Kurt's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of feet in the doorway. Even though these feet were much quieter and less frightening, Kurt still jumped when Blaine entered the room. "So what did you pick?" Blaine asked, tossing a bag of Doritos onto the bed. Kurt had completely forgotten the movie. There was no sign of injury on Blaine's face.
"Aladdin," Kurt said, naming off Blaine's favorite movie. He just got hit in the face. He deserved a little Disney joy.
"Yay, my favorite!" Blaine said. Blaine put the DVD in the player and started the movie. About twenty minutes in, during "One Jump Ahead," Blaine said, "You're not watching the movie," snapping Kurt from his thoughts.
"What? Yeah I am," Kurt said, nibbling on a chip.
"No you're not. You always sing this song under your breath when we watch this movie. You're not even moving your lips," Blaine said. Kurt gave Blaine a gentile kiss on the lips.
"How's that for moving my lips?" Kurt asked. Blaine laughed.
"Very nice," Blaine responded. He pressed play and the movie began again. During "A Whole New World," Kurt felt Blaine's head fall to his shoulder and his hand find the crease of his elbow. Kurt snuggled closer to him. He wanted to keep Blaine safe. He looked down at Blaine's face and saw a contented smile. Kurt sighed.
"Blaine, I have to ask you something," Kurt said. Blaine paused the movie.
"What's up?" Blaine asked. Kurt paused for a minute to think how to begin and Blaine saw he was struggling for words. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" Blaine said, giving Kurt a kiss on the cheek. Kurt sighed again.
"Yeah. I know." Kurt waited a few seconds, building up enough courage. Finally, he said it. "I overheard you and your mom talking in the kitchen." The words were almost too quiet and Kurt hoped Blaine didn't hear him. Kurt felt Blaine's grip on his arm tense.
"You did?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded. "I was going to tell you eventually," Blaine said.
"I know. And I can wait until you're ready to talk about it too. Even if you don't ever want to, I'm fine with that," Kurt said. Now it was Blaine's turn to gather his thoughts. He hopped off the bed and quietly shut the door to his bedroom, and then got back onto the bed, but didn't snuggle back up with Kurt. Instead, he crossed his arms across his chest. Kurt thought the conversation was over. "I'm sorry for prying," Kurt said.
"You're not! Don't ever think that! I've actually been meaning to tell you about this for a while. I just never found the right time. I should have told you before you came over," Blaine said. He waited a few seconds to continue. "It hasn't always been like this. We were a really happy family once. And then…" Blaine didn't finish his sentence.
"And then what, Blaine?" Kurt asked, putting his hand on top of Blaine's. Blaine took a shuddering breath and squeezed Kurt's hand.
"And then I came out," Blaine whispered. Kurt closed his eyes. Blaine had been out to his family for almost three years. Has it been going on like this for that long?
"Oh Blaine," Kurt said, pulling Blaine to rest on his shoulder. Tears were now trickling down Blaine's cheeks.
"At first, he thought that working on cars and doing projects would de-gay me. And then the Sadie Hawkins incident happened." Kurt had heard all about the Sadie Hawkins incident before prom. "He thought that maybe that would have knocked some sense into me, but when I ask to transfer to Dalton, it started. He would yell every night about how stupid I was and how there was something wrong with me. And then one night, the night I got my first solo with the Warblers, my dad just came in, slapped me across the face, called me a fag and left." By this point, Kurt was beside himself crying. Blaine was shaking, but not as big of a mess. "It's been like that ever since. Every time any mention of my sexuality has come up, he's just gone off."
"And he met your boyfriend for the first time today," Kurt whispered through his tears.
"Yep. And earlier this week I asked him if I could bring you to meet the family," Blaine said. Kurt suddenly remembered the bruise on Blaine's arm from the other day.
"So you didn't fall down the stairs…" Kurt whispered.
"Nope. Stairs don't make bruises that are shaped like handprints," Blaine said, showing Kurt his arm again. It really was shaped like a handprint. Kurt hadn't even noticed that when he had seen it days before.
"What about your mom? She seems so nice," Kurt asked.
"She is. She's just scared. She's ended up hurt too for trying to defend me. She doesn't know what to do. So we put up with it," Blaine said.
"Move in with me," Kurt blurted out. He instantly regretted it. That was meant to stay in his head.
"Kurt…"
"I don't want you to get hurt," Kurt whispered, tears springing back to his eyes.
"I'll be fine. I've been dealing with it for years," Blaine said, pulling Kurt in for a hug.
"Not with me around. You said that he gets the maddest when your sexuality is brought up. Well I'm a big part of that. I don't want you to be scared to have me over. And I don't want you to be scared to go home." Kurt thought of his own happy family. His dad, Carole and Finn. He wanted Blaine to have that safe, happy feeling too.
"I'm not. Believe me, I can take the blows. Why do you think I started boxing? I did it so I could protect my mom if the need ever came," Blaine said. Kurt sighed. Blaine would do that. He pictured Blaine helping his mom ice a fresh black eye, later falling asleep in her bed after Mr. Anderson had stormed off for the night. Blaine was stubborn. As much as Kurt wanted Blaine to come stay with them out of danger, he would never leave his mom alone with his dad anyways.
"Have you ever thrown a punch?" Kurt asked quietly.
"Never. He always beats me to it, either with me or my mom. How do you think my mom knew how to treat a black eye?" Blaine asked. Kurt gently touched the spot under Blaine's eye that was now starting to swell. Blaine didn't even flinch. Instead, he leaned into Kurt's gentile touch.
"Promise me one thing," Kurt said.
"Of course," Blaine responded.
"You have to promise me that if something bad ever happens to you or your mom that you'll call me. Both of you are more than welcome to stay at my house until the storm blows over," Kurt said.
"Thank you. That would be wonderful," Blaine said. Kurt rested his head on Blaine's chest. The sound of work boots clomped through the downstairs and Kurt's muscles all tightened. "Relax," Blaine said, rubbing Kurt's back. "I would never let him hurt you." The boys sat in silence for a few minutes.
"What has he done to you?" Kurt asked. He instantly regretted it. Why did he ask? He didn't want to know what this bastard did to his beloved. Blaine sighed and Kurt snuggled closer to him. He knew this was going to be painful to hear.
"Mostly a lot of black eyes," Blaine said. "He has a good right hook. He does a lot of grabbing too. My hair and my arms are good targets for that." Kurt touched Blaine's loose curls that he loved so much gently and Blaine smiled. "The worst was when I came home from Warblers practice really happy because I'd gotten my big lead part. He slammed me into the wall, yelled 'Why can't you be normal,' and I ended up in the emergency room for a dislocated shoulder." Blaine moved his left shoulder as he spoke. Kurt gently laid his hand on that shoulder.
"I just don't want you to get hurt," Kurt said, kissing Blaine's same shoulder.
"I know. I promise I'll keep you in the loop from now on. You're so good to me. You deserve to know at this point," Blaine said. Kurt nodded. They never finished the movie. Blaine dozed off eventually, leaving Kurt with his thoughts once again. He needed to figure out how to get Blaine out of that house and away from his father.
