Kurt glanced at the clock for what had to be the hundredth time in the last hour. 7:05. Blaine was supposed to be there an hour ago for their weekly movie night.
Kurt sucked in a breath and, with shaking hands, dialed Blaine's number once again, pacing back and forth as he did.
It rang once, twice, three times before Blaine's silky voice sang through the reciever, instructing him to leave a message after the beep.
Kurt closed his phone, looking over at the clock again. 7:06.
Blaine was never late for anything, EVER. He was the promptest person he knew. If he wasn't exactly on time he was early.
He also ALWAYS answered his phone.
Something had to be wrong.
Images of Blaine in a ditch somewhere, or in his crashed car on the side of the road, flashed through his mind.
Shaking his head, he felt a lump start to rise in the back of his throat.
The sound of a car pulling up caught his attention.
Heart pounding, he ran to the door and threw it open to see Blaine striding towards him, a tight smile stretched across his face.
Kurt didn't wait before he ran to meet him, throwing his arms around his boyfriend.
"Where where you! I was worried sick!" Kurt asked breathlessly against Blaine's neck, heart starting to settled down as relief washed over him.
But when Blaine didn't answer him, and only squeezed him tighter as a response, he pulled away slightly.
He looked into Blaine's honey eyes, now noticing they were slightly bloodshot and glassy.
"Blaine? What's wrong?" he asked, searching his boyfriend's face as he reached his hand up to caress his cheek.
"Nu-nothing!" Blaine smiled brightly, but he was dead in the eyes.
"Yes, there is, where were you?" he asked again.
Blaine hesitated, "I'll tell you inside." he answered simply, taking his hand and leading him into the house, and up to Kurt's room.
Once inside Kurt sat on his bed and looked up at Blaine quizzically.
"So?"
Blaine walked over to the bed and sat next to Kurt, taking his hand in his own.
"Emergency Warbler practice. My phone was off. I'm sorry." he spoke down at their hands, refusing to meet Kurt's eyes.
Kurt lifted his free hand to lift the raven haired boy's chin, forcing his honey eyes onto his own ocean ones.
"Cute. Now tell me what REALLY happened." he inquired, lifting his perfectly groomed left eyebrow.
"That IS what happened." Blaine whispered unconvincingly, looking down once more.
"Blaine. We promised to always be honest with each other, remember?" he said softly, squeezing Blaine's upper arm affectionately.
Blaine winced and bit back a curse in response.
Kurt's crystal eyes widened.
"Blaine, are you hurt? What's wr-" he gasped as he rolled up Blaine's sleeve before he could be stopped.
"Oh my god." he whispered, hand flying to his gapping mouth, eyes widening in horror, blood running cold as he took in the five, fresh, finger-shaped bruises that were wrapped around his upper arm.
"IT'S NOTHING!" Blaine growled, pulling out of his grasp.
"Blaine. Talk to me." he chocked out over the lump in his throat.
"We were just messing around at Warbler practice." he murmured, not even believing his own lie.
"Blaine. WHO. DID THIS."
Blaine looked up into his boyfriend's sky-blue eyes.
Pain filled his hazel ones, "I-"
"Blaine. Who."
Tears formed in Blaine's blood-shot eyes and Kurt knew before Blaine even said the words.
"My dad." he chocked out before crashing into him.
Kurt collected his boyfriend in his arms, rocking him back and forth gently as he let out sharp, ragging sobs into Kurt's neck.
Hot tears sprang to his own eyes as images of a man he's never met laying his hands on the person that meant everything to him flashed in front of his eyes.
They stayed like this, in silence, the only sounds heard were that of Blaine's hoarse sobs and the hammering of two hearts, until Blaine pulled away slightly.
He grasped to Kurt as if he though he would disappear at any moment, and looked into Kurt's eyes.
Kurt took in a sharp breath, looking at the boy who always seemed to strong and confident, pain and hurt etching his features.
He put his hands on either side of Blaine's face.
"What happened?" he whispered softly through his own tears.
"It was just another fight. It got a little out of hand." Blaine croaked out, voice hoarse from crying.
"ANOTHER fight. A LITTLE out of hand?" Kurt asked, eyebrows flying to his hairline.
Blaine rarely talked about his home life, and the only time he did was when he said him and his father didn't exactly get along.
In all of the time they've been dating, all of the time they've known each other, Kurt had never once met Blaine's parents. Although he always thought it was odd, Blaine always came up with an excuse, like they were out of town, or at yet another business meeting. Now Kurt knew the real reason.
Blaine lifted his own shaking hands to take Kurt's and brought them down between them, grasping them tightly.
"Do you know WHY I was sent away to Dalton?" he asked quietly, making lazy circles on the back of Kurt's smooth hand with his calloused thumb.
"You said because you were bullied, right?" Kurt whispered, knowing now that that wasn't the reason at all.
Blaine met his eyes, "Well, I WAS bullied as you know. But that's not the reason I was sent away."
"Then what was?" Kurt asked, moving even closer.
Sadness filled his eyes, the image felt like a punch in Kurt's stomach.
"They sent me AWAY not because they cared about my safety, because really they could care less about that, but because my Dad didn't want a 'fucking fag' in his house." Blaine spat angrily.
Kurt winched at the word, remembering all the times he's been called that through out his life, but never, EVER, by his own father.
"He didn't want to come home to the constant reminder of his failure. The sin. The burden. The pervert. The disgusting excuse for a human being." Blaine chocked out, shaking violently.
Without a word, Kurt pulled him closer, gently guiding his head to rest on his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry." Kurt whispered against his dark curls, anger burning in the pit of his stomach. He had never felt so much hatred for someone. Espeically someone he's never even met.
"Today I went to pick up the clothes my mom bought me to bring to Dalton. And my dad asked me where I was headed tonight." Blaine continued.
"I told him I was going to my boyfriend's house." he whispered.
Kurt froze. This was HIS fault. He was beaten being he was going over to his house.
Blaine, noticing Kurt's body tightening, lifted his head slightly and looked into Kurt's eyes.
"This is NOT your fault, OK? Don't even think it." Blaine said seriously, as if reading his mind.
"But-"
"No." Blaine said, reaching up to caress Kurt's cheek before placing his head back on Kurt's shoulder.
" My dad turned and walked over to me, hate in those heartless eyes, and slapped me."
Kurt squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the image.
" 'Boyfriend?' he taunted me. 'Do you love this boyfriend of yours?' I told him I did, refusing to back down this time. He told me I was sick. That a man could not love another man. All the ideas he's been trying to beat into my head since I came out when I was 14. But I told him he was wrong, that I love you, so much. That I love you more than anything." Blaine paused, sitting up.
He pressed his forehead to Kurt's, "Because I DO, I wouldn't hide that from anybody."
Kurt's chest tightened, he stood up to his father for him. For them. For their love.
Kurt's heart fluttered in his chest despite the seriousness of the situation at hand, no matter how many times Blaine has told him he loved him, he still wasn't over it. He would never get over it.
"I love you, too." Kurt whispered back, trying not to chock on his tears.
Blaine smiled his first real smile since he arrived.
He leaned in, pressing his lips softly to Kurt's before continuing.
"The rest...is a blur. It always is. Fists contacting with skin. My mom silently watching in the corner, crying softly. Slurs being yelled at me left and right until I finally ran to my car, leaving it all behind me."
"How long?" Kurt murmured suddenly.
"How...long?" Blaine drew his eyebrows together in confusion.
"How long has he...been hitting you?" he breathed, voice shaking.
"Always." he answered simply, closing his eyes, his long eyelashes brushing against Kurt's own as he did.
There was a beat of silence until Kurt asked, "Even before-even before you came out?"
"Even before." Blaine breathed.
He let out a harsh laugh, "It was supposed to toughen me up."
Kurt's head pounded, visions of a five year old Blaine getting beaten, just to make sure he didn't end up soft, filled his mind.
He let out another bitter laugh, "Apparently it's worked wonders, right?"
"Blaine." Kurt chocked back yet another sob.
Both boys clung to one another. Physical and emotional pain running through their bodies as they let out sharp cries, holding nothing back.
"You are the best thing that's happened to me." Blaine breathed against Kurt's cheek, their salty tears mixing with one another's.
"You're the only good thing in my life." he whispered, running his lips softly against Kurt's cheekbone.
Kurt shivered and grasped him tighter in response, burring his face into Blaine's shoulder. Blaine meant everything to him. He loved him so much, and it physically pained him that Blaine has gone through so much torment.
"I want to show you something." Blaine murmured, pulling away.
"What is it?" Kurt asked, swiping away at the tears that continued to fall down his face.
Blaine fisted at his shirt, looking Kurt straight in the eyes,
"My battle scars." his broken voice tried and failed to sound strong, before pulling his shirt up and over his head.
Kurt's eyes widened, a new round of tears springing to his eyes as he took it all in.
Hundreds of deep scars and bruises in different states of healing covered his body.
Kurt lifted his shaking finger slowly to trance a ragged scar that ran from the hollow of his chest to his hip bone.
"Are these all from-" he trailed of, not able to finnish the question.
"Most of them." Blaine whispered, "This one here and here," he pointed to two tiny, insignificant scars amongst the rest "Are from the bullies."
"But the rest. Are...from him." his voice strained, the honey of his eyes darkening with hate as he spat out 'him' like it was a curse.
Which, to Kurt, it was.
Kurt traced another scar, Blaine shivered under his touch.
Blaine chucked harshly,"You know what the funny thing is?" he asked.
"They tried so hard to make my life hell, but what they didn't know is that I had my own personal hell waiting for me everyday at home. The things they did couldn't put a dent in the torture I had at home...and I have this ugliness to prove it."
"Blaine, You're BEAUTIFUL." Kurt whimpered softly, looking into Blaine tired eyes.
"No, I'm not. He ruined me." Blaine growled, sweeping his eyes down to look at his deformed body.
"Yes, you are." Kurt leaned in to kiss a scar, running his tongue down the length of it.
Blaine shuttered and moaned in response.
"So beautiful." Kurt whispered against Blaine's hot skin.
Kurt looked up and met Blaine's eyes.
Years later when all the torment and struggle was behind them and they lived in their little one bedroom in New York, Kurt still remembered what he saw in those hazel eyes that night.
The look of years of torture and pain finally coming to the surface, relief that he no longer had to hid it.
At that moment, Kurt made a decision.
"You are NOT going back there." he said matter-of factly.
"Kurt, I have to-" Blaine shook his head.
"No, you don't. We are going to talk to my dad. I will NOT let you go back there." he chocked, cursing himself for sounding so weak.
"Kurt, I've dealt with this my whole life. It's my problem, I can deal with it." Blaine tried to sound confident, but it came out weak and defeated.
"No, Blaine. It's both of our problems now. We will get through this together." Kurt said, voice rising, taking Blaine face in his hands.
"Kurt." Blaine whispered, voice more weak and vulnerable then Kurt has ever heard it.
"Blaine." Kurt sighed, "You will NEVER have to deal with this again, OK? I will not let it happen to you."
Blaine was silent for a moment, eyes growing softer.
"I love you." Blaine whispered, face distorting as the tears continued to fall down his flawless face.
"I love you." Kurt responded, wiping at the tears in Blaine's eyes before leaning in and kissing him softly.
Blaine lifted his hand to Kurt's waist and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.
He leaned back against the bed, pulling Kurt on top of him, letting out a gut-wrenching moan as he did.
"Blaine! This may not be such a good idea right now." Kurt crawled off of Blaine, lying next to him on his side, "Let's let you're body heal, OK?" he whispered affectionately, reaching his hand to Blaine's bare waist to twist him on his side as well, so they were chest to chest.
"OK." Blaine smiled softly through his pain.
"When my dad and Carole come home we are going to discussed what we need to do, alright?"
"OK." Blaine answer simple, snuggling closer to Kurt.
"Because this can't happen again, I won't let this happen to you again. I never want this to happen again. You don't deserve this. You need to be safe." Kurt blabbered on through his tears.
"Shhhh." Blaine murmured softly, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead to Kurt's, placing a whispered of a kiss to his lips.
"And for now, you need to rest." Kurt whispered, placing his arm around Blaine waist.
Blaine sighed contently in respond, the tears finally starting to dry up.
Kurt smiled despite him self as he watch his boyfriend, his breathing starting to slow to a rhythmic, sleeping pace. Kurt kissed his forehead gently before snuggling back into his Blaine and closing his own eyes.
Later they will discuss their next move, but for now his boyfriend was safe, in this quiet room on this sleepy street, away from all the evil and hate in the world. Later the real struggle will begin, but for now, in this moment as Blaine slept beside, everything felt OK.