Chapter 9

Kurt and Blaine simultaneously avoided each other the next day. It was easy for Blaine. All he had to do was hide away in his office, door closed, and brood. Kurt didn't know that Blaine was hiding, so he had to be more careful about it, staying in his bedroom and sneaking to the kitchen after the meal times had passed. After a single day, both separately found the act ridiculous. As large as the house was, they would be seeing each other eventually.

Blaine was down for breakfast bright and early the next morning, a newspaper waiting for him at his place setting. About fifteen minutes later, Kurt entered, slowly and with his arms crossed around his stomach in a defensive gesture. Blaine's eyes flitted up over the fold of his paper to watch Kurt as he came in and sat down. When Kurt glanced up at him, Blaine dropped his eyes down, expression stony.

"I would, um," Kurt started in tired, empty kind of tone, "Prefer if you just ignored what I said the other day." Kurt had thought this over a great deal the day prior. He couldn't risk losing this arrangement with Blaine due to a momentary emotional outburst. His dad was worth more than that.

Blaine didn't respond for a long minute, but then with a turning of a page, said, "You're making a lot of demands lately."

Kurt stiffened in his seat. Blaine was quiet again. Kurt waited, nervous.

"I'd prefer," Blaine said, "That you realized that all those things you said the other night, I don't do for you." It was harsh and maybe a touch untrue, but it's not like Kurt could ever think of Blaine as Blaine was beginning to think of Kurt.

"Okay," said Kurt in a quiet voice across the table.

"Good," Blaine said.

And that was settled.

"See you at dinner," Blaine said, as he slapped down the paper and exited the room.

…

"Just so you know, Mike and Tina are coming over later. They want to talk with you," Santana said as she sat idly across the desk from Blaine.

"And you're just telling me this?"

Santana shrugged. "You're not busy, and you've been all sulky lately, and they said it was important. So, they're going to be here for dinner. Also, I'm not going to be here because I have a date with Britt tonight, and it's going to be ho-ot."

"More than I needed to know."

"Okay, how much about your sex life do I know? You just don't like to hear about lady parts."

"Aren't you leaving?"

"Yes, actually," Santana said, standing. When she got to the door of the office, she stopped. "And try to listen to Mike and Tina. You know that they got your back."

That evening, the couple arrived in a timely manner. They shared necessary pleasantries as they took seats in the dining room. They briefly discussed how they were handling Smythe's movements in their territory, but they all knew that was not what they were here for.

"Tina and I have been talking about this Smythe situation, and we were thinking, it's time for a party." A party thrown by the mob, of course, was never just a party. Rather, it was a deliberant event with a message, even if vain as a flaunting of wealth and extravagance. However, he knew it was not the message Tina and Mike were thinking about.

"You control this city, Blaine. And what better way to reinforce it than to have an event where you invite all those people who know you're a mob boss, but can't do anything about it. Or don't want to. The D.A., the police chief, hell, Mayor Figgins owes you the election. Not only should the fear and respect you, they owe you. You either helped them get the power they have, or you let them keep it because they're not being a problem."

"It's a good idea," Blaine said. "I should've thought of it myself, but I was never quit as social as… other members of my family."

"We know," said Tina. "That's why we brought it up."

"Hmm, we'll have to play it right, though, give off the exact right message."

"Or we can just kill Smythe," Mike joked. "That's still an option, right?"

And that's when Kurt walked in. The conversation dropped and they all stared at him.

"Oh, um, I didn't know there was going to be company," Kurt said. "Sorry, Blaine, I'll just…" he took a step back.

"Who's this, Blaine?" Tina said, before Kurt could escape. She put a special emphasis on his name in a way that revealed that it had been a clue. That Kurt had to be more than an new hired hand around the house if he was using Blaine's first name like only Blaine's inner circle and family did – or had, in the case of family. Or perhaps it was a bit of a teasing challenge – for Tina and Mike wouldn't outright challenge him like Quinn or Sue – for if he ended up being just an employee of any sort, Blaine would have to squash him for his insubordination.

Kurt looked right at Blaine, a bit wide-eyed and tight-lipped, waiting for what he would say.

"This is Kurt Hummel," Blaine said, running a hand over his chin. "My boyfriend." Kurt's eyebrows shot up; Blaine plowed on. "Kurt, this is Tina and Mike, they sort of run Manhattan for me."

"Hi," Kurt said lamely. Tina and Mike responded in like, much to their credit, because Mike look equal parts surprised and intrigued while Tina gave off a vaguely ecstatic vibe. Although, considering that these two were the only of his capos in stable relationship – not counting Wes and Santana who were in on the true nature of Blaine's relationship with Kurt – of course they had an interest in it.

"Kurt should join us," Tina directed to Blaine. Then to Kurt, "We're not discussing anything too… dicey." She said the last with a particular kind of smile that reminded everyone in the room that while she might be a romantic, she was also vicious.

Tina and Mike shared a significant look couples speak silently with. "Especially after he came all the way here," Mike said.

"He lives here," Blaine said blandly, realizing belatedly that he was giving them more information to feed whatever craziness was going on with them.

"I don't want to interrupt," Kurt said, and it was sharper and more determined than anything he had said earlier. He was giving Blaine a pleading look. He didn't want to hear what they were talking about. He didn't want to be involved in any mob business. But Mike and Tina might find it weird that he sent Kurt away when they weren't discussing anything too secretive or violent. And when did he care what Mike and Tina thought of his relationship with Kurt?

"We're only discussing a party," Blaine said. "And you must be hungry."

Kurt clenched his jaw momentarily, and then crossed the room to take a seat that was crossed from Tina and at the right-hand side of Blaine. Kurt usually sat at the tail end of the table, completely opposite and the most possible distance from Blaine's head of the table seat.

Kurt paid a lot of attention to dishing food onto his plate from the spread in the middle, until he felt the brush of fingers on his sleeve. It was Blaine's hand, and it trailed up to his shoulder and then grabbed Kurt by the collar. Blaine gently tugged Kurt closer to brush his lips against Kurt's.

As they fell apart, Kurt could see Mike and Tina eyeing them curiously. That peck on the lips had been purely for those two's benefit. Kurt wondered why Blaine cared so much to keep up the boyfriend pretense. It's not like he had a moral reputation to uphold. It's not like he had to tell them they were involved in the first place, but what Blaine wanted…

It turned out their party planning discussion involved a lot less color schemes and food choices – things that would be on the top of Kurt's party planning check list – but more who they were inviting and how exactly they were manipulating them.

After Kurt finished eating, he sat still, listened, all the while raking his brains for a way to try and excuse himself. Before he could muster up the words for a 'I'm tired, I'm going to call it a night' Blaine had reached over yet again and caught Kurt's hand in his own and held it on top of the table.

Later than night, after Mike and Tina left, Blaine requested Kurt change into his sleepwear and join him in Blaine's bedroom. Nothing happened but for Blaine turning off the lights and spooning up behind Kurt in bed. As always, Blaine fell asleep first.

Kurt felt like he had seen more of Blaine today, in the shared presence of his… friends? Where they friends? They seemed friendly. Blaine, holding up the façade of an actually relationship. Holding hands was a new one for them. Blaine, the crime lord who liked to cuddle and who introduced Kurt as his boyfriend and made sure it held up under minor scrutiny.

Part of Kurt welled up in his chest and wondered if he should pity Blaine, a man who so obviously wanted some affection, but had to resort to coercion to get a facsimile of it. He pushed it down soon after he thought it. It was a dangerous road to go on.

But once a thought is thought, a feeling felt, it is hard to negate, even if rejected on the surface.

Aki- I'm back! And excited, because I wrote an outline for the rest of this story, and things are moving and changing, and shit it going to go down.