Blaine huddled in the corner of the room, sobbing. His hands were up in front of his face, protecting it. He flinched as boots kicked him in the stomach, arms and legs. He shrunk as far into the wall as he could.
"You." kick. "Stupid." kick. "Faggot." kick. "Do you know what it's like for me?!"
Hand grabbed him roughly by the collar of his shirt, dragging him to his feet.
"Do you know what it's like at work? With everyone knowing now?! Because of that stupid fucking movie!" He shoved Blaine against the wall. Blaine gasped, crying out in pain.
"I-I... I'm so-so-sorry!" Blaine squeaked, breathing heavily.
"No... you're not sorry. You wanted them all to know that I had a faggot for a son." That word coming from his father's mouth was worse than the physical blows.
Mr. Anderson released his hold on Blaine and the teen crumpled to his knees on the floor, whimpering slightly as his father crouched next to him.
"You're going to quit that club," he hissed.
Blaine looked up at him, shaking his head, "Dad... please. I-I... I can't. Glee is-" Blaine's sentence cut short, his head snapping to the side with the force of his father's slap.
"You will quit that club and you will never see that boy again, do you understand me?"
Blaine stared at the ground, crying.
"I said: Do you understand me?"
Blaine nodded weakly, fighting back a sob.
"Good," Blaine flinched violently as his father clapped a hand on his back and left.
Blaine smoothed back his hair looking in the mirror in his locker. He dabbed a little bit more make-up on the bruise on his cheek, doing his bed to keep it hidden. He winced as Kurt came bouncing up to him. He didn't want to do this.
"So I was thinking for this weekend we could go sledding with Tina and Mike and then go back to my place and watch Rudolph with Dad and Carole" Kurt was smiling brightly as Blaine blinked away tears. He took a deep breath, turning to his boyfriend.
"I..."
Kurt cocked his head to the side, "Did you have something you wanted to do, babe?"
Blaine closed his eyes. He couldn't watch Kurt as he did this, "I think we should break up."
Blaine could feel Kurt freeze, "What?" he whispered.
"I... can't be with you anymore," Blaine stole a glance at Kurt's face and really wished he hadn't. He automatically returned his gaze to his feet.
"W-wha... why?"
Blaine shook his head. A lump the size of a soft ball was forming in his throat, "I just can't."
"Is it another guy? Is it Sebastian?"
Blaine grimaced, "No, no, Kurt. Of course not," Blaine looked pleadingly into his boyfriend's tear filled eyes, "I just... I can't explain and I can't be with you, okay?" Blaine closed his locker, turning on his heel and fleeing. He couldn't hold back the tears any longer.
"Hey, Blaine!" Tina said happily as she saw him, "Excited for this weekend?"
Blaine swept past her, not answering.
"Blaine?" she called after him.
He booked it to the parking lot, tugging the door to his car open. He fell into the driver's seat as the sobs took over. He tried to get the image of Kurt's face out of his mind. He'd been so hurt. His beautiful blue eyes sparkling with tears. Blaine leaned his head against the steering wheel, tears streaming down his face.
He tugged his phone from his pocket, unlocking it.
Tell Mr. Shue I'm quitting Glee.
Sam's reply came quickly. What? Why?
Just do it, okay? he messaged back, annoyed.
Blaine, is everything okay?
No everything was definitely not okay, but he couldn't tell Sam that.
It started buzzing in his hand, he looked down. My Kurt calling flashed across the screen. He rolled down the window and tossed the phone into the snow.
It had been a week since he had broken up with Kurt and quit Glee. Everyone kept trying to talk to him but he didn't talk at school anymore for fear that he would let something slip. Spanish was the worst considering that he had it with basically the entire club plus Shue being the teacher.
He couldn't even look at Kurt. He just kept his head down, silently doodling on his paper. He didn't even know what Mr. Shuester was talking about.
Blaine was huddled under his covers, biting his lip against sobs. He could hear his father yelling at his mother downstairs and knew it wouldn't be long before he was up here beating the shit out of him again.
He was pretty sure he had cracked a rib or two last night. Breathing was extremely painful but he didn't even dare go to the hospital to get checked out. He'd have to explain to them what had happened and he'd be way too tempted to tell the truth.
Footsteps pounded up the stairs. Blaine flinched with each one, whimpering into his knees. There was another sound along with the footsteps. A third noise.
Blaine's door flew open and he jumped up into a sitting position, watching fearfully as his father stood in the doorway, a baseball bat in his hands.
Blaine trembled, cowering into his headboard as his father advanced.
He blacked out after the first hit.
"Kurt! Finn!" Burt shouted up the stairs, "Pizza's here!" Burt dropped the boxes on the kitchen table then went to the cupboard to pull down a couple of plates.
"Again?" Kurt groaned, as he hopped off the last step. Finn practically galloped down the stairs.
Carole had had night shifts almost every day this week and they almost always had pizza when she wasn't there to cook. That or Chinese.
"Yes, again." Burt's pulled his phone from his pocket as it started to ring. He answered, "Hey, Honey, what do you need?"
"You need to come to the hospital right now," Carole's voice was thick, "bring the boys."
"What's wrong, Sweetie?" Burt tensed. It was always terrifying when she called from the hospital.
"It's Blaine."
Burt looked at Kurt who was watching him curiously, "What happened to him?"
"I... I'll explain when you get here. Just... hurry."
Burt nodded, hanging up.
"Dinner's postponed, get in the car."
"What's going on?" Kurt asked, grabbing his jacket from the closet.
Burt wasn't sure whether he should tell him yet but he did anyway, "It's Blaine."
Kurt paced the waiting room. The most they had gotten was that Blaine's mom had called the police, scared that Mr. Anderson was going to go too far this time.
All three had been outraged at the 'this time'. How long had this been going on? How long had she let her husband beat on her son? Why didn't she ever call before. Why just now?
Kurt was asking those questions along with others. Was this why Blaine had broken up with him? Was this why he had quit Glee?
Of course it was.
"Kurt," his eyes shot up at Carole saying his name, "he's not awake... but he's out of the ICU. You can go see him now, if you like."
Kurt nodded, numbly, letting Carole lead him to Blaine's room.
Blaine looked so tiny under the covers. Basically his whole body was some shade of bruise. His curls poofed oddly out the top of a wrap around his head. He had a cast on his right arm and couple of his fingers were taped together.
Kurt's lip quivered as he sat down next to the bed, gently taking his left hand.
"Baby," he breathed.
Blaine's eyelids fluttered open.
"Kurt?" he croaked, turning his head searching for him. He winced in pain, but smiled as his eyes landed on his boyfriend, "Kurt, I'm so sorry."
"Shh, shh," Kurt hushed him, "you've got nothing to be sorry for, Blaine."
"Kurt?" he asked, a couple of tears slipping down his cheeks.
"Yeah, babe?"
"Please don't leave me."
Kurt smiled, tears pricking his eyes, "I won't, babe. I'll never leave you."