Blaine has never considered himself to be a paranoid person. Overly cautious, perhaps; well-researched, maybe. He just likes to know what he's getting in to and really, is it his fault that he spends hours getting lost into the convoluted maze that is Wikipedia?
Which is why when Kurt returns to McKinley and they begin preparing for their trip to New York for Nationals, Blaine spends hours scouring the web for statistics on crime rates, the likelihood of plane crashes. Kurt brushes him off any time the subject is brought up.
"I just don't think it's a good idea. Couldn't you guys get a charter bus or something?" They're at the Lima Bean, and Blaine can't keep it to himself any longer.
Kurt frowns, "Ew, yeah, if we wanted it to take 12 hours, Blaine. What are you worried about?"
"New York is dangerous," Blaine looks at Kurt like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "People get mugged and attacked and," he lowers his voice, "raped."
Kurt just stares at him. He narrows his eyebrows and he asks, "Have you been marathoning Law & Order again?"
"No," Blaine says quickly, then looks away from Kurt. "Well, yes. But that isn't the point."
Kurt just rolls his eyes, a smile on his face, and sips his coffee.
"Here it is," Blaine rushes into Kurt' s room without knocking. "Proof." He tosses the stack of papers in his hands onto Kurt's bed.
Kurt stares, dumbstruck.
"Irrefutable evidence of how dangerous it in is New York." He bites worriedly at his bottom lip.
Kurt rifles through the papers, an incredulous grin growing over his features.
"What?" Blaine falls onto the bed with a thump. "What's so funny?"
"Proof?" Kurt laughs. "Blaine, this is a Wikipedia article on Harlem and season three of the Sopranos."
"And?"
"And," Kurt pushes the papers aside and takes Blaine's hands in his, "We are staying in Manhattan, not Harlem. And, Blaine, the Sopranos? Is set in New Jersey."
Blaine blushes, staring down at their hands. "Oh. I'm just- I'm worried."
"I know," Kurt scoots closer, pressing a quick kiss to Blaine's cheek. "And it's very sweet. But you have nothing to worry about."
As promised, Kurt calls him on their way to the airport. He confirms the flight information, as if Blaine hasn't been over it a hundred times with him.
Blaine hears Rachel in the background calling for Kurt, who sends back a muffled, "One sec!"
"Blaine? I've gotta go, Mr. Schue's calling us to go through security. Phones off."
Blaine lets out a heavy breath. "Okay." He closes the Wikipedia page on his computer. "Kurt? I- Be careful okay?"
"I will. Promise. I'll call you when we get to the hotel!" Kurt makes a kissing noise and hangs up.
Blaine brings up the website again and goes back to reading, unable to shake the bad feeling.
It is several tense house before Blaine hears from Kurt. He breathes a sigh of relief when Kurt's name appears on his phone, and he answers with a smile on his face.
"You make it in okay?"
On the other end of the line is shaky breathing.
"Kurt?"
"Th-they took it all, Blaine. Everything."
Blaine's pulse hammers in his ears and a shiver runs uncomfortably down his spine.
"It just came out of nowhere. One minute everything was fine," Kurt sniffles. "Now I just feel... totally violated."
"Kurt-" Blaine tries to find his voice. He thinks back to every crime scene he morbidly researched, the photographs of bodies and blood and- "Kurt."
"I feel lost, Blaine."
Blaine's face flushes with emotions he can't name. His chest is heaving with barely concealed anxiety. Should he call someone? Who can give him the full story?
"For the record, we think he's overreacting," Finn's voice says from somewhere behind Kurt.
The fear Blaine was feeling quickly dissipates into anger. Someone has hurt Kurt - his Kurt - and Finn thinks he is overreacting?
"W-where are you?"
"Back at the hotel," Kurt mumbles.
"Are you hurt? Kurt, you-you're okay, right?" He is afraid to hear the answer, doesn t want his worst fears coming true. He squeezes his eyes shut tight waiting for Kurt's reply.
"I don't-" Kurt breathes out a sob, his voice high and tight. "I don't know."
"Have you talked your dad?" Blaine feels near hysterics.
"Yes," Kurt says through his tears. "He said 'told you so.'"
Blaine can't believe what he's hearing. "What? Why? Why would he say that?"
"Because he told me so! He warned me this could happen!" Kurt wails as a fresh round of sobs overtake him.
Blaine feels tears pricking behind his eyes. He remembers all the conversations he'd had with Kurt about the dangers, but now that his worst fears have come true, he can't imagine rubbing it in Kurt's face. How could Burt Hummel - Burt Hummel - say something so careless to his son he loves, who is clearly in agony?
"Do you -" Blaine swallows the lump in his throat "Kurt, do you need to go to the hospital?"
Kurt is quiet on the other line except for his light sniffles. "The hospital?" He sounds confused, like the thought hadn't crossed his mind. "I don't - no. They might have some good antibacterial stuff, but I can't replace everything there."
Blaine blinks, his brain kicking into overdrive trying to decipher what Kurt said. Antibacterial. What?
"What?"
Kurt sniffs and coughs a little to clear his throat. "It was a couple hundred dollars worth of lotion, Blaine."
It isn't clicking. Why is Kurt talking about lotion? Blaine can't shake the images his mind has made up, Kurt lying alone, bloodied and beaten.
"I mean, some of those bottles cost me like $70, I don't know how I-"
"Kurt, Kurt," Blaine interrupts. "What are you talking about?"
"It was Saffron Rouge, Blaine! And I had to throw it all out. Well, almost all of it. Airport security has ruined my life," he cries dramatically.
Blaine pulls the phone away from his ear, looking at it in disbelief. Without a second thought, he hangs up the phone, throwing it onto his bed like he's been burned. His heart is hammering madly in his chest, his stomach twisting uncomfortably.
He swallows the sob that tries to escape. His phone buzzes against his comforter as Kurt repeatedly calls him back.
When Finn's number appears on his screen, he picks up the phone, punching the accept button.
"Dude," Finn breathes, "Kurt is losing it over here."
"Probably because he got all of his lotion taken away, Finn. I can't believe-" Finn starts protesting, "I can't believe he put me through that knowing how scared I was for him to be out there. Why didn't he lead out with airport security? No, it's all everything hurts and I was violated and just. What was he thinking?"
Blaine breathes evenly to calm himself, his body shaking with nerves and adrenaline.
There is a rustle of movement on the other end of the call, ending with Kurt's voice quiet in his ear. "Blaine? Blaine, I'm sorry. I didn't even- I didn't think. At all. You put all that thought into the research and everything, even though you ended up not actually printing me out the Harlem page but the Harlem Globetrotters page and I'm so sorry."
"You're rambling," Blaine says quietly.
"I know. I really am-"
"It's okay," Blaine breathes out a heavy breath. "It's okay. You're okay. Which is what matters, right?"
"Well yeah but seriously, Blaine, I had to throw out a forty-five dollar bottle of moisturizer."
Blaine can't help but smile. "I'm sure your face will still be beautiful." He pulls up a new web browser on his computer.
"Probably," Kurt hums, smile evident in his voice. He sighs, "I should probably go. We're supposed to be writing songs. For our competition. Tomorrow. I swear. The Warblers were strict but at least you guys know what you're doing."
Blaine doesn't say anything, concentrating on his computer.
"Blaine? Still there?"
"Hm? Oh. Yes, still here. Go write songs," Blaine says absently.
"Yes sir."
"And be safe," Blaine adds as an afterthought.
"Always. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
Blaine tosses his phone back onto his bed. A few clicks through the site, and a final click on Add to Cart.
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