The first time it happens is in their AP French class. It's the only class Kurt shares with any of the seniors, and he's one of only two underclassmen who are in it.
Mrs. Bernard, the school secretary and an old woman who Wes swears has been in Dalton since the 18th century but was actually really sweet, knocked on the beautiful mahogany door, her stern face looming beyond the little rectangular glass fixture.
Blaine, along with the rest of the class, let out a huge exhale at the distraction. They had a written quiz that day and their last minute reviewing with each other turned skyward as silent prayers went around in the classroom.
They had twenty minutes left of the period and if Mrs. Bernard wasted enough time, Monsieur Durand would have to reschedule the test. No one was talking; everybody just wanted to see what would happen.
The sharp inhale beside him was distinct, as if the student found no relief at all, but Blaine was too busy waiting for Mrs. Bernard's next course of action to really notice.
"Excuse me, Monsieur Durand, but Principal McArthur wishes to speak to one Mr. Kurt Hummel."
Everyone is silent thanking the not-so-new kid, their eyes zeroing in on the fair boy.
Blaine frowns, because Kurt has turned even paler than he already is, his arms spread out to the sides of his table where he's clutching the edges so tight his knuckles are turning white.
The rest of the class is staring, their empty quiz papers lying forgotten on their desks.
Wes looks at Blaine, he can feel it, but he doesn't know what is happening either.
David leans forward in his seat cautiously, as not to startle Kurt. "Are you okay, Kurt?"
Blaine, David and Wes are close enough to hear the ragged breathing and see his pupils dilate, his eyes almost completely black. It's a stark contrast to the usual light color and it's disturbing everyone who can see.
Monsieur Durand and Mrs. Bernard are worried now, because Kurt is about to start hyperventilating.
Blaine leans forward, his butt hovering above his seat. He slowly raises his arms and grabs Kurt's hands on the opposite edges of the table. He tries to be gentle, but prying the frozen hands from the table turns somewhat into a tug-of-war. Eventually Kurt's death grip on the table relinquishes and Blaine has both hands in his.
"Kurt, relax. Take a steady breath. In, out, in… No, Kurt, look at me."
Blaine is pretty sure he's about to hyperventilate too. Wes looks like he's about to vomit.
At the back of Blaine's mind, he recognizes Monsieur Durand's voice snapping at David to go get the nurse.
"It's okay, Kurt. Everything is fine, just relax."
Mrs. Bernard appears beside Wes, looking like a worried grandmother and Blaine wonders for a while if this situation has happened to her before.
"Darling, Mr. McArthur just wants to discuss the possibility of a scholarship for you. Nothing has happened."
She says it in such a soothing voice even Blaine's shoulders sag a little. He can hear Kurt trying to regain control of his breathing.
"That's it, Kurt, just breath."
Kurt's glasz eyes snap on his brown ones and he almost jerks.
"Deep breaths and relax."
Kurt starts breathing more normal, but he still sounds haggard. He looks around the classroom, disoriented.
The nurse bustles in, pushing the students away. She doesn't touch Blaine, who Kurt is still holding on to as if his life depended on it.
"Blaine, I think it would be wise if you accompanied to Mr. Hummel to the Principal's office."
Blaine just nods his head at Monsieur Durand, but maintains eye contact with Kurt.
The nurse takes a quick check-up of Kurt, making sure his eyes are reacting properly again. She frowns as she writes down a slip to excuse him for the rest of his classes.
Her eyes soften as she hands the slip to Kurt, who just looks at the piece of yellow paper.
"Call me if something like this happens again, okay, sweetie?"
Kurt's hands shake as he grabs the paper.
"Th-thank you."
When they stand up, Monsieur Durand has already dismissed the class but Blaine didn't hear a word of it. The nurse nods to Mrs. Bernard after exchanging a few words with her.
Blaine didn't hear the bell yet, but he must have missed it. The room clears out in seconds, but Wes and David hover near the doorway.
Mrs. Bernard places her hands on Kurt's shoulder. "Mr. McArthur wouldn't mind if you rescheduled, darling, unless you're up to it."
"Y-yeah." Kurt was still shaky, but he was better. Blaine could see his eyes focus stronger as the junior faced the elderly lady. "If B-Blaine doesn't mind, though, can h-he come with us?"
"Of course, darling."
Kurt didn't even need to ask. Blaine would have come even if they put a restraining order on him.
They stood, hands still clasped but Kurt had to let go of his right hand because they would look stupid walking sideways if both of their hands were together.
As Blaine walks down the hall, the rest of the kids giving them enough space and looking at the floor like nothing happened, he realizes he doesn't mind looking dumb if it meant holding Kurt's soft hands forever.
That night, Blaine and Kurt walk hand in hand to Blaine's room where they find Wes and David studying.
That night, Kurt tells them in the middle of his Geometry homework how Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell – just Ms. Pillsbury at that time, Kurt thinks – and Mr. Schuester came to him in the middle of his French class at McKinley to tell him that his father had a heart attack and was in the hospital.
Kurt cracks a joke that nobody gets and no one really laughs even if they did.
The second time it happens, Blaine just heard it from a passing junior. Wes and David pull him back from almost man handling the cowering boy just so he could hear what happened.
Apparently, the kid is Kurt's classmate in Geometry.
Andrew, the poor boy, stuttered out that Kurt had acted weird when he got called to the Principal's office and that no, he did not have a panic attack, no, he did not hyperventilate, and yes, he's fine, Kurt just looked like he was going to puke.
That night, the three seniors find Kurt in the common rooms smiling and looking like the sun was about to burst from his face.
He got the scholarship.
Third time's the charm, everybody says, and the third and hopefully final time it happens is during Warblers practice.
Wes, after much "unplugging of the stick up his ass" (David's words, not his), was actually pretty fun to be with.
Thus, he ended up rocking out with Kurt to a hit by Guns n' Roses. Strangest song for them to sing, but they had a strange friendship to go with it.
They were both on their knees, screeching, "Shananananana, knees, knees!" when the double doors to their rehearsal room opened.
Wes, a respected senior and candidate for valedictorian, promptly stood up, dragging Kurt with him.
"Mr. McArthur! What a pleasant surprise! Kurt and I were just showing the rest of the Warblers here…"
Wes trailed off with one look from the Principal.
Mr. McArthur turned to Kurt, who, although still grinning, was prepared to be admonished. Their rendition of Welcome to the Jungle was a performance Kurt was sure they will never be allowed to sing outside the walls of Dalton. Or even to the student body.
Kurt was about to hang his head in (fake) shame when he spotted Carole and Finn coming to stand behind the man in front of him. Carole looked distressed and Finn was pulling a face, like he was trying not to cry. It wouldn't be cool to be crying in front of all these boys.
Kurt expression changes in a matter of seconds and he just shakes his head.
"No. No, no, no, no, no!"
Blaine appears behind him and the rest of the Warblers don't understand what is happening so they just look awkward and try not to stare at Kurt as his face gets splotchy and red.
Kurt doesn't care if the whole of Dalton and McKinley watch him cry because this cannot be happening.
"Kurt, darling…" Carole looks like she's about to cry, too, because this is the second time she'll be called a widower, and she has another son to take care of.
Kurt presses his hands to his mouth, forming an X, as he tries to supress his heart wrenching sob, but everybody hears it. Carole, Finn, Wes, David, Blaine, everybody.
"Oh my God." The words just tumble out of his mouth and Kurt has never hated Him as much as he did now. "Oh my God."
He just wails the last word out and Blaine is hugging him, Finn starts crying and Carole looks lost, like she doesn't know what to say.
"No, this… no! Carole…" By the time Kurt is screaming out random words, he's almost doubled over and Blaine is the only one keeping him upright. He whispers things to Kurt in his ear, shifting in front of him as the boy spews out all his anguish and frustration in front of everyone.
People passing by stop at the door and leave just as quickly when they see what's happening.
Principal McArthur looks like he wants to cry too and Blaine can't help it so the tears he never shed for his own kin just releases for Burt Hummel because he was more of a father to him than his own father was. He cried for him, for Kurt and Carole and Finn.
He knew he had to be strong for Kurt, but in this moment of weakness, Kurt would understand because it was his father.
Carole drags a sobbing Finn nearer to Kurt and Blaine lets them crush Kurt as they cry.
David's face is screwed up as he unashamedly hugs Wes, who's crying into his shoulder. The rest of the Warblers seemed to have picked up on some of the cues thrown around and they all look at the floor.
Rehearsal is cut short and Mr. McArthur leads the rest of the boys out. Kurt is holding Blaine again and he just doesn't stop crying.
Carole tells Kurt, but mostly to Blaine, that they have to go to Lima so they can make arrangements. Blaine asks if he can come, too. Carole thanks him and hugs the two boys, Finn sniffling behind her.
Forms are signed and since Blaine is 18 already he doesn't need parental consent to go out of campus. Mr. McArthur knows Blaine and Kurt are really close, maybe too close, so he signs their forms without thinking twice.
Blaine and Kurt just head straight to the entrance—everyone is at dinner so the halls are clear and for that, Blaine is grateful. He didn't even notice how long they took inside the Warblers rehearsal room.
They don't go back to their dorm anymore, Kurt has clothes back in Lima and Carole informs Blaine he can borrow clothes from Finn or Kurt. Blaine just nods dumbly and he may have said a "Thank you, Mrs. Hummel" along the way. He flinches as Kurt grips him tighter and Carole just hugs them again.
Blaine feels his pocket vibrate and he knows it is David or Wes (or both) texting him. He ignores it and spends the rest of the journey reflecting, with Kurt pressed up on his shoulder, his forehead creased as he slept.
He has never experienced losing someone he loves, because the relatives he knows who have died he could care less about, and his brother and mother (who he loved to the world's end) haven't, well, passed on yet. Blaine shudders at the thought and morbidly wonders which of them would go first. Kurt shifts around and Blaine snaps out of his reverie. He hugs Kurt tighter around his arms, not caring if Carole could see him with the rearview mirror.
Kurt seems to relax at his touch, and as he settled, Blaine's thoughts started wandering again.
Kurt had already lost so much that Blaine couldn't imagine the pain he must be going through, he didn't know how to relate to this one. He tries to imagine about how it would be like to lose someone so close to him. His mom, his brother, Kurt… Blaine's chest literally hurts just thinking about it–about losing Kurt. He shut his eyes and wills the tears to go away.
That night, Burt Hummel was laid to rest and Burt Hummel's family, Blaine included, wept for their loss.
That night, Blaine realized how it was like to lose someone you loved, and someone who loved you in return—someone who loved you even if you just happen to be his son's best friend who he invited to dinner almost every weekend. Someone so insignificant in his life, yet someone who became so important.
That night, Blaine knew he would do anything to keep Kurt safe, because even if he didn't have a father to do that for him anymore, he still had a family to keep him together, whether it was his step-mom and his step-brother, or Blaine, Wes and David.
That night, Blaine made a promise not only to himself, but to Burt.
Posted this ages ago, around a year and a half ago? Something happened and now I'm reposting this. Edited a few things here and there. Cross posted to my Tumblr, heterobydefault :)