They were just wrapping up; members of both the Warblers and New Directions were scattered around the stage, drinking water bottles, eating snacks, chatting with their new friends from different schools. The Warblers had visited McKinley by invitation from Mr. Schue, so the two teams could 'bond vocally', as he called it. Blaine had no idea what that meant, but it was an opportunity to see his old friends; he wasn't about to complain. Of course, the presence of the Warblers also promised the presence of one Sebastian Smythe. Blaine knew from the start, from the glares him and Kurt kept shooting each other, that this was not going to end well. When he hears Sebastian's husky, confident voice, he couldn't even say he was surprised.
"Honestly Hummel, I'm surprised he's stuck around so long. Probably feels bad for you. I'm sure Blaine doesn't want to date a child." Blaine turned from his place on the stage, having heard Sebastian's remark. Before he could move to defend Kurt, however, Kurt's voice rose above the noise, icy and cutting.
"Fuck off, Sebastian. Blaine doesn't want you. He never has. When will you get that through your thick skull? Besides, you're so jealous I can practically smell it. It's almost pathetic, really." Blaine looked over Sebastian's shoulder to see Kurt shoot Sebastian one last scathing look, before turning on his heel to walk away. Blaine internally cheered his boyfriend on. He knew he loved him for a reason.
Kurt had barely taken a step when Sebastian opened his mouth again. "He probably is only still with you because that mouth of yours is better than just talking, if you know what I mean," he muttered with a cocky grin. Kurt paused, mid-step, and spun so fast he blurred.
Blaine heard it before he saw it, really. The resounding slap of Kurt's palm hitting Sebastian's cheek, hard enough to force Sebastian's head to the side, echoed through the auditorium. Sebastian reached up to tenderly touch his cheek, the skin already red. All eyes were now on the exchange in the center of the stage. Sebastian started straightening his back, face contorted with rage, and Blaine acted before he consciously knew what he was doing. The way Sebastian started to hold himself; it was frighteningly familiar. His knees bent slightly, and Blaine recognized the position. He didn't even allow himself time to think about anything but Kurt.
Blaine tore across the stage, and grabbed hold of one of Sebastian's arms from behind, catching him off guard. He pulled Sebastian to face him with a strength he didn't know he possessed. In the corner of his eye, he saw Kurt staring wide-eyed at him, seemingly in shock. Blaine looked up at Sebastian, and gave him the darkest look he could muster. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and his grip on Sebastian's arm tightened. "Do. Not. Touch. Him," he growled through clenched teeth.
It all seemed to happen in slow motion.
Sebastian, shouting at Blaine to get off him, before reaching up with his free hand and pushing Blaine square in the chest.
Blaine, knocked off balance, stumbling backwards.
He felt his heel clip the slightly raised lip of the stage, and an image seemed to flash in front of his eyes. As he stumbled back, he saw himself- gangly, 13 year old Blaine- getting shoved in much the same fashion. He saw himself falling, hitting the ground, the harsh kicks being thrown at his sides as he landed. He saw Alex, laying a few feet away, screaming in pain. In the background, he vaguely heard Kurt scream his name, which snapped him back into the present. Blaine continued to fall, wondering why he hadn't hit the ground yet, the stage must've been must higher than he'd originally thought. Suddenly, Blaine felt his head collide with something hard, and it felt like his head was being split in half. He registered that the rest of his body had hit the ground as well, but he didn't feel any pain. The ceiling of the auditorium started to swirl, turning white around the edges. The white closed in on his vision, taunting him, reminding him of how weak he was. Just like last time. He tried to hold back, force the white away, be stronger, but the searing pain in his head was telling him not to. He felt was Kurt's fingers on his face, and heard Kurt shouting his name. He tried to respond, but before he could, the white clouded over his eyes, absorbing him completely.
Blaine opened his eyes to darkness. Well, it seemed dark outside, anyways. He found himself laying on harsh pavement, pebbles digging into his cheek. Blaine shook his head. I swear we were inside, he thought, sitting up. Maybe the carpet is just really dirty. He looked around him, taking in his surroundings. He was definitely outside, in a parking lot of some sort. Blanching, he looked down at himself. He looked a wreck. He was bloodied (though, oddly enough, he felt no pain), his suit was dirty and ripped, and- wait, suit? He was wearing a leather jacket 2 seconds ago, surely! He looked around, maybe Kurt could help explain this. Instead of seeing Kurt, however, he saw a sign. A simple bristol board, with the words 'Sadie Hawkins' printed on them in fancy handwriting. No.
He spun his head around and sure enough, laying roughly three feet from him, was Alex. Alex looked worse than Blaine, eyes closed and head resting on the pavement. Alex's eyes suddenly snapped open, and Blaine jumped. Alex laughed, sitting up and dusting himself off as if he simply tripped in the dirt.
"But-wha- Alex? What the hell is going on?" he asked. Alex chuckled.
"Oh hey, Blaine, nice to see you too," he replied. Blaine stood up quickly, blood rushing from his head quickly as vertigo set in.
"Am I dead?" he blurted, because there was no way Alex was here, completely healthy.
"Nope. Unconscious," Alex corrected, standing as well. "You smacked your head pretty hard there, big guy."
"So this is like, a dream?" Blaine attempted to clarify, because he'd never been more confused in his life. Alex nodded, still smiling.
"Sort of. Why don't we sit down?" Alex suggested, shrugging. "I'll explain everything."
Blaine nodded, still rather dumbstruck with what was happening. "How come we can walk?" he asked. "We just got... well, we just got the shit beat out of us. Why doesn't it hurt?" Blaine wasn't really sure why that was the question on his mind, but he felt he needed to ask it.
"That's not important," Alex answered simply. "C'mon." Blaine nodded, and sat on a wooden bench that he was sure wasn't there five minutes ago. Shrugging, Alex followed.
"How do I get back?" Blaine asked, nervously tapping his fingers on his thigh as he waited. Alex shrugged again.
"You were always the smart one, you tell me."
Blaine looked around; he didn't see any way home. Back to Kurt. He turned to Alex, figuring they might as well talk as he had nothing else to do. He suddenly felt nervous, though he didn't know why. This was Alex. They used to be best friends. Finally, he sighed, and looked up into Alex's deep green eyes. "I miss you," he stated, suddenly feeling like crying.
"I miss you too, Blaine," Alex replied, smiling sadly. "But, what's done is done, there's some things you can't fix, and apparently brain damage is one of them."
"I should've stopped those assholes, I should've done something, god, why was I such a coward?" Blaine asked, more of himself than of Alex. Alex shook his head.
"You weren't a coward, Blaine. Don't ever say that. But this conversation is depressing, let's switch to something else." Alex paused, thinking. "Ah, of course!" he exclaimed, a mischevious glint in his eye. "Tell me about Kurt!"
Blaine smiled despite himself. Kurt really was one of his favourite things to talk about. "Kurt is... Amazing. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. No offense," he added, looking at Alex. Alex laughed.
"Oh, none taken at all. We were just friends, Kurt is your... Hmm, how do I put this?" he paused, and Blaine smiled.
"My everything."
Alex laughed. "Yeah, that could work." He sat back on the bench, smiling at the dopey grin on Blaine's face.
"You're really in love with him, aren't you?' he asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.
"Yeah. Yeah I am. I want to be with him forever."
"I bet he probably feels like shit right now," Alex commented. Blaine frowned.
"Why?"
"Because you're unconscious, and he kinda started the fight. He probably feels guilty as hell." Blaine blanched, realizing that Alex was right. Of course Kurt would feel that way. He was Kurt.
"But it wasn't his fault!" Blaine defended. "That dick egged him on! If Kurt hadn't gotten to him first I would've torn him to pieces myself with my bare hands," Blaine said, voice layered with anger. Stupid Sebastian had to go and ruin everything.
"Well then, I suggest you go tell him that. He won't listen to anyone but you."
"How do you know that?" Blaine questioned. Alex grinned.
"This is your head, idiot. You're the one telling me things. I only know because you know. At least that's better than what I had to learn earlier." He paused, grimacing as the memory seemed to come back to him. "Really, Blaine? The bathroom at the Lima Bean? You couldn't have kept it in your pants for twenty minutes for you two to drive home? People enjoy their daily coffees there!"
Blaine blushed, knowing exactly which particular memory Alex was talking about. "His ass looked really good in those jeans," he admitted sheepishly. Alex threw his head back and laughed, throwing an arm around Blaine's shoulders.
"I guess that is a valid reason, then. I'm happy for you, man."
"I'm happy, too. Alex, I want to go back. Tell me how, please. I need to make things okay."
Alex stood from his spot, looking around. His eyes fell on something in the distance, and he chuckled a bit, before turning to walk away. "Your head always did work in different ways than everyone else's," he said warmly. He started walking off into the darkness.
"Wait, Alex, I don't know how to get back! You need to tell me!" Blaine shouted after him, desperate. Alex glanced at that same spot again before turning his head to face Blaine.
"I think you've got it figured out already. Go forth, young one." Blaine rolled his eyes at Alex, who had started walking off into the blackness once more, after gesturing in the direction he'd been looking. "Catch ya on the flipside!" He shouted before disappearing in the darkness. Blaine turned to face the direction Alex was indicating, and was shocked when he found himself face to face with, well... a door. This door was a vibrant red, with 'Kurt' scribbled all over it in different fonts and sizes. Pressing his ear to the door, he thought he vaguely heard the sound of someone crying, and a 'please come back to me, Blaine. I love you so much.'
With a shock, he realized it was Kurt. Blaine threw himself wholly against the door, knocking it down completely. He found himself in a room of black. He spun, thinking he'd entered the door wrong, only to figure out it had disappeared. Everything was coming to him now; the feel of the soft linens against his skin, could feel the light burning his eyelids. Kurt's voice was clearer now. So much clearer. Blaine could feel familiar fingertips on his cheek, as well as in his hand. With a jolt, he realized he had woken up. Kurt seemed to be saying some sort of speech, and Blaine tried his hardest to get himself to focus, to listen to what Kurt was saying.
"...Please, Blaine. I need you. You can't do this to me. I had a whole life planned for us, you know? I know it sounds stupid, but I wanted us to have everything together. We would move to New York, go on cheesy dates and have stupid fights and laugh about everything later but it would always be us. Ever since I met you on that staircase, it's only ever been us. I can never get you out of my head. It's like a disease. You infected me, you bastard." Kurt chuckled, his voice thick.
Blaine wanted to laugh, wanted to wrap Kurt in his arms and never let go, wanted to tell Kurt he wanted all those things too, he felt the same, but his body wouldn't cooperate. It felt like 1000 pound weights were on his eyelids, forcing them shut. His limbs felt like they were made of lead. Vaguely, he heard the beeping and whirring of machines that told him he was in the hospital. Kurt paused in his speech, composing himself, and Blaine berated himself for being such a wimp. All he needed to do was open his eyes or move or something to be able to see Kurt again, but he just couldn't. He wanted to cry. Please forgive me, Kurt, he thought. I love you too. I'm trying my hardest.
Kurt continued on with his speech. "I never want you to leave me, Blaine. Please, I'm begging you not to. Not like this."
Never, Kurt. I'd never leave you.
"I love you so much, it hurts sometimes and I wonder how it's even possible to love someone as much as I do. But it's true. I love you, Blaine Anderson, and I will never love anyone else." Blaine heard Kurt start to cry again, and felt slight pressure on his fingers. Kurt was crying because of him, and Blaine couldn't let that happen. He wasn't worth Kurt's tears; he'd be okay. It was with that thought that Blaine forced his fingers to move. It felt like forever for the signal to reach his fingers to move. Maybe it was. Blaine had no concept of time. Finally, he moved. Just a tiny twitch in one or two fingers, but it seemed to be enough. Kurt's body froze, and he grabbed Blaine's hand even harder. It probably should've hurt, but Blaine couldn't feel anything. Nothing but the warm weight of Kurt's hand in his.
"B-Blaine? Can you hear me? I love you so much, can you hear me?"
Blaine forced his eyelids to work, opening them slightly and squinting as the harsh light hit his eyes. He powered through it, however, and turned his neck slightly to face Kurt. There was a throbbing pressure in the back of his head, screaming for him to stop, but he ignored it. He needed to see Kurt.
"K-Kurt?" he stuttered out, wincing at how weak he sounded, even to his own ears. Kurt's hand flew to his mouth, and he began to sob, head falling forward and resting on Blaine's stomach. He moved both his hands to wrap tightly around Blaine's middle, but still remaining conscious of Blaine's injuries. Blaine weakly lifted a hand and placed it on Kurt's hair, trying his best to soothe Kurt. The touch seemed to send Kurt into a frenzy, causing him to sob harder and grip Blaine tighter. Blaine could feel Kurt's lips moving against the hospital gown and his stomach, feel the vibrations it sent as Kurt mumbled something that Blaine couldn't hear. After calming down some, he lifted up his head from Blaine's stomach and framed Blaine's face gently in his hands. He looked deep into Blaine's eyes and Blaine decided that he would never get tired of Kurt's eyes; how they seemed to go on forever, dark blues and light blues and specks of green and grey and even a little gold. Kurt leaned forward from his position on the chair, pressing his lips lightly to Blaine's own, dry ones. The kiss was sweet and loving, and it made Blaine want to cry with how much he loved this perfect boy in front of him, even if it was a little mingled with the salty taste of tears.
"Blaine, I-I'm so, so sorry," Kurt whispered against Blaine's lips after pulling back. "I- this was all my fault. I provoked him, I hit him, you didn't deserve this. I'm so- god I'm so sorry, Blaine. It should have been me. I should have fallen instead." The tears had started again, and Blaine moved his hands up with all the energy he had left to cradle Kurt's cheeks, because it was not Kurt's fault. Blaine couldn't believe he thought that.
"Kurt... It's- not your fault... don't say that. It's- it's his fault. Not yours." Blaine looked up, and seeing the distress on Kurt's face, pressed a light kiss to the tip of Kurt's nose. "I love you," he whispered. Kurt's eyes were still watery, and he smiled back at Blaine.
"I love you too. So much. Don't ever scare me like that again, got it?" Kurt's voice was firm, warm breath hitting Blaine's face. Blaine nodded, letting Kurt rest his forehead against his own They stayed like that-foreheads pressed together, simply being near each other- for what felt like forever, before the pain Blaine had been neglecting started making itself known again. He winced, and Kurt pulled back immediately, looking concerned.
"Ow... My head hurts," Blaine stated, squinting his eyes against the pain and the too-bright lights.
Kurt pressed a quick kiss to Blaine's forehead before standing up and walking towards the door. "I'll go get the nurse, okay?"
Blaine gave him a thumbs up, other hand reaching to hold his head uselessly. Kurt returned quickly, a nurse flanking him. She had bright blue eyes and blonde hair, and was smiling way too brightly for this time of day. Realizing that he didn't even know what time it was, Blaine glanced at the bedside clock and groaned. 3:16 am. Kurt sat back in his seat, taking Blaine's hand in both of his, as though trying to take away some of his pain; carry the burden himself. The nurse walked over to where the bags of medication hung, and replaced the nearly empty one with a brand new one. "This should help with the pain," she explained in a calm voice, "but it will make you sleepy." Blaine nodded as she attached the new bag to some cords that Blaine realized were inserted in the back of his hand- honestly, how didn't he notice these things? He found himself starting not to care, though, as the medication entered his veins and his eyelids started to droop. There was one more thing he had to say before he fell asleep, though. He fought against the oncoming drowsiness and opened his mouth.
"Kurt?"
"Hmm?" Kurt hummed, his thumbs stroking soothing circles into Blaine's hand.
"That was a... a nice slap. I'm im...pressed. It was... totally hot."
Kurt laughed, bringing Blaine's hand to his lips to brush his lips across his knuckles. "I love you, even if my brief streak of violence turned you on," he chuckled as Blaine's eyes slipped closed.
Blaine hummed in response, smiling slightly as he felt himself slip back into the realm of unconsciousness.
I love you, too
