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"You look distraught."
Kurt points out, staring at Blaine, who is supposed to be doing his Physics homework, but in reality has been staring through his sheet for half an hour straight, with what Kurt deciphers as worry giving a pinched shape to his eyebrows.
"...Hm?" Blaine snaps out of it, blinking. His eyes are tired. The lamp on his desk no longer gives the necessary amount of light - it's early November, and it's only half past five, but that means it's already too dark outside to be able to decipher the numbers and equations on daylight alone.
But Blaine has been seeming slightly more pensive than usual, when he thinks no one is looking, ever since he came back to Dalton after the weekend at home. Kurt knows his relationship with his parents isn't really the best, and that it's not as uncommon that he comes back a little more stressed than normal, but even this is a little unusual.
"Are you having trouble with the worksheet? Or is it something else?"
Kurt had learned a while ago it was easier to be direct with Blaine. If something is really bothering him, he tends to keep to himself until he's ready to talk about it, but he does appreciate Kurt's little push in that direction - it's usually what it takes for him to finally being able to vent out to. So Kurt figures it's best to give him a direct opportunity. "You've been a little distant since you came back today."
Blaine rubs his eyes and sighs, pushing the books and the sheet away from him. "I just... I love how you always know when something's up," he chuckles, looking down to play with a loose thread on his jacket sleeve.
"You do wear your emotions on your face," Kurt smirks, "So what's up?"
"I went to a dentist appointment on Saturday," Blaine explains. "I've been... well, I've always known my teeth aren't really straight, and the doctor did say I was gonna have to fix them eventually, or I could have some worse problems in the future, but I needed to wait until my wisdom teeth came in."
"... and they did now...?"
"Nope," Blaine sighs. "Apparently I don't have them at all. X-rays show no sign of anything. So. I was supposed to get braces a couple years ago, but wisdom teeth could have been a problem. Now we know I don't have them, so the dentist said I could start the treatment... point is. I'm getting braces."
Kurt frowns. Blaine isn't terrified - like Kurt would be, he's admittedly not a fan of dentists, and braces sound like a new special kind of hell for him - but he is a little upset.
"When are you...?"
"Thursday. The office still has to call to confirm, but I have an appointment at lunch period." He buries his head in his hands, tiredly, accidentally messing up his hair, untangling it from the delicately placed hair gel that he uses everyday. "It's gonna be awful, Kurt... I - it's gonna look horrible, and, and it's going to hurt, and mess with my singing, and I'm not even getting rid of it anytime soon..."
"Hey, hey, just - breathe," Kurt says gently, moving his chair closer to Blaine. He places both hands on Blaine's shoulders and leans forward to kiss his cheek, before leaning back and taking Blaine's right hand in his.
"Those are... valid concerns," he admits, "but. First of all, it's not gonna look horrible, I doubt you can make anything look horrible, Blaine. I see how it can make you self conscious, but I'm sure it's a matter of getting used to it... and that applies to everything else you've said."
Blaine closes his eyes with a pained grimace. Kurt sighs.
"Yeah, I... imagine it's not gonna feel comfortable at first, and maybe you have to get around speaking and eating with them for a couple days, but you just have to give it some time until your mouth gets used to it, right? It won't be that bad... besides, how long will you need them for?"
"That depends," Blaine says quietly, "at least a year... maybe two if my teeth don't move how they're supposed to."
Kurt smiles. "That's not too bad," he reassures, "lots of people have to wear them for like, three years, or even more, right?"
"Lots of people have straight teeth and don't have to wear them," Blaine mutters.
"Of course," Kurt rolls his eyes quickly, and then stares back at Blaine. "Don't undermine my point. I'm just saying, it's not that bad. I know a year sounds like a lot, but it really isn't. Especially comparing to a whole life ahead of you with straight teeth. Don't forget you still get to enjoy that in the end," he smiles.
Blaine attempts a small smile. "I guess... "
"So try to focus on that," Kurt says with a smile.
*
Thursday morning, Blaine might seem calm and collected as usual to everyone else, if not a bit more quiet, but Kurt can see right through that.
Blaine is anxious and looks ready to jump out of his skin.
He refuses his usual breakfast at the cafeteria, and sticks with just a cup of tea, which he barely manages to finish.
"Hey," Kurt takes his hand, "you need more that that on your stomach to get through the morning until lunch. How about some toast?" He offers, nodding at the stack of warm bread at the serving table.
Blaine shakes his head quickly. "Not hungry," he mumbles.
He keeps staring down at the bottom of the mug, his fingers on the left hand tapping repeatedly on the table, quietly, but Kurt doesn't miss it. And Kurt knows if he looks under the table, he'll see Blaine's right leg moving up and down, the usual restless leg syndrome amped up to a thousand.
"Blaine."
Blaine looks up at him, brows pinched in worry.
"It's gonna be fine. Just, breathe, relax," Kurt coaxes, his thumb rubbing Blaine's knuckles gently, "it'll take like an hour and then it's done. Then you come back to Dalton and I'm right here. Today's the last midterm for a while, we can sneak into my room afetr dinner and just watch a movie or something."
Blaine closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
"Thinking about it right now isn't going to help. You're just suffering in antecipation, and there's no need for that. Also, eating something would help a little, or else you're just gonna end up feeling weak all morning. Just a piece of toast, please?" Kurt insists, "or a muffin? I think they still have those."
"Okay," Blaine sighs. "I can eat a bit of toast... I'm sorry Kurt, I know it's not a big deal, and I'm just - I can't help it. I know I'm being a big baby about this, but...."
"Hey, no," Kurt assures, "I'd be freaking out in your place. Especially because I hate dentists. I get that you're worried. It's okay. It's normal. Do you want to talk about it? Or maybe we can talk about something else? You know, to get your mind off of it?"
"Hmm.." Blaine considers. He looks slightly more like himself now, his face more relaxed. "We can go over those mock tests for Literature. Last thing I need is to get a lower grade on top of this," he sighs, "and I didn't manage much reading last night."
"Great," Kurt says, "I can use some last minute revising too. But finish your breakfast first."
*
When Blaine gets back, it's nearly four in the afternoon.
Kurt sits on one of the garden benches outside, already having finished his homework. It's a good thing he has last period free, it certainly had come in handy when he was exchanging texts with Blaine. Blaine hadn't replied to his last text, asking if he was on his way. He should be, it had been more than a couple hours already. Maybe he hadn't seen it, but it leaves Kurt a little nervous.
After a while, Blaine's mom's car pulls over at the side entrance, and Kurt can see him, stepping out of the passenger seat. He looks around nervously, and waits for his mom's car to go before stepping inside the school gates, with his head down. Kurt starts walking towards him, and Blaine glances forward and spots him somewhere along the way.
When they meet in the middle, Kurt smiles warmly, and Blaine smiles back timidly, his mouth closed.
"You didn't answer my text... how did it go?"
"I... sorry," he says quietly, and then takes a hand to cover his mouth, "I probably missed it."
Kurt raises an eyebrow, and then takes both of Blaine's hands in his. A small flash of panic seems to pass through Blaine's expression, because he knows exactly why Kurt has taken his hands. Kurt notices, and gives a tiny reassuring squeeze. "It's okay," he says, "but how are you doing?"
"Okay," Blaine says carefully, and it's obvious he's trying to hide his teeth. "I - it went okay."
Kurt glances around. Even though everyone is in class, or in the library, or in their rooms, and they practically have the whole patio to themselves, he gets that Blaine might want to be in a less public place.
"Alright. You wanna go to my room for a bit? We still have like two hours until Warbler rehearsal."
Blaine nods, and they go back inside. The halls are empty, thankfully. Kurt keeps glancing in Blaine's direction, trying to read him. He's still staring at the floor, and Kurt catches him running his tongue through his top teeth, and then tensing his jaw.
"Does it hurt...?" He asks when they're halfway through the staircase towards the dorms. He makes sure not to stare, to leave Blaine more comfortable, and keeps looking ahead. Instead, he reaches for Blaine's hand and takes it in his. Blaine squeezes back.
"A little..." he answers softly. "It's mostly pressure, though."
When they get to Kurt's room, Blaine's eyes roam a little, over the carefully placed stack of DVDs, the neat pile of blankets on the bed, a couple candles, ready to be lit, decorating the desk and bedside table, and some packs of jello and pudding.
"I - did you...prepare all this?"
Kurt smiles, and hugs Blaine from behind, snaking his arms around his torso, and resting his head on his shoulder. "I know we still have rehearsal, but we could relax a bit until then. And after.. we have the whole evening to ourselves. Thank God midterms are over, huh?"
"Thank you," Blaine whispers, melting away in Kurt's embrace. Kurt steps away and takes a seat on the bed, his back against the headboard, and takes off his shoes, before patting a spot next to him. Blaine sits, and lets Kurt pull him closer, so he's leaning back with his head on Kurt's chest, with Kurt's arm around his shoulders.
"Okay. So," Kurt says finally, running his hands through Blaine's knuckles. "Talk to me."
Blaine sighs.
"Well, I was being honest," he says, "apart from the torture of laying back with my mouth open for at least an hour, it went smoothly," he says.
"Good," Kurt nods, "So how are you feeling now?"
"I - It's uncomfortable - like, really uncomfortable... Moving my lips in front of these things is tricky, and I'm really scared about singing in front of everyone."
Kurt hugs him tighter. "I think that's normal. Your mouth isn't used to it yet..." He pauses, trying to look out for Blaine's reaction. He can't really see his face from this angle. "Can I see?"
Blaine tenses up. "It's not... pretty."
"I'm sure it looks okay," Kurt reassures. "Please?
Blaine turns his face towards Kurt, staring into his eyes. "Okay... but don't make fun of me," he grumbles.
"I would never," Kurt chuckles, caressing Blaine's face lightly.
Blaine takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, and finally opens his mouth a little, exposing the navy blue brackets glued to his teeth and the wire connecting them. He opens one eye, tentatively, and stares at Kurt, who seems to be studying the contraption on his teeth attentively.
"So...? What's the verdict? Do I have to lock myself in the room for a year...?" Blaine asks, half joking, but still with a gloomy tone. It's probably what he wants to do, at least this afternoon.
"Don't be silly," Kurt smiles, "It looks fine. The dark blue makes your teeth look really white too, so that's nice."
"Hmm.. Next time I might try Dalton colors then... blue and red."
"You'd look adorable." Kurt kisses his forehead.
*
Kurt is always a tiny bit impressed at how much Blaine can transform when he's around other people.
He had stayed in Kurt's arms until they had to leave for the Warbler meeting, eating his pudding, slowly and carefully, wincing every time the spoon would hit his teeth, and watching some videos. Before going inside the choir room, he had taken a deep breath, looking back for a reassuring look from Kurt (which he got).
And then he had gone inside, looking like his usual self, cheery and happy and confident (but still smiling with his mouth closed), a contrast to how quiet and nervous he had been throughout the day.
The other Warblers didn't take too long to notice, and proceeded to be the supportive friends they were. Some jokes were made, but all in good humor.
And it was nice, because Blaine finally seemed to relax a little, and was even daring to smile normally, exposing the wires and brackets. Now that Kurt can finally have a better look, he notices how the braces make Blaine look a couple years younger. And he can't deny, it's really cute.
*
After the rehearsal, Blaine's mood plummets at dinner.
Dalton Academy has a great kitchen. Really really great. And today they were serving chicken breast with roasted potatoes, cooked just the way Blaine loves it.
So it's really a shame he spends the whole meal pushing food around his plate, unable to eat.
It's not that he's not hungry, though today's events had certainly done a number on his stomach, and he was still a little too anxious to devour his food like he would in a normal day. No, he does feel like eating, but his are starting to hurt. It's worse now than when he got the braces installed a few hours ago.
He attempts a few bites, but even the chicken and the soft potatoes were too hard on his teeth. In fact, right now, just a press of his tongue is too hard on his teeth. So he doubts he can really get anything into his stomach. Plus, he's only now realizing what a hassle it is to eat actual food with braces.
Kurt watches, with a worried expression, sitting in front of him.
Blaine sighs quietly, and pushes his plate away from him, barely an inch. He sees Kurt scramble for something to say, but, to his surprise, it's Nick who intervenes.
"Aw, man... your mouth's probably bothering you a lot now, huh?" He places a hand on his shoulder, and takes Blaine's plate back to its previous position. "But hey, look, you can try to eat it in smaller pieces. It's not as bad... here, like this - "
Nick proceeds to cut up his own chicken in small strips, and pushes his fork against the potatoes to crush them. Then, he carefully places a very small amount of both into his fork, and points at it. "This. You should be able to eat this without much pain. It's slower, but at leat you don't go to bed hungry," he shrugs.
Blaine looks up at him, and then back at the plate.
"That seems like a good idea actually, Nick," Kurt comments with a small smile, before looking back at Blaine. "You could try it," he suggests.
"I can tell you it works, man," Jeff adds.
"Yeah," Nick replies, "it's what I used to do whenever I had my braces tightened. Eating normal was impossible," he chuckles, and then turns to Blaine, "but it does get a lot better when you're used to it, B. It just really sucks in the first few days."
Blaine seems to consider, and then tries to cut up his food like Nick had suggested. He feels some eyes on him as he's about to try it, which is sweet, because he knows his friends and boyfriend care, but it's rather unnerving.
"Are you guys just gonna watch me now...?" he asks with a twinge of sarcasm. He knows his mood was about to turn foul a few moments ago, and Blaine wants none of that with his friends. He'll wallow in self pity when he's alone in his room - right now, he has to hold on to anything to keep his spirits up.
"Hey, come on, we just don't want you to go hungry," Jeff replies with a chuckle.
"Try it," Kurt coaxes softly.
It works. Smaller pieces of food are much easier to get through, and even though his teeth are still aching furiously, and chewing is actual hell with the brackets chafing against his cheeks and lips, that sharp unbearable pain doesn't come, as long as he goes slowly.
It makes this dinner infinitely less enjoyable, though.
"It's not too bad," he announces to the expecting crowd, "thanks," he smiles at Nick, who gives him a thumbs up, before going back to his own chicken, in larger, normal pieces. Blaine's smile fades, but he keeps eating.
*
Kurt is going through the DVD pile carefully, setting some boxes aside on the foot of the bed, next to his laptop. He looks up at Blaine when he sits down on the mattress, hands on his knees and hunched back.
"Everything okay?" he asks.
Blaine closes his eyes.
“Are you in a lot of pain?” Kurt asks, setting the DVDs aside, and inching closer to Blaine, stopping behind him to wrap his arms around his torso.
Blaine nods, leaning into Kurt. His chest feels heavy, and for a moment, he’s ready to burst into tears with the frustration that has built up from this whole day. Or, well, this whole week. He’s self conscious, he’s in pain, uncomfortable, exhausted, and from the looks of it, he won’t even be able to get a good night’s sleep.
“Aww, honey…”
They get settled on the bed, already slipped out of the Dalton uniforms and changed into more comfortable clothes, and Kurt picks up a couple blankets from the pile. Blaine lays his head on Kurt's lap, and lets him cover his body with the fluffy grey blanket. With the rain outside, and the warmth of Kurt’s arms, it’s cozy and comfortable. Even with his teeth hurting so bad, and the new discomfort of the braces, Blaine feels more relaxed, as Kurt runs his fingers through his hair in gentle motions.
He falls asleep during the movie, which is unsurprising given the very few hours of rest he got last night, when he stayed awake dreading the dentist appointment. When he wakes up, the movie is already over, and Kurt is just working on an assignment on his laptop, somehow managing to stay in the same position as before. It doesn't take long for him to realize what just woke him up - his mouth is throbbing with pain, worse than before. The inside of his lips and cheeks are tender and raw from the brackets rubbing against them, and now that he's aware of the feeling, and completely awake, it's impossible to ignore. Blaine lets out a pitiful groan, startling Kurt.
"Hey, you're awake," he smiles. "You okay?"
Blaine groans and buries his face on Kurt's chest, letting his boyfriend rub his back for a little.
"Have you taken a painkiller? It probably a good idea, since we're going to sleep soon, and you do need some rest."
"Huh...? What time - oh," Blaine glances at his phone. "It's late," he sighs.
"It is," Kurt agrees, "we're practically breaking curfew here. As much as I'd enjoy spending the night with you, you should probably get going."
Blaine stills against Kurt, with his head fitting comfortably in Kurt's shoulder. "Five more minutes," he mumbles, "painkillers are in my room, I'll take one before sleeping."
Blaine looks slightly less depressed when he's leaving Kurt's room, just in time not to break curfew. Kurt kisses him goodnight (gently and softly, he doesn't need to cause Blaine more pain that he's dealing with) and reminds him to get some rest. He then takes the opportunity to catch up on some homework, bringing the candles to his desk and basking in the peaceful environment he had created earlier. When he's done, he texts Mercedes, asking her how the New Directions were doing on their regionals prep (and of course he was going to ask Finn as well on the weekend, but Kurt had learned not to expect much details from him - he was a simple man), and then texts his dad goodnight. He likes Dalton, and the boarding school part of it, since it's such a good environment, but he does miss home sometimes. Especially his dad, and Carole and even Finn, and the family dynamic Kurt finally got to experience.
He's about to prepare himself for his night time skin care regimen, when his phone buzzes again with a text.
Blaine.
From: Blaine
can't sleep :( want you here
Kurt suddenly wants to forget about Dalton curfew and go to Blaine's room, and cuddle until he's able to fall asleep. But he knows he can't. He stares at his phone, undecided. Until a thought strikes him.
He makes sure the doors and windows are closed - they were soundproof enough, but he wants to be certain. Then he texts Blaine.
To: Blaine
I'm gonna call you
Already in his pajamas, he sits up on his bed comfortably, phone in his hand, and clicks on the video call icon, and waits.
Blaine's face shows up, in his dimly lit room. He's laying down, on his stomach, holding his phone in front of him, and despite the lack of luminosity, Kurt doesn't miss the tired look in his eyes, and the way the corners of his mouth curve downward. It's times like this when Kurt is painfully reminded that Blaine can be sexy and handsome, but also look like a ten year old who had his ice cream stolen. The hazel puppy dog eyes make Kurt want to envelop him in a hug and protect him from all the bad things in this world.
Of course, that becomes complicated when it's braces who are making Blaine miserable.
"Hey," he says softly, "so those painkillers haven't kicked in, huh?"
"No," Blaine moans, "I guess not... it's still so sore... I'm sorry Kurt," he apologises with a sigh, dropping his head to rest on his elbow, before wincing and lifting it up again. "Ow-" he grimaces. "I'm sorry," he repeats, "you need your rest, and I've already been so annoying today, and just-"
"Hey, no, stop," Kurt interrupts him, "stop apologising. I like that we have each other's back in the bad times too, don't you agree? I wouldn't trade that for a boring good night of sleep," he jokes, and manages to make Blaine smile. "But seriously. What can I do?"
They end up watching videos together on their laptops. Blaine stays quiet, mostly, and focuses on Kurt's voice when he comments something. A couple hours later, Blaine doesn't laugh at Kurt's joke, and his eyes are closed, mouth slightly agape, letting visible the shiny wires across his teeth.
"Blaine? Hey," Kurt calls. Blaine stirs a little, and opens his eyes blearily. "Why don't you turn off your laptop and the light. Time to sleep."
"Hmm," Blaine groans, but obeys.
"I can stay until you're asleep, but lie down and close your eyes. You've had a long day."
It's five minutes before Kurt hangs up the call. "Sleep tight. Love you."