An Uphill Battle
Kurt shifts uncomfortably in the nice chair, his sweater rising up his back. The meal has, so far, been completely silent, the usual dinnertime family chatter Kurt had grown so accustomed to in his own home, absent in the Anderson house.
Blaine's older twin brothers, Tyler and Zachery, whisper a couple incomprehensible words in-between courses, but other than that the clatter of silverware has been the only noise Kurt's heard for the past hour.
Blaine is seated next to his mother, on the opposite side of the table, and Kurt studies his boyfriend's precise table manners. His elbow is never seen, his silverware is always set back in the proper place, his napkin never leaves his lap, and his eyes never leave his plate.
Everyone is in his or her own little world, and Kurt feels more and more alone through each plate of food presented by an impeccable timed staff.
It's after desert, some sort of pastry topped with cream, and coffee-only decaff for those fewer than eighteen, him and Blaine-that Mr. Anderson finally breaks the silence.
"Blaine, you're mother and I have a couple of items to discuss with you. Boys? Will you take Kurt?"
Kurt looks at Blaine, eyes wide, imploring his boyfriend for help before his two brothers, who at 6'3" were not only a head taller than Kurt but also twice as large due to muscle cumulated through hours of Rowing Crew for Harvard, took him away.
But Blaine's eyes never left his empty coffee cup.
"Sure Dad," Tyler addresses his father, motioning for Kurt to follow him. With a quiet sigh, and a small irritated glance at Blaine, Kurt sets his napkin on the table and follows Tyler out of the formal dinning room and up a grand staircase.
Tyler and Zachery don't speak at all, something Kurt is slowly learning is quite common in the household, but instead lead him silently through a long hallway and into a game room that may as well have come directly out of a copy of PB Teen.
"Sit,' Zachery says shortly and Kurt's heart catches in his throat as he slowly lowers himself into an overstuffed armchair. He mentally prepared himself for the verbal-hopefully not physical-beat down he was about to get from the older Anderson boys.
Zachery and Tyler sat on the coffee table, hardly a foot in front of Kurt and sighed in unison, something that made the entire situation all the more intimidating.
Tyler opened his mouth to start speaking, but was interrupted by a loud scream downstairs.
"No!" Kurt heard Blaine scream and he stood up quickly, making to run downstairs to save his boyfriend from whatever parental torture he was enduring downstairs.
Zachery quickly popped up though and pushed Kurt back into his chair, "No. Stay," he said shortly and Kurt crossed his arms tightly against his chest, glaring at the pair of baboons in front of him.
"Why should I?" Kurt sassed, daring the boys to answer with their apparently absent voices.
Tyler sighed and ran a hand thorugh his hair, "Because, we need your help."
Kurt cocked an eyebrow in confusion, biting his lip, "What do you mean?"
Zachery mimicked his brother, sighing and running a hand through his hair, before answering, "Blaine-Blaine needs help Kurt."
Kurt opened his mouth to argue, in confusions, looking bewildered at the two boys.
Tyler continued before Kurt could say anything, "Listen man. There's a lot-hell- there's a shit load of shit Blaine keeps hidden. All right. Fuck man, I'm not surprised you don't know. We wouldn't even know if Zachery hadn't been digging around Blaine's room for blank CD's a couple of days ago."
Kurt remained silent, his brain sluggishly processing the information.
"What do you mean-"
"Blaine's struggled with depression issues for, Jesus Christ, who knows how long. Probably a decade," Zachery said bluntly and Kurt rolled his eyes.
"Blaine? No, that's not true, he's never-"
Tyler reached under the coffee table and pulled out a leather bound book and tossed it at Kurt who caught it in surprise, running his hand over the worn cover.
"That's Blaine's journal," Tyler mumbled, resting his forehead in his hand and Kurt quickly set it aside, refusing to look at it.
"That's private," Kurt hissed and Zachery rolled his eyes, glaring at Kurt.
"Private? Well shit Kurt, that's all fine and good unless Blaine's fucking killing himself with that privacy isn't it? Fuck-Tyler-this is pointless."
"Chill," Tyler said, holding a hand up to cool his twin, before lifting his head and meeting Kurt's eyes, "Listen Kurt, we really need your help with this. Blaine's been taking a number out on himself, he's suffocating himself with his problems, and our problems and your problems and hell, even the World's problems, and he's not-according to his own journal entries-dealing with these issues in a healthy manner."
Kurt stared blankly at Tyler, his mind reeling.
"What do you mean?" He asked timidly.
"He's fucking tearing up his arms with whatever shit he can get his hands on. How the hell did you not notice? I mean fuck Kurt, you're the one who sees him daily. How the hell were we supposed to help if the most important person in his life isn't worth-"
"Zach!" Tyler yelled, cutting of his brother, "Enough. Kurt, we're not blaming anyone but we do need your help with this. We found a treatment facility; they'll diagnose him and help him get better. Mom and Dad are talking to him right now, but it'd really help the family out-it'd really help Blaine out, if you could talk him into it-"
"He's going no matter what," Zachery hissed at his brother and Tyler closed his eyes and sighed.
"Yes, Zachery, I'm aware. But Kurt-we'd rather him go off on is own accord. We just, don't think he'll listen to us as much as he'd listen to-"
"Me," Kurt finished quietly, barely breathing.
"Yeah," Tyler whispered and Kurt shifted in the seat, staring at his pale hands.
"Is it bad?" Kurt whispered and Zachery and Tyler nodded in unison.
"He's-uh-he's got a will in there, " Zachery motioned towards the journal, "And a suicide note. We think it was only a matter of time before he-"
"Snapped," Kurt finished, eyes staring blankly at the journal. "How could he have kept so much hidden?"
"He's an Anderson. We're taught at a young age to hide things, how else are we to succeed?" Zachery said bluntly and Kurt bit his lip, remaining quiet.
Kurt stood up slowly, knees shaking, "Let's do this then. I-uh-I have curfew in an hour. I didn't drive here, Blaine did, so-"
"I'll take you home, after," Tyler muttered and Kurt nodded, slowly following the tall twins back down the same path he'd been led up to just half an hour previously.
Kurt's heart almost stopped beating as he entered the dining room again. Blaine was standing in the corner of the room, arms crossed tightly against his body, eyes wild as he stared at his aging parents in defiance. His eyes snapped to Kurt, and his panicked expressions was quickly masked with one of calming cool Kurt now knew was just an act-just a lie.
"Kurt! Listen, I think we should probably leave-"
"Honey, please," Mrs. Anderson reached out to touch her son's shoulder but Blaine flinched, ducking out of her reach and walking over to Kurt, grasping his hand in his own. He started pulling Kurt to the door. In a daze Kurt stopped, and opened his mouth.
"Blaine, stop," He said quietly, but surprisingly steady. Blaine dropped Kurt's hand, as if it was on fire, and stared at him, eyes wide and questioning.
"What?" Blaine mumbled and Kurt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Blaine, you need help," Kurt's mouth was moving as if on autopilot as he stared at his boyfriends deep, dark eyes.
"What? Kurt! No! I don't-I'm fine! They're just-"
"Show me your arms then," Kurt said, with more force than before, finding his voice.
Blaine stared at Kurt, his face crumpling into a broken defeat and then masked yet again, by a harsh look Kurt hadn't seen before. Hate.
"You too," Blaine said simply, crossing his arms, "Is the whole fucking world fucking with me?"
"Blaine," Mr. Anderson said, cautiously walking over to his son and grabbing his upper arm, as if to keep him from running, "You're going to come with me and Zachery now, we're going to get into the car, and we're driving to the Rehab facility, alright? Tyler is going to drive Kurt home, don't worry about Kurt. Your mom packed a bag earlier full of a couple changes of clothes, that's all you're going to be allowed. Now you can either say goodbye to Kurt, or not, but we're leaving now."
Blaine struggled against his father's grip for a second, sighing in defeat and glaring instead.
Kurt waited patiently for a goodbye or apology from his boyfriend, but was only met by the same hateful glare of before.
With a sighed Mr. Anderson pulled Blaine out of the room, Zachery trailing behind with Blaine's duffle bag slung over his shoulder.
Mrs. Anderson, who was now in tears, bid Kurt a goodbye and an apology before rushing out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
And then, it was over. Kurt's first encounter with Blaine's family, and it hadn't even been to meet him.
It had been to get rid of his one piece of happiness.
"Come one man," Tyler muttered after a few minutes of silence, "I'll drive you home."
The car ride back was as silent, if not more, than dinner. And thirty minutes later, upon arriving at his house Kurt almost left without so much as a goodbye. But right before he slammed the BMW's door shut, and left Blaine and all related to Blaine behind for his life, Kurt turned back.
"Will you call me if Blaine ever wants to see me?" Kurt asked Tyler, his eyes pricking with the tears he'd been keeping at bay since Tyler and Zachery's first confrontation.
"Man, he can receive visitors after 48 hours of solitude and diagnosis. I'll pick you up here, Monday at four, sound good?"
Kurt almost said no. Almost left the battle of Blaine before he could even get involved in what would no doubt be an uphill battle.
But Courage.
"Yes," Kurt said, nodding at Tyler, "I'll be waiting here."
And so, Kurt decided, the war on the horizon would be worth it. Because surely if Blaine could save Kurt, the least Kurt could do was save Blaine.
He just wasn't sure how hard it'd be.
Should there be more? Y'all tell me. Love-Kat