he won't, I will."

Jeremiah's expression pinched and he drew himself up higher. He had a few inches on Kurt but somehow Kurt still managed to come across as the more dangerous contender.

"He-!"

"The guy did something he shouldn't have, yes. You have a right to be upset, you asshole." Kurt cut in before Jeremiah could continue, "but it stops there. You're a self-proclaimed adult, I think you should know that assault will land you in deep shit as well!"

Beginning to find he could breathe again, Blaine took a slow, deeper breath, staring up at his friend as Kurt all but reamed the other man out. They had a small audience by now and Blaine could see the nervousness begin to creep in on Jeremiah's expression.

"I lost my job," the blond snapped, though he glanced at the people watching with something akin to unease.

"And it was no fault of yours that it happened," Kurt snarled back, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck. "Your boss is a closed-minded bigot and you can easily go to management and complain. If that doesn't work, find a new damn job!"

Blaine watched, transfixed, as Kurt clenched his jaw, brushing his bangs back with nothing short of violence. "If you're a decent employee, you'll find another job. You can clearly find someplace better than the GAP. I mean come on! It is the GAP! I think even a McJob would land you with more dignity!"

A small nervous chuckle rose from the crowd and even Blaine had to smile at that. His back still hurt but the pain was significantly...less all of a sudden. He was still humiliated and hurt, but having Kurt stand up for him – even when he had been in the wrong – was nothing short of humbling.

Jeremiah hadn't said anything. If anything, he looked even more uncomfortable. He glanced at Blaine briefly but Kurt quickly stepped in front of him, raising his chin and glaring his heart out.

"Don't you dare look at him, you ingrate. I'm not going to make you apologize because Lord knows you did just lose your job. But if I ever, ever see or hear that you've so much as touched Blaine again, I will personally supply the buzzcut you are going to have when they throw your ass in jail. Are we clear?"

Jeremiah glared as hard as he could, but it was obvious that he knew this wasn't the place to start anything. Instead he just slid his hands into his pockets, shrugged and turned on his heel.

"Nice voice, bitch," he grumbled over his shoulder but it was a halfhearted slur at best.

Kurt's expression tightened briefly and Blaine watched as he bit at his lip. He didn't chase after Jeremiah though, just watched as the crowd stepped aside to let the blond man walk off.

A pointed look and a clearing of his throat had the crowd beginning to drift off as well. As unthreatening as Kurt could sound, there was no mistaking the severity in his expression or how tense he stood.

Only when the last few people began to turn away did Kurt turn back to Blaine, his expression still tight but the worry behind it did wonders for Blaine's battered pride.

"Hey," Kurt muttered, walking over to sit on the bench. "How bad is it? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No." Embarrassment began to flood into his mind again. "N-no, it's...it's not that bad..."

"Thank goodness," Kurt breathed, an honest note of relief passing his eyes. He quickly stood back up, one gloved hand reaching out. "Come on, I'm driving you back to Dalton. No arguing."

In truth, Blaine had been about to argue but at the warning, he only nodded and accepted Kurt's hand. He was still sore, aching – both on the inside and out – but he took a special note of how securely Kurt held his hand. He also didn't miss how gently Kurt eased him up onto his feet.

"Take a few steps for me," came the instruction as soon as Blaine was stationary. "Just to that sign there."

The sign in question was about three feet away. Silently, without protest, Blaine did as asked. He didn't bother to hide the way his expression twisted in discomfort, either. Had it been any other moment, he never would have even considered letting it show – now, after all of that... he just couldn't bring himself to care.

"Okay," Kurt cut in, gently grabbing hold of Blaine's arm. "Enough of that. Just stay right here, I'll bring the truck around."

Kurt sent him a look that indicated he was not to move away from the signpost. "I'll call the Warblers and let them know I'm bringing you back. Just stay, okay?"

"Yeah," Blaine agreed, but he wished he hadn't. He'd not heard himself sound so pathetic since...well, since before the transfer to Dalton.

"Stay," Kurt reiterated, but his frown was indication enough that he had heard the tone of voice and was concerned. "I'll be right back."

Offering as true a smile as he could, Blaine tried to hold it but it soon fell short. He instead watched as Kurt quickly took off at an even-paced jog in the direction of his truck.

It took Kurt a few minutes (Blaine was very careful to watch for signs of Jeremiah coming back. He wasn't scared per se... not really, he just didn't want to deal with it again. He felt bad enough as it was), but soon enough, the comforting rev of the engine of Kurt's truck sounded around the corner.

Blaine watched the vehicle pull up close to the sidewalk (and the bus stop. It wasn't exactly legal but he couldn't bring himself to care). Kurt was out again in mere seconds and he opened the passenger's side door, quickly making his way over to Blaine.

"Come on, now. No fussing, just let me," Kurt said as he carefully wrapped an arm around Blaine's waist to help support him. "Just lean on me, the pain'll die down soon enough."

The realization that Kurt would know what it felt like to have his back slammed into pieces of metal hit Blaine so hard that for a split second, he forgot to breathe. Kurt had been through a lot – and more – of the same, when he had been at McKinley. As such he could only awkwardly nod, swallowing a bit thicker than he initially intended.

He did take the help though, leaning against Kurt as the taller teen carefully led him back to the truck and buckled him in. Kurt closed Blaine's door and got into the driver's seat. In under a minute, they had pulled out into traffic and were on their way back to Dalton.

"I called David," Kurt said, somewhat awkwardly into the silence. "I didn't say much, just that we were on our way back to Dalton. Is... is that okay?"

"Yeah," Blaine nodded, pressing his forehead to his window. "That's fine."

He took a few minutes to let the words come to him. After all, he was still aching from the rejection, but he was suddenly... confused too. It didn't... quite hurt as much as it did before. In all honesty, Blaine felt a bit lighter. Kurt had defended him. He hadn't needed to, but he had.

"Hey," he began, after the words finally came to him. "Um... about what you said, back there. I just-... thank you."

"Don't worry about it," Kurt shrugged. His voice was softer, understanding at first and then it hardened as he continued. "I've had it with closeted assholes who think they can shove their way past people who have enough courage to be true to themselves. Feeling scared that just because we're not ashamed of ourselves, people will magically know that they're gay too? It's disgusting," he added, his gloved hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"I could understand if he was angry at you for disrupting the mall. It was a bit much."

Blaine winced, tucking his chin a bit closer to his chest. "Yeah...yeah, I kind of figured that out."

"And that's why I'm not going to bring it up again. You know you made a mistake, end of story," Kurt said, his voice kinder than Blaine felt he deserved. "What I can't stand is that he was so afraid of people finding out he was gay that he was willing to rough you up. I've had it with that and I'm not going to let it happen on my watch. Not anymore."

Blaine watched from the corner of one eye as Kurt swallowed, his eyes looking a bit glossier than they should have. "I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end. I know you can handle yourself, Blaine, I didn't mean to...you know... imply that you couldn't."

"N-no, no, I know that."

"It just really pisses me off," Kurt admitted, sighing hard. "I mean, the sheer thought of anyone even turning you down is perplexing enough, but going as far as to shove you in the middle of the street?"

The steering wheel groaned as Kurt's grip tightened on it further. Blaine knew Kurt wasn't exactly brimming with brute strength but the set to his jaw and the faint tremors in his arms made it clear that Kurt was still in fight-mode.

For him.

It was a humbling thought, and it warmed Blaine's heart more than anything else had so far. In fact, he was fairly certain that even his puppy love for Jeremiah (as that's what it had to have been) hadn't made his heart feel this light.

"Hey, Kurt," Blaine intoned softly, managing to find a smile even in the myriad of conflicting emotions within. "It's okay. I'm okay – you got him." He reached over, awkwardly setting a hand on Kurt's arm. "Calm down, it's okay."

Kurt paused, sending Blaine a slightly disgruntled look and Blaine was pretty sure he could see some embarrassment behind eyes he'd come to know fairly well over the past few weeks. Even so, he could feel as Kurt slowly began to relax and eventually the grip he had on the steering wheel calmed significantly. A grudging smile landed on Kurt's lips as he glanced at Blaine. "You realize you just talked me down like I was an aggravated canine, right?"

"Did I?" Blaine smiled, finding genuine amusement in the insinuation.

"All you were missing was the 'Good Boy'." Kurt sighed, rolling his eyes as he looked back at the road.

Silence reigned for a few seconds longer as Blaine fought down the negative emotions trying to crawl back out. Instead he set his hand heavier on Kurt's arm to draw his attention. Then, looking as serious as he could, he added: "Good boy, Kurt. You got him."

The ripple of amusement that began in Kurt's eyes and slid down to the quirked smile warmed Blaine's heart so suddenly that he almost felt the breath robbed from his lungs.

"You are so full of it!" Kurt laughed and he gently shook Blaine's hand off of his arm. Blaine could tell that Kurt was being overly gentle with him and in some part of his mind he was uncomfortable with it. For the most part, though, he found himself honestly grateful. He was sore and still fairly humiliated, but seeing Kurt all but burst into surprised laughter made Blaine chuckle too.

It hurt to laugh too hard but he couldn't help himself.

He also couldn't help his eyes through the rest of the trip back to Dalton. No matter what initially grabbed his attention, he eventually found himself looking at Kurt.

The ice was cold through the thin shirt Kurt had managed to work him down into.

There had been plenty of protests to begin with; he'd tried to insist that he was just fine but Kurt hadn't even begun to accept his reassurances once they'd both arrived back at Dalton.

Instead, Blaine had found himself seated on the bed in Kurt's room, shedding his winter clothes on the back of a chair across the room. Kurt had insisted on making absolutely sure that Blaine was all right. Blaine had sat there, perfectly still as Kurt's fingers had gently pressed and skimmed across his back.

It had only been when Blaine's expression twisted and he'd arched forward with a hiss that Kurt had stopped.

"Okay, okay, I've got it," Kurt had muttered, and Blaine could hear the worry in Kurt's voice. "Damn, that's probably going to bruise..."

Blaine had only half-heartedly agreed and Kurt had left to go and grab some ice.

Which found him here, hissing at the cold press of ice through his shirt.

It was cold. Well, of course it was cold, it was ice, Blaine's inner-Kurt snarked at him, but he did have to admit that it seemed to be helping. The ache that had been constant since Jeremiah shoved him against the bench was subsiding and muscles that Blaine hadn't even known were tense had begun to relax.

Leaning forward obediently as Kurt slid in behind him, Blaine folded his arms across his knees and sighed.

"Was that a good sigh, or a bad one?" Came the disembodied voice over his shoulder.

Despite himself, Blaine chuckled softly. "Good. It's not hurting quite so much."

"I know what I'm doing," Kurt smirked. He sobered fairly quickly though, as he spread the icepack out evenly on Blaine's back. "Still okay?"

The cold was a bit much, but Blaine's heart was doing little flips in his chest. "Yeah, yeah, still okay." He paused. "You know you don't have to… right?"

"Hush," Kurt sighed and Blaine was fairly sure he rolled his eyes at him. "Don't even, there is no way you could hold this in the right place and you know it."

Despite his internal protects, it was true, and Blaine nodded to himself. "Yeah, okay... point taken."

Silence reigned on, only broken by the occasional ripple of the icepack as Kurt switched hands, or a faint hiss from Blaine as the cold hit a new patch of skin through his shirt. Even with the confusing lightness in his heart, however, Blaine slowly set his gaze on the floor. It was only now beginning to register to him that Kurt had seen his failure firsthand and he was inexplicably afraid that his friend might think less of him.

"...Thanks, uh...again," Blaine began, his voice smaller, awkward. Then, after a split second he just sighed, one hand reaching up to come close to raking back through hair that was still gelled back fully. "I...don't think I've ever made that big a fool of myself..."

"I'm not so sure," Kurt cut in and Blaine could tell he was smiling. "Wes and David have stories..."

"I mean it, Kurt... God, I'm such an idiot."

He felt guilty for making the smile slide out of Kurt's voice – of course he did - but this was honestly something he felt he needed to shove out into the open. "I mean... not just the...the song, and stuff. Actually thinking that...well, you know."

"That he liked you?" Kurt finished, and Blaine could hear the wryness in his voice. "Yeah, trust me. I've been there."

"No, Kurt, it's not the same," Blaine began, frowning, but Kurt cut him off.

"If you even try the 'my experiences top yours' I will shove this icepack down your shirt, so help me." Kurt leaned in, his chin briefly resting on Blaine's shoulder to send him a look. "I've been there too. I get making an absolute idiot out of yourself."

"How?" Blaine asked. He knew it was an invasion of privacy, but something inside him really wanted to know.

"I set my Dad up with a woman he later married, just so I could spend more time with her son," Kurt drawled grudgingly.

Blaine blinked, thinking for a few moments before he glanced over his shoulder, frowning. "Wait... Finn? Really?" Suddenly he wasn't so sure he liked Finn anymore.

"Yes, I perhaps came on a bit too strong. One hundred percent straight, that one – just ended up with prejudicial slurs and a lot of awkwardness after." Kurt shrugged, sighing. "He's my brother now, so thank maybe-God that I don't like him like that anymore. But it was a rather awful first-crush if I do say so myself."

"Ouch," was all Blaine could muster, though he honestly felt a bit guilty that he felt pleased. He still wasn't quite sure he liked Finn though. Blaine also didn't register that he looked so relieved, nor did he notice the slightly calculating look in Kurt's eyes.

"There was someone else, though. Still on the fence about them." Kurt continued after a few moments.

Blaine's expression tightened. "Yeah?" He knew it. He just knew it.

"Yeah," Kurt drawled, keeping the icepack stationary on Blaine's back as he tipped his head, speaking closer to Blaine's ear. "He is this absolutely gorgeous boy at Dalton."

"Oh?" Blaine shifted a bit, eyes downcast. He was suddenly confused again – so confused. It hurt. Everything hurt again.

"Yep. Hot as hell, great voice, and he gives off this impression that nothing on earth can get him down or throw him for a loop." Kurt continued, a smile sliding onto his lips. "But I kind of realized something today."

"What's that?" Blaine frowned deeper, already going through the list of Warblers and kind of hating them all.

"It's a front. All an act," Kurt grinned, draping his free arm across Blaine's chest. "He's just as confused and scared as the rest of us. And he can pretty much talk himself into doing anything when he likes someone." Kurt rolled his eyes. "No matter how over-the-top it is."

Well, Blaine mused. At least that rules out Wes.

"So," Blaine said instead and he honestly couldn't help that he sounded miserable. "Does he like you back? Or something... Are you going to ask him out?"

"I don't know," Kurt said, and Blaine blinked, caught with how amused and wry Kurt's voice sounded. He glanced back, noting the infusion of amusement in Kurt's eyes.

"Why?"

"Well, you see," Kurt smiled, "he just pretty much made a complete and total fool of himself in front of about a dozen shoppers at the GAP of all places. So I'm not so sure if he's ready to accept a date, and I'm not really sure I want to risk being a rebound."

Blaine blinked, his brain suddenly stalling. "...Uh...what?"

"Yeah, as it turns out, singing When I Get You Alone isn't the best way to publically express your affection for an off-blond poodle."

For a split second, Blaine was honestly confused that someone else could have liked Jeremiah as well, but the look Kurt gave him softened the confusion on his brow. He watched as Kurt again rolled his eyes and sighed heavily to himself.

"Oh my God, you really are clueless," he muttered, but there was no condemnation in Kurt's voice. If anything, he sounded... affectionate?

"Uh..." Blaine began, trying to wrap his mind around his confusion and the sudden flutter of hope in his chest.

Kurt didn't exactly let him finish.

Though the icepack was kept securely and gently to the bruise on Blaine's back (making the angle slightly awkward) Kurt still leaned in. For a moment, Blaine could all but feel his mind completely short out.

When he found himself capable of thought again, his thoughts weren't very widespread. No, they were all focused solely on the fact that Kurt Hummel was kissing him and that he honestly, truly was more than okay with this.

If it was painfully obvious that Kurt had never really kissed anyone before, Blaine didn't know – he hadn't either. All he could focus on were Kurt's lips, and the hand still draped over his chest, stroking the fabric of his shirt.

Kurt's lips were soft. He'd imagined they would be (though when he had consciously started thinking about that, Blaine wasn't sure) but having it confirmed was enough to draw a very faint, very content sound from deep in his throat. He wasn't even aware that he was kissing back until Kurt tipped his head slightly and broke the kiss.

Panic was an understatement in those few seconds that Kurt said nothing. Then, voice about as breathless as Blaine felt, he asked: "Is this...okay?"

Relief. Relief like nothing Blaine had ever known before flooded his body.

"Yes," Blaine breathed, his eyes locked directly on Kurt's lips. "God yes. More than okay. I-in fact you should do it again. Right now."

Kurt didn't answer verbally; he didn't need to. Instead his lips curled into a faint smile that was far more confident than Blaine felt and suddenly they were kissing again. The kiss was chaste and shy, simply exploring and curious but Blaine was sure he'd ever felt anything so amazing in his whole life.

'Firework' suddenly made a lot more sense, though he wasn't about to admit that. The Warblers were already close to staging a Katy Perry intervention for him.

The hand Kurt had placed on his chest gradually slid up to his neck and Blaine allowed Kurt to fan his fingers out. He tipped his head obediently as those fingers gently nudged at his jaw and suddenly the angle of the kiss was less awkward.

On top of that, the fingers at his neck were nothing if not teasing, stroking the slowly flushing skin that Blaine hadn't even known was sensitive.

It was because of the ice – for sure, he decided - when a shiver slid through his body. He couldn't say the same thing when Kurt slowly edged around him, keeping the icepack against his back as he kissed him again, and again. The next time the shiver was all because of Kurt and Blaine didn't even try to deny it.

His legs felt weak and he was suddenly very glad he was sitting down. He was also glad that Kurt was technically making sure to support him too, as Blaine was pretty sure that if Kurt took his hand away, he'd fall back on the bed. Not that such a thing would be completely awful, as the way that Kurt was kissing him (and Kurt was the one that was kissing him; Blaine was kissing back, but he knew he wasn't the one in control) was nothing short of breathtaking.

Blaine did make a conscious effort to at least try and remain seated, though, when Kurt carefully straddled his lap. It had to be awkward; Kurt kept the icepack in place with steadfast resolve and so Blaine figured the least he could do was let Kurt sit on his lap.

He honestly was not complaining.

The kissing was something that neither of them seemed to be in a rush to stop and it was amazing. Blaine set his hands tentatively on Kurt's hips, playing with the way-too-soft fabric of the shirt Kurt had chosen to wear. He needed the distraction to focus.

After all, the hand that wasn't being used to hold the icepack in place was still exploring in a way that made Blaine's breathing hitch. It trailed higher, sliding up the rapid pulse on his neck, briefly rubbing against a spot of stubble on his jaw that Blaine must have missed that morning when he'd shaved. When Kurt's fingers curled gently in the softer, ungelled strands of hair at the nape of Blaine's neck, stroking feather-light over his skin, he could only part his lips in a faint breath of sensation.

It was at that moment that Kurt broke away and paused for a second to lick at his lips. It was likely out of a want to wet them; Blaine had the same urge. However, instead of licking at his own lips, he ended up licking at Blaine's instead. It was likely an accident, or at least Blaine was fairly sure it was.

Neither boy could bring himself to care; a whole new plethora of possibilities had just opened up.

Kurt suddenly pressed closer and Blaine was pretty sure that he knew what he felt when he did. After all, he was in the same boat himself, but it was hard to concentrate on much more than Kurt's lips. The teen's lips were made for kissing, so soft, so pliant and yet Kurt was still the one completely in control. There was no room for argument.

It was Blaine that parted his lips to let Kurt's tongue make a quick circuit of his lips. It was Blaine that shivered when Kurt slid his hand down his neck and they were suddenly kissing deeper. It was Blaine that gripped somewhat convulsively at the hem of Kurt's shirt, and it was Blaine that couldn't help the soft breath of a moan that eventually escaped into Kurt's mouth.

Though he wasn't sure how long it was that they'd been kissing; Blaine could tell when the frantic urge began to taper off into something languid once more. Again, Blaine didn't mind. He still followed Kurt's lead, desperate for the deeper kisses that were suddenly interspersed with chaste and gentle ones.

When Kurt eventually pulled away, Blaine knew he must have looked absolutely dazed. His only condolence was that Kurt really didn't look much better. He did, however, look more confident than Blaine felt. As such, Blaine was the one to swallow and lick his lips as he tried in vain to catch his breath. He couldn't help but glance down repeatedly at the lips he'd just spent – he glanced quickly at the clock on Kurt's bedside table - a good ten minutes getting to know. Blaine was pretty sure he could go for another ten.

Breathing heavily, Blaine glanced up after a few seconds of silence. He wanted to see, and see he did.

Kurt was absolutely stunning. While his hair wasn't exactly mussed, there were quite a few strands slightly out of place. His lips looked like they'd been kissed quite thoroughly and his face was flushed. What really got Blaine were the eyes – Kurt had not once looked away from him since they'd stopped kissing. He's just been watching, eyes slightly darker than Blaine remembered them ever being before.

It took Blaine too long to realize that Kurt was likely waiting for him to say something and when he came to the realization, he honestly didn't know what to say.

'Wow' seemed like a cop-out. Even if everything inside him was screaming that to the high heavens, he was still pretty sure he should say more than that.

He thought back, to what Kurt had said before and suddenly he both understood, and had his answer.

"First off," Blaine murmured, his voice thicker and deeper than he'd expected. "That was... amazing. Seriously, Kurt… Holy fuck..." Blaine hoped that was articulate enough for Kurt, as he was pretty sure he couldn't make himself any clearer.

"Second," he continued, swallowing thickly and forcing himself to not look at Kurt's lips. "You're not."

"Not?" Kurt repeated, and Blaine was very pleased to note that Kurt's voice was much more silken, thick. It was possibly the hottest thing Blaine had ever heard. Ever.

"Rebound," Blaine clarified, taking a slow breath to try and calm himself. "This-... I didn't even... I'm an idiot."

"I believe we clarified this earlier," came the drawl that both made Blaine smile as well as sent a shiver up his spine.

"Shush, yes. Yes, okay, we did. But... uh... but I should've... I should've seen, noticed... something." He shook his head slightly. 'Articulate' was not working out. He always had been absolutely awful at telling someone he liked them when he couldn't sing it out. Instead, he just sighed. "You're not a rebound, Kurt. I swear."

If Kurt was upset at his lack of articulacy, he didn't show it. Instead he just smiled, as coy and teasing as Blaine had ever seen him. "Hm..." he drawled. "Prove it."

"How?" Blaine latched onto the hook, instantly. "Just tell me. Anything."

"A date," Kurt answered, and Blaine found himself wondering if he was looking too much into the excited shine that seemed to overtake Kurt's eyes. "When you can walk without limping, we are going on a date. An official one."

"Yes," Blaine agreed instantly. He still sighed though, annoyed at himself that he couldn't even seem to say 'I like you' but he was relieved that Kurt seemed to understand him even without that. "Wherever you want to go, we'll go. I want to take you out." He nodded, earnestly. "And kiss you. Again. Because seriously, Kurt, wow."

Yeah, he was a teenage boy. So sue him.

Thankfully, if Kurt's sudden laugh was anything to go by, he wasn't upset. "We'll see," he drawled, but Blaine was pretty sure that Kurt almost whined when he said it (and he was pretty sure he hadn't imagined the look Kurt chanced at his lips) so he was more than sure that there would be more kissing.

"Well, on one condition," Kurt continued, and fixed Blaine with as serious a look as he could muster.

Blaine nodded, instantly. "Name it."

"I am going through your wardrobe. If I even so much as get an inkling that something is from the GAP, you and I are going to have a bonfire."

Despite himself, Blaine blinked. "...so... if I let you burn my GAP clothes – i-if I have any, that is – there will be more kissing? With you and me? Together?"

Kurt laughed, sending Blaine a quizzical look. "Well... I should hope so? Who else would we be kissing?"

"I don't know," Blaine muttered ruefully, but he pursed his lips just the same. "But I grew up around lawyers, and I'm not about to risk this to a 'fine print' clause."

Kurt laughed again, rolling his eyes and the next moment he had his forehead pressed to Blaine's. "Okay then, yes. You burn your GAP clothes, and we go out on a date? There will be kissing."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Blaine was pretty sure that his smile was far too relieved and so he didn't even try and play anything off as 'cool' or put together. He just nodded and relaxed a bit in relief.

"You know," he said after a long moment of consideration. "I could probably walk without limping now, if I really tried..."

"Don't even." Kurt cut in, but his sigh was obviously affectionate. Blaine actually took note of the softer look in Kurt's eyes this time. "I've been taking care of my Dad for years now; I'm onto all you pseudo-macho men and your 'no, I'm fine, I'll just stitch my leg back on later' attitude. You're resting here today and likely most of tomorrow."

"What? But- it's Val-"

"I said most of tomorrow. If you're feeling better then, we can go. Until then, you're staying here."

Without pulling away from Kurt (his …boyfriend? Was he allowed to think that?), Blaine glanced around the room quickly. "Uh… you mean here here? Your room?"

"I suppose I can be persuaded to let that happen," Kurt grinned, drawing away after a second. He took a moment to finally draw the icepack away from Blaine's back and crawl off of his lap, setting the icepack on his bedside table. "Someone has to make sure you don't hurt yourself again."

Sensing the direction before it came, Blaine grinned back and then carefully eased himself back down onto the bed. His back did hurt, and lying down hurt more than he'd thought it would.

When Kurt walked over and gently sat beside him, Blaine found he really didn't care that his back hurt so much. Instead he reached out, curling a hand in Kurt's sleeve.

The smile Kurt sent him was enough to light up the whole room.

Blaine had never felt better in his life.