Nightmares
Blaine has to finish his essay, so while Kurt is already passed out on the coach, he sits in front of his writing desk, trying to get his mind to focus on the work he is supposed to do.
Kurt had actually wanted to stay awake, so they could go to bed together, but somewhere along the way he had dozed off and Blaine couldn't really blame him. They had spent most of their time with packing and repacking today, seeing as they had just moved to a little apartment not far off the Theatre District in New York. It still felt a little surreal to think about it, even if Blaine was sure that Kurt and he would make this work wonderfully. Blaine just sometimes got overwhelmed by how happy he was these days and that most of it was due to the softly snoring boy curled up on their sofa.
Without really meaning to his eyes shift towards Kurt and he immediately feels his heart warm. Kurt is nestled to the side, his hands up and under his face, while his legs are bent. What really catches his attention though, and what makes him frown is Kurt's expression. Blaine has seen his boyfriend sleep before and normally Kurt had the most relaxed look when he sleeps, but now his eyes are closed tightly, like he is in pain.
Nightmare, is all Blaine thinks as he gets up and crosses the room to where his boyfriend sleeps. Now that he is so close, Blaine can also hear the little whimpering noises Kurt makes and it just about breaks his heart. He crouches down, so he is face to face with Kurt, bringing one hand up to stroke gently across his cheek. He has heard somewhere that it wasn't the best idea to wake someone who was dreaming, but right now Blaine couldn't be bothered. He couldn't stand this hurt on Kurt's face and all he wanted was to make it go away as quickly as possible.
"Kurt," he whispers softly but with a hard undertone, "Wake up, Kurt."
The addressed boy stirs and then wakes up completely with a start, a sigh that somehow sounds a bit like a sob escaping his mouth. His eyes dart around widely before landing on Blaine's face and when he recognizes his boyfriend, he immediately brings his arms up to encircle his neck, pressing as close as he can.
Blaine strokes across Kurt's back, soothing him while he whispers reassuring words into his boyfriend's hair.
"It's okay, I got you," he mumbles and Kurt only presses closer, hands clawing desperately into Blaine's shirt.
It takes a few minutes until Kurt has calmed down enough to loosen his grip on Blaine and for his breath to even out. Blaine is relieved when he feels the tense body under him relax a little but he doesn't let his guards down completely.
"I'm okay," Kurt finally says, pulling back, hands untangling from Blaine's collar. "Just… just bad memories…"
Blaine studies his boyfriend's face for a while before nodding once. "Do you need anything? A glass of water?"
"That would be great," Kurt answers, his voice really quite and Blaine can still hear the strain in it.
"Okay," Blaine whispers back, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Kurt's temple, "I'll be right back."
When he returns from the kitchen, glass of water in hand, he also grabs a duvet, because it didn't escape him how Kurt had been shaking before. He hands Kurt the glass before he climbs onto the coach beside him, shuffling so his chest presses into Kurt's back. He also spreads the blanket over them both and presses his lips to Kurt's neck, comforting him without words. His boyfriend takes a gulp and puts the glass away onto the coffee table before he leans back, sighing at the sudden warmth.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Blaine asks a little while later when Kurt has stopped trembling because he feels like maybe Kurt does and just isn't sure how to start.
At first Kurt stays quiet. When he opens his mouth after some time, it is almost too quiet for Blaine to catch the words that tumble past his lips.
"Just… just some jock pushing me into lockers," he says, his voice breaking a bit at the end, "and everyone who saw it just, you know, started laughing and I… couldn't do anything to make it stop…" Blaine shuffles closer, hand stroking over Kurt's chest and stomach over his shirt while he continues to press feather-light kisses to his shoulder and hair line.
"It just felt like I was reliving everything from High School again," Kurt says and grabs onto Blaine's hand, squeezing it tightly. Blaine knows what he means. Nightmares are not something completely foreign to him. He has had a few instances where he had woken up to find himself panicking because of imaginary bullies.
"I know," he whispers, "It's worse when you can't tell the difference from dream and reality."
Kurt just makes a consensual noise, stretching a little in their embrace. They lie in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts until Blaine sits up a bit to look straight at his boyfriend.
"Kurt, I can't make those nightmares go away even if I want to. Believe me, I really, really do. But I want you to know that I will always be there to catch you."
Kurt has a small smile on his face by the time Blaine finishes. "I know," is all he says and it's enough. Because, as Blaine remembers Kurt once telling him, these people couldn't touch them or what they had. They'd both had a difficult past and the scars to prove it, but with each other, they could be happy in the present. And as they both settle in against each other, Blaine's head resting protectively on Kurt's, eyes closing as breaths become more even Blaine thinks it's alright. Because they're here. And they're together.
