Of course. Kurt thought to himself as he buckled in for a long drive. Of course I would have plans over an hour away when Ohio decides to have a freaking monsoon. In January.
He pushed aside his frustration, queuing up his usual driving playlist and pulling out of his driveway with a small smile as the opening strains of the Wicked overture spilled out of the speakers.
His face soon fell. The drive was even worse than he expected. The winter weather had receded early this year, only to be replaced with rain. Now, however, it seemed the cold was returning, and as the drive wore on, the rain turned to slush and sleet. The roads, already slick in the rain, became even more impossible. By the time Kurt was nearing the outskirts of Westerville, he was seriously considering pulling over and waiting it out. Preferring a building to his car for shelter, however, Kurt pressed forward to Dalton. Just as he approached the Westerville city limits, his flawless solo, if he did say so himself, was interrupted by another tune,
You think I'm pretty, without any makeup on…
"Hey Blaine!" Kurt greeted cheerfully as he switched on the hands-free setting of his phone.
"Hey Kurt! What are your new plans for today?" Blaine's chipper tone floated into the car.
"What, you mean aside from rescuing you from the torture that is Algebra II?" Kurt teased.
"Well I mean, your day will certainly be more enterta- wait. Kurt, where are you right now…what's that noise?"
"That would be the sounds of Mother Nature attempting to massacre drivers across the county."
"Kurt…you're driving?!" Blaine demanded, his pitch rising.
"Well duh Blaine, how else would I get to Dalton for our study da...session?" Kurt corrected quickly. Not a date, not a date, he reminded himself.
"Kurt, it's pouring out!"
"Well, actually, now it's pretty much turned into sleet." Kurt informed him matter-of-factly.
"And you're driving in this?!" Blaine nearly screeched as he looked out a window, "Turn around, go home!"
"I wouldn't just bail on you, Blaine, however Mother Nature may try to deter me. This exam is going to be like, 30% of your grade! I know how important your grades are to you, not to mention your parents. I won't have you failing on my conscience."
"I don't want you maiming your car on my conscience! We both know you'd never let me forget it. I told you not to come today!"
"What are you talking about, Blaine? We made these plans days ago, and I just confirmed it with you last night."
"I called you this morning! Didn't you get my message?"
"What? Message? No...that's strange. Maybe my phone started eating them again…"
"It doesn't matter what happened to it," Blaine cut him off impatiently, "There's seriously no need for you to inconvenience yourself like this, Kurt. You need to go home! It's not safe for you to be driving."
"Well it's too late now, Blaine, I'm not far from the exit for Dalton, so- what the hell? What is this person do-OH MY GOD!-" Kurt's sentence ended with a scream as another driver swerved in front of his Navigator, cutting Kurt off in an attempt to make a last-minute exit.
On the other end of the line, Blaine was frozen in anguish as he heard the horrific sounds of tires screeching, glass shattering, metal crunching, and, worst of all, Kurt screaming. Blaine clutched his phone, failing to notice the dial tone mercifully cutting off the sickening noise over the sound of his own shouts, which were quickly turning to sobs,
"KURT?! Kurt, what's going on?! Kurt, talk to me! This isn't funny! KURT!"
He pulled his phone away from his ear, staring at it blankly for a full minute as he sank to the floor. Snapping out of his shock, he immediately redialed Kurt, praying that Kurt would answer with a laugh, explaining his near miss or that it was all a joke. This couldn't be happening. The phone rang and rang, ending with Kurt's voicemail message,
You've reached Kurt Hummel, fashion god and future Broadway star. If you're one of my adoring fans, leave a message. If this is yet another one of McKinley's finest attempting a prank call, kindly fuck off and find another way to while away your meaningless existence.
Any other day, this message made Blaine smile, but now his panic grew. He quickly hung up, redialing again and again, until he finally accepted that Kurt was not going to pick up. That maybe…he couldn't. Oh god, what if- no. No. He couldn't think like that. He needed to…do something. Suddenly he remembered Kurt saying that he was almost to the Dalton exit when – it happened. He jumped to his feet, heading full speed towards the parking lot. If he could only get to Kurt, everything would be ok, he told himself.
"Blaine? Hold up, where's the fire?"
Blaine paused for a moment, head turning when he heard his name. Wes and David were approaching him cautiously, looking concerned.
"I have to go," Blaine told them, turning back to the front doors as he said it.
"Woah, Blaine!" Wes reached out to grasp Blaine's arm gently, "Where do you think you're going? Have you looked outside today? It's pretty much turning into a blizzard. What is up with you? You're shaking and- are you crying?"
"I-" Blaine wiped at his face quickly, realizing for the first time that tears had been steadily dripping down his face, "I have to go. Kurt-" his voice broke, "I have to find Kurt," he declared in a poor attempt at a steady tone.
"Blaine, I'm sure if you and spy boy had a lovers' spat it will work itself out. There's no need for you to go out in this. You'd have to be crazy to go out in this storm," David said.
"We're not- we're not a couple! I've told you that a million times, and he has gone out in this and he's in trouble and I just- I have to go find him! What if he's hurt, what if he's- and I- and I should have told him sooner- God, what is wrong with me?" Blaine groaned, putting his head in his hands.
"Blaine, calm down. What are you going on about?"
Blaine attempted to take a deep breath before looking up at his friends slowly,
"I'm in love with Kurt," Blaine stated seriously before putting his face back in his hands.
"While it's about time you came around to this realization, Blaine, I don't understand why it warrants all this," Wes said calmly, waving a hand toward Blaine.
"I'm in love with Kurt and he- I never- he was coming to see me when the accident happened- It's entirely my fault!"
"Accident?!" David asked, sounding truly alarmed for the first time in the conversation, "What accident? Blaine, what's going on?"
"The one I just overheard!" Blaine half-screamed, gesturing to his phone violently, "We're wasting time, I gotta go to him."
"Blaine, buddy, listen to me. You are way too upset to drive," David said, as he took Blaine's keys from him.
"You don't understand. I have to get to Kurt! What if he- because of me!" Blaine shouted as he frantically attempted to retrieve his keys from his friend.
"Blaine, calm down. If you're really set on going, we'll drive you to Kurt," Wes offered calmly.
"We will?!" David exclaimed.
"Yes, we will. My car handles much better in this kind of weather anyway, Blaine."
Blaine looked at them suspiciously, but then nodded, turning to bolt out to the parking lot. David ran back to grab coats for them, as Wes followed Blaine to the car, collar up and shoulders hunched against the sleet still falling, although the weather finally seemed to be letting up. Blaine ran his hands through his hair distractedly as he waited for them to catch up. As soon as Wes unlocked the doors Blaine slumped in the front seat, hiding his face in his hands once again as his mind raced. He jumped at the sudden feeling of a hand on his shoulder, causing Wes to look even more concerned.
"I'm sure everything's fine," Wes said, attempting to calm Blaine as he was obviously coming unhinged, "Kurt probably just dropped his phone and can't get to it. Or maybe it was just a fender bender."
Blaine turned to him, his face full of disgust and irritation, "It wasn't just a fender bender, Wesley. I'm not completely irrational. You didn't- The way he screamed, I- The noises- God, Kurt."
"Damn, this weather's a mess," David exclaimed as he threw open the door, tossed three coats into the backseat, and jumped in, slamming the door behind him, "I almost fell on my ass just running to the car."
"How sad for you, David!" Blaine shouted, turning to face the backseat, suddenly enraged, "You might have gotten, oh I don't know, seriously injured or something!"
Wes and David sat in stunned silence, not used to Blaine talking to anyone, let alone them, like this.
"Well?!" Blaine bellowed at them, "What are you doing still sitting around?! Let's go!"
Wes and David exchanged glances as the latter passed Wes and Blaine their coats in silence, laying the third beside him.
"Wait, whose is that David?" Wes asked, confused considering David was already wearing his own coat.
"Oh, I just figured Kurt might need an extra if he's been stuck in the cold this whole time."
Blaine's anger immediately dissolved into guilt. He spoke softly,
"Thanks David, that's…really nice."
Wes turned forward again, starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot carefully.
"Blaine, I know you're upset right now, but you need to tell me where I'm going," Wes said quietly as he kept his eyes on the road.
"I- I'm sorry guys," Blaine mumbled quietly, all fight having gone out of him, "Really, I appreciate the help," he continued, a little louder, looking at them earnestly.
"It's fine, Blaine," Wes said, "Don't worry about it, we know you're freaked. Just, where am I going?"
"Umm…he- he was saying he was about to take the exit for Dalton when…," his voice broke as his sentence tapered off.
"It really could be fine, you know," Wes remarked as he turned in the direction of the highway, "I know it's easier said than done, but try to keep calm until we find out, ok?"
"I just- I'm so stupid."
"What? How does this make you stupid? Kurt's the one who drove in this- uh, I mean, I don't see how any of this makes you stupid Blaine," David redirected after rage reemerged in Blaine's face at the mere insinuation of the situation being Kurt's fault.
"Not this, well, not exactly. I just don't know why I've been denying it."
"Denying what?"
"That I want to be with him, that I always wanted to be more than friends. That I'm in love with Kurt."
"In love, hm? You keep saying that, but those are pretty big words, you know. You sure you're really in this? It's not just adrenaline or concern, right?" David asked, serious for once, "I mean, we all knew you had a thing for Kurt weeks ago, but don't mess him around if it's just a passing thing."
"You really think I would ever do that to him?" Blaine asked incredulously, "He's my best friend, he's…everything."
"Hey now, since when is Kurt encroaching on our best friend territory?!" David cried.
"Anyways," Wes interrupted, steering the conversation back to the point, "We know you wouldn't purposely lead Kurt on, Blaine, but really you've kind of already been doing it without meaning to..."
"What!? What are you talking about?"
"I mean, Kurt's been half in love with you since about the moment you sang to him about getting his hands on your skintight jeans, and your constant hanging out and being all over him has pretty much finished the job, yet you continue to friend zone him."
"Kurt, in love with me? Hah! I'm definitely not his type," Blaine declared, mentally comparing himself to Finn, Sam, and every celebrity Kurt had ever mentioned and coming up…well, short. For lack of a better word.
David and Wes scoffed in unison.
"Yeah, ok, I guess we're just ignoring the staring and the sighing whenever you're in the room," David laughed in disbelief.
"Don't forget the blushing whenever Blaine is his usually handsy self," Wes put in.
"And then the disappointed expressions when he lets go."
"What are you two going on about?! Is this really the time?!" Blaine asked, his tone dark, really not in the mood to discuss all his insecurities when it came to this topic, "Kurt could be seriously hurt," Or worse, his mind supplied, the mere thought causing him to cringe, "Is this really the time to harass me about all the opportunities I've apparently missed?"
"Ok, ok, sorry. But don't be so pessimistic Blaine. Kurt will be perfectly fine and you can tell him how you feel and you'll live happily ever after with a hoard of babies with curly hair, blue eyes, and superb singing talents."
"Hilarious. And biologically impossible. He just…he has to be alright. He was coming to see me, to help me study. If I lose him…and it's my fault, I don't know what I'll- And his dad too, it would destroy him!"
"Blaine, you need to breathe. Kurt could be totally fine, maybe it wasn't as serious as it soun-" Wes broke off as they finally came upon the scene of the accident. It was definitely just as serious as it had seemed. A red pick-up was smashed into a tree; back end just as damaged and engine still smoking. And the Navigator…Kurt's Navigator was completely flipped over, front end crushed and windows shattered. They could only see the passenger side, so there was no telling what damage there was on the opposite…where Kurt had been sitting. The driver of the truck was being loaded into one ambulance by a frantic crew of paramedics. Another stood open beside the Navigator, with paramedics disappearing behind the overturned vehicle.
"KURT!" Blaine screamed, throwing the door open and jumping out as Wes pulled over, only to be yanked back by his seat belt. He swore, unbuckling himself before running full speed toward the scene, luckily escaping the notice of the pair of police officers making notes beside the truck.
As he approached the upended Navigator, though, Blaine hesitated, terrified to witness Kurt's fate if it was anything like the damage done to the Navigator. The paramedics returned to the ambulance to retrieve something, and Blaine took his chance. As he rounded the car, he could see the end of a gurney standing beside it, bearing a blanket covered form. Blaine couldn't move, staring at the foot of the stretcher, unable to lift his gaze for fear of what he might find. He was frozen where he stood, unable to breathe, let only speak. No, no, no, not Kurt, it can't- he can't… The progression of his spiral into despair was halted, however, by a low sound originating from beneath the blanket. The orange cloth fell slightly from Kurt's shoulders as the boy turned his head slowly with a groan, slowly coming back to consciousness.
"Oh, thank God!" Blaine whimpered as he leapt to the boy's side, eyes scanning down his body, taking in every scratch and bruise with horror, even as relief coursed through him at Kurt's every breath. He reached out, afraid Kurt would disappear if he was not touching him, but then stopped himself, terrified of hurting him, even a little.
"Mmm….Blaine?" Kurt murmured, clearly groggy, "Where'm I? Why're you lookin' at me like that? 's wrong?"
"Kurt- I-" Blaine began, but he found he couldn't finish a thought, let alone a sentence. He simply stared at the boy before him, brushing his hand against Kurt's, needing to prove to himself that Kurt was really here and whole and…completely unaware of the major epiphany Blaine had been having in the last hour.
"…Blaine? Why're you lookin' at me like that? What're we doing he- Oh my God, the phone!" he startled out of his concussed confusion, "I'm so sorry, Blaine! That must have been awful for you! I can't even-"
"Don't." Blaine stated emphatically, leaning forward until his forehead rested on Kurt's. Apologies were so totally unnecessary when he had thought- he took a deep breath, leaning towards Kurt's ear to whisper, "Don't ever, ever scare me like this again," he huffed out a relieved chuckle, "I don't think I can take it."
"M'sorry, Blaine, really, I-" he continued, his concussion slurring his words again.
"Stop," Blaine gently placed his hand against Kurt's mouth to halt his apologies. He didn't need them, not at all, all the mattered was that Kurt was whole, and here, and he still had his chance. Kurt, blinking as his consciousness faded out again, sleepily pursed his lips, placing a soft kiss in the palm of Blaine's hand as Blaine stared at him in disbelief.
"Kurt?"
"Mmm, Blaine, you always take good care of me."
"Not always. But I will, I swear. Kurt, I love you."
"Mmm, loveyoutoo," Kurt mumbled as he nuzzled into Blaine's hand and promptly passed out again. Blaine was shaking, frantically looking around only to see the paramedics returning.
"Where did you come from? This is an accident site; you need to return to your car, kid."
"But I- Kurt-" Blaine gestured helplessly to the unconscious boy as they began to wheel him away.
"You know this boy?" she asked, eying him suspiciously.
"Yes, Kurt, is he going to be alright?" Blaine's panic was quickly returning now that Kurt's consciousness had faded again.
"His injuries are minor, but I can't tell you much more, and I will need you to return to your car."
"Can't I, can't I ride with him or something? Please? I don't want him to be alone."
"I'm sorry, kid, I can't authorize that. You'll have to go to the hospital separately if you are truly set on it. Be careful though; don't make yourself our next stop. Maybe let your friends drive?" he suggested, nodding to something behind Blaine.
Blaine turned, noticing for the first time David and Wes, keeping their distance but clearly worried.
"Let's go," Blaine said decisively, striding back toward the car without bothering to look behind him to see if they followed.
As they settled into the car again, the ambulance took off, siren blaring. Blaine stared blankly out the window as Wes carefully pulled back on the road, heading to the hospital without instruction. David leaned forward, putting a hand on Blaine's shoulder reassuringly,
"See Blaine? They said his injuries are minor, and they even took their time getting him the ambulance set up for him. Don't worry."
Blaine sighed,
"I'll stop worrying when I see him coherent and standing upright again."
"He came to though, at least for a bit, right? What all did he say to you anyway?"
"He said—He said he loves me…" Blaine murmured in awe, hope and doubt battling internally.
"HAH! CALLED IT!" David shouted triumphantly.
"Very mature, David," Wes replied, rolling his eyes, "And I think most of us knew, so there's no need to feel so smug about it."
"Don't rain on my parade, Wesley," David complained, leaning back in his seat again.
"Given that he was half-unconscious when he said it, that's hardly the most reliable proof," Blaine muttered.
"Oh Blaine, don't be such a pessimist," Wes countered.
"Well it's hard to be an optimist when we're following an ambulance taking an unconscious Kurt to the hospital."
"Touche." David responded quietly, letting silence fall for the rest of their drive.
As he pulled up to the sidewalk at the hospital, Wes turned to Blaine,
"You two go ahead, I'll park and meet you in the waiting room."
"You guys don't have to stay," Blaine said hesitantly, "You've already done more than enough."
"Blaine." David said seriously, "Don't be stupid. Even if you didn't need moral support, we're not leaving until we find out if Kurt's ok. He's our friend too, you know."
Wes nodded in agreement, and Blaine smiled gratefully at his friends. He had been so wrapped up in Kurt all this time; he'd barely noticed how well his friend had been settling in with the rest of the Warblers.
The boys settled into the waiting room, having been told by a nurse that they would have to wait for Kurt's family to arrive before they could be authorized to receive updates on his condition. The word 'condition' made the situation seem all too serious again, and Blaine sunk into his quiet panic, He stared, at the floor, expressionless, not looking up until he heard Burt Hummel's worried voice from across the room,
"Where is my son?! They said there was an accident! Kurt Hummel?!" Kurt's father all but shouted at the nurse. Blaine had never seen him so discomposed. The nurse drew him aside to discuss Kurt's 'condition.' Whatever that means, Blaine thought sullenly. Finally, after a short conversation too quiet for Blaine to eavesdrop on, Mr. Hummel turned around to find a seat, not looking completely calm, but certainly less distressed. Blaine shot up immediately, standing before him in a heartbeat, startling the man for a moment,
"Mr. Hummel, please, what did she say? Is Kurt alright?! They wouldn't tell us anything until you got here and she made it sound so serious and I had to see—just, tell me he'll be ok?" Blaine rambled with hardly a breath.
Burt looked at Blaine carefully for a moment before a hesitant smirk tilted his features.
"Finally got your head out of your ass, huh kid?"
"I—what?" Blaine asked, totally baffled by this statement.
"Kurt's spent a lot of time waiting on you, I hope you know."
"I—sir?" Blaine had no idea what Mr. Hummel was talking about, still caught up in waiting for him to confirm that Kurt would be alright. Though he supposed if he was this calm, the situation wasn't too serious.
"Kurt'll be fine, kid," Burt said, clapping Blaine on the shoulder, feeling much lighter having received the same news moments before, "He's got a concussion, a broken wrist, and some cuts and bruises, but he'll recover just fine. He'll be alright. Even more so if that look on your face means what I think it does."
"What—am I that obvious?"
"Yep," Burt and David said in unison as Wes nodded in agreement.
Burt chuckled, glancing around the room for a moment.
"Come on, kid, take a seat. What are you doing out here anyway? The roads are crazy, obviously," Burt shuddered at the reminder of what had brought him here, "I even had Carole and Finn hang back, though they were both worried. I left straight from work though, and I didn't want any more of us in danger today."
"Sir, I was on the phone with Kurt when he- I'm sorry, maybe I distracted him, sir, and-"
"Blaine," Burt stopped him, "Calm down. And I've told you before, it's Burt. From what the nurse told me of the accident report, it was the other driver's fault. Bastard cut him off, in this weather! What kind of dumba-" Burt's voice rose in volume, until, noticing he was getting a few glares from the rest of the room's occupants, he sighed, returning to his usual tone, "No one is blaming you, or Kurt for that matter. So take a breath. You still haven't told me how you ended up here."
"Well after I heard the accident, I couldn't—I had to make sure Kurt was ok, but these two," he gestured back at Wes and David, struggling to continue the story as he could barely remember their conversation in the hallway.
"Wes and I pretty much found him mid-panic attack, Mr. Hummel, so we insisted that we drive him instead," David finished for him.
"Probably for the best," Burt put in, nodding at the boys with gratitude.
"So we found the accident," Blaine continued, "I saw him, but they wouldn't let me ride in the ambulance, so we followed them here instead. I just really need to see Kurt. I need to know he's alright."
Burt looked at Blaine for a long moment.
"So you really finally figured it out then?"
"Just how long have you suspected something, si-Burt?" Blaine asked, a little unnerved by how easily everyone else seemed to have read him.
"About the first time he brought you home," Burt replied benignly.
"That was months ago!" Blaine protested.
"Heh, kid, you look at Kurt like he hung the moon, it's not hard to figure out. I figured it was only a matter of time," Burt chuckled a little, glad for the distraction from his lingering worries about Kurt.
"Tell me about it, sometimes during practice his heart eyes could be seen from space," David put in, earning himself a glare from Blaine.
Burt leaned back in his chair watching, amused, as the boys bickered for a few minutes. He had been in a panic since he first received the phone call, but the conversation with Blaine was grounding, now that the nurse had explained Kurt's injuries were minor. Kurt would be fine, probably overly chipper for a while if things panned out with Blaine, which, considering the look on the kid's face when he had walked in, was pretty likely. For the first time in the last hour and a half, Burt took a full breath.
"Is this really necessary?" Kurt whined as his father pushed him through the main lobby of the hospital in a wheelchair.
"I'm afraid so, Mr. Hummel," said the nurse walking alongside them, "Just to the sidewalk, hospital rules and all."
Kurt sighed deeply and rolled his eyes as he fiddled with his new cast. TV hospital dramas greatly over-exaggerated the glamour of medical care. Kurt was pretty sure he'd never felt less fabulous than being paraded through a crowded lobby in hospital sweats. Not to mention his doctor hadn't even been attractive, just some middle aged man with nose hair. Some Dr. McDreamy. Grey's Anatomy would never have stood for this.
"Oh don't mind him," Burt remarked to the nurse, "He's just moping over the loss of his car. I'm just grateful it wasn't him," he remarked, reaching out to ruffle Kurt's hair, "I knew that SUV was a good idea."
"DAD!" Kurt shouted, jerking away and attempting to tame his hair back down. Finally they arrived at the front door, Burt pulling the wheelchair to a halt as Kurt began to reassure him, "I keep telling you, it's not a big deal. I'm fine. I just hope this whole ordeal didn't stress your heart too much. Maybe we should be extra careful with your diet this week to make up for it, just in case…" Kurt babbled on as his father rolled his eyes at Kurt's complete disregard for his own wellbeing.
"Alright, take care you guys," the nurse interrupted, "Be careful out there, the roads are still pretty slick from what I hear."
"Thanks for everything, Lori," Burt replied as he reached out to help Kurt out of the chair.
"Dad, I'm fine, really!" Kurt complained, despite the fact that standing definitely made his head a little fuzzy again.
"I'll be the judge of that," Burt countered, putting his arm around Kurt's shoulders as he steadied himself.
The nurse wheeled the chair back to the elevators as Burt slowly began walking Kurt to the truck.
"You know, Dad, I had the weirdest dream, wait are they dreams when you're unconscious?" Kurt wondered, still a little lightheaded from standing up, "Whatever, it was strange though, I was on the gurney, but Blaine was there and he told me-oh shit!—sorry dad—but Blaine! I was on the phone with him when—he must be freaking out, have you heard from him?!"
Burt just smiled, and nodded to the truck, beside which stood Blaine, adorably bundled in his winter coat. He had frozen when he heard them approach, and was downright dumbstruck now at the sight of Kurt. Only his eyes moved, raking over Kurt's form once again, as if to assure himself Kurt was really alright.
"Blaine!" Kurt nearly shrieked in surprise, suddenly grateful he did not reveal the full contents of his dream (dream? hallucination?) with the object of it within hearing distance, though he would've appreciated being better dressed before facing Blaine, "I'm so so sorry about this! You didn't have to come here! Not that I'm complaining, but…"
Without warning, Blaine broke out of his trance, crossing the distance between them in an instant. Cupping Kurt's face in his hands, he crushed their mouths together. Kurt's eyes bulged and his arms flailed for a moment before he registered what was going on and reciprocated warmly. His bandaged arm came to rest against Blaine's waist, his other hand reaching up to hover over Blaine's head until he abandoned all restraint and dug his fingers into Blaine's hair. Blaine's hands left Kurt's face, roaming instead over his neck, shoulders and arms with utmost care.
"You're real, you're here, you're alright," Blaine murmured against Kurt's lips softly, pulling away from the kiss only to press his lips to Kurt's face again and again, kissing his forehead, his cheeks, his nose, before wrapping his arms around Kurt tightly and nuzzling into his hair,
"I thought, God, I was so scared. I was afraid I'd lost you before—"
"Before what?" Kurt breathed dreamily.
Blaine pulled back, not able to bring himself to let go of Kurt completely, but realizing that Kurt was still completely unaware of the major epiphany the day had brought him, and might be in need of some explanation. As he struggled to form words, however, Kurt recovered from his shock enough to speak,
"Blaine—I—what are you doing here?" he stuttered out.
"…I followed the ambulance from the scene of the crash."
Kurt tilted his head, confused, and Blaine grew worried.
"Are you sure your head's ok? Wes and David drove me to the accident; don't you remember me being there?"
Ok, so not entirely a dream then…?! Kurt thought, alarmed at the thought of actually doing and saying some of the things he remembered from the maybe-not-a-dream.
"That was all real?! But wait- you said…" Kurt trailed off, his eyes widening as he remembered.
"I meant everything I said," Blaine declared seriously, looking Kurt in the eye.
"You mean, you..?" Kurt began, almost afraid to say it out loud.
"I'm in love with you…Kurt. I have been for weeks, really, I just- I was afraid if I did something about it, even admitted it out loud really, it might ruin everything with us. I mean, you're just…you. You're the most genuine, funny, brave person I've ever met, and I love you. But I know you've been going through such a rough time, not to mention I'm the first gay kid you've ever met, and I didn't want you to feel pressure just because we were both gay and we're friends…if you just wanted to be friends, I, I could do that. You're so important to me Kurt, I can't lose you," he finally pulled his arms away from Kurt's waist, instead grasping his hands tightly.
Kurt took a deep breath, mind reeling.
"Blaine," he finally said, still a little breathless, "I think you're forgetting the part where I told you I love you too. And the fact that I just kissed you back.
A smile spread across Blaine's face as Kurt squeezed his hands.
"Those were some pretty good moments," he said, his grin reaching ridiculous proportions as he began to swing their hands back and forth.
"Yeah?" Kurt beamed back, "Maybe we should make sure there's plenty more?"
"As many as you wa-" Blaine was cut off as Kurt surged forward and their lips met again. This kiss was slow and sweet, less desperate than the first, but no less incredible to Blaine, who just a few hours before had entertained the thought that he might never see Kurt again, let alone kiss him.
A sharp cough broke them apart, and they both flushed to the tips of their ears as they realized their rather personal moment had been witnessed by not only Kurt's father, but a handful of other hospital visitors and staff that happened to be in the parking lot as well. Luckily, no one seemed offended. Most of the people around them either ignored them or smirked at them, one young nurse even fanned herself, winking as she passed.
"If you two are quite done," Burt remarked, chuckling, "We should probably head back to the house. Carole and Finn have been worried sick, you know."
"You're coming with us?" Kurt asked, turning to Blaine.
"If you'd like," Blaine responded, still in a daze of happiness and embarrassment, "Wes and David left about an hour ago so they could make it back to Dalton by curfew. They told me to say they're really glad you're alright though. They wouldn't leave until they were sure."
Kurt smiled, happy that he had friends at Dalton that cared about him that much already.
"And you?" he asked, smiling at Blaine slyly.
"Well…your dad said I could spend the rest of the weekend with you, and he'll drive us both to Dalton Monday morning. If you don't mind," he added on, looking sheepish.
"The whole rest of the weekend, huh? I wonder what we could possibly find to do with ourselves?" Kurt nearly giggled with the thought of it, reining it in with a gulp as Blaine openly checked him out and winked teasingly.
"Not whatever you're imagining, that's for sure;" Burt interrupted gruffly, "Blaine will be sleeping in the GUEST room."
"Dad!" Kurt groaned, mortified, and Blaine wondered if he could possibly feel more emotions in one day. The overwhelming terror, anger, relief, embarrassment, and pure joy he had felt already left him exhausted. He climbed into the backseat of Burt's truck, surprised but ecstatic when Kurt followed, smiling at him shyly as he buckled his seatbelt and slouched down to lean against Blaine's shoulder. Blaine wasn't sure he would ever stop smiling, no matter how mortified he might be interacting with Burt after such a display. He shook off any lingering thoughts of embarrassment, however, as he wrapped his arms around Kurt securely, careful not to squeeze too tight for fear of upsetting his injuries, and laid his head against Kurt's.
"I really do love you, Kurt," he murmured into his hair as Burt carefully exited the hospital parking lot, headed home.
"Oh Blaine," Kurt began, chuckling, "I've been in love with you since Sectionals, you dork."
Sighing contentedly, Blaine stared out at the still bleak weather. For all that this day might have reflected its dreariness, this more than made up for it. The accident, as horrifying as it had been, had been a wake up call. In a way, he was almost grateful for it, he couldn't imagine the mess he would have made of things without it.