Blaine hesitated as he stood waiting on Kurt's doorstep at quarter to one on Saturday morning, licking his extremely dry lips as he reached out to knock softly on the front door. Before his knuckle could make contact, he snatched his hand away, bringing it to his face to stroke his chin in thought. He contemplated waiting in the car a while longer, until he was right on time rather than fifteen...fourteen minutes early, he didn't want to seem desperate. But then again, it wasn't a date. It was just two friends meeting up to hang out, so it really shouldn't matter whether he was slightly early or not. Still, Blaine was reluctant to knock on the door just yet. He was wracked with nerves, rubbing his clammy palms against his jeans and smoothing out his hair just in case a single strand was sitting out of place.
He had been looking forward to this day since Monday (for that was when the idea had originally been conceived, he just hadn't the courage to ask and was, in the end, forced to by Wes), and Blaine hadn't really spoken to Kurt since the phone call on Thursday. Kurt had called the day before at eleven o'clock at night, and something had been kind of off about Kurt's voice, like he had kind of been pushed into making it and wasn't entirely certain of what to say. He just assured Blaine that everything was still on and to meet him at his house at one. After the two minute phone call had reached its end, Blaine had sat there, contemplating calling the other boy back and asking him what was up but decided to leave it until he saw him in person the next day.
It was now the next day, and Blaine was too nervous to even knock the front door. He inhaled and exhaled deeply to steady himself, rotated his shoulders as if he was warming up and turned around to rap his knuckles against the door to find himself face to face with Finn, who had one eyebrow arched in confusion. Blaine hastily drew his hand back, running it over the back of his hair instead as if that had been what he was intending to do. He grinned to shield his embarrassment, extending his other hand for a handshake.
"Hi, I'm Blaine," he introduced himself, his voice just about to make it past the lump in his throat.
"Dude, you've been standing outside my house for like ten minutes," Finn said, meeting Blaine's hand with his own, giving it a jerky shake. "Why didn't you just knock?"
Blaine blushed fiercely. "Um...I didn't want to be in the way? I guess...I dunno." He looked away in utter awkwardness, the heat burning his skin almost too much to bear. "I brought a card for Burt and Carole...to congratulate them on their wedding. Are they here?"
"No, they left for their honeymoon last night," Finn said, an odd tone buried under the seemingly normal response. "Kurt's still getting ready, but you can wait in the living room if you like?"
"Thank you," Blaine stepped on through the doorway and into the house, scanning his surroundings with curiosity. He'd never been inside of Kurt's house before, and it was odd to be standing in the building in which his friend lived. That was probably a strange way to look at it, but Blaine couldn't help being interested.
"Kurt, Blaine's up here! Are you almost done?" Finn called down a stairway.
"Tell him to come down!"
Blaine perked up at the sound of Kurt's voice, already making his way over to Finn who was just about to look over at him to repeat Kurt's message. Blaine mumbled thanks to the much taller boy before making his way down the stairs, grateful to escape that uncomfortable atmosphere. His eyes swept around what he assumed to be Kurt's room, admiring the slightly flamboyant decoration but he expected nothing more from his friend. His lips split into a grin when he saw the back of Kurt's head as the boy checked out his reflection in the mirror, smoothing down his navy blue jeans that clung to his skin tightly.
Blaine wolf whistled in appreciation, causing the other boy to start, hopping up and turning around in one swift movement, hands flying to his heart in a very dramatic manner. Blaine strode over, sliding his hands into his jean pockets. He went to speak when he picked up an odd colouring on Kurt's cheek directly under his right eye. Blaine stopped in his tracks, tilting his head to one side and squinting, studying it to check if it was just the lighting of the room or if it was something else. As if to prove him right, Kurt's hand bolted to his cheek in a poor effort to hide it.
"What happened to your face?" Blaine murmured, starting to walk slowly forward.
"Nothing," Kurt whispered, shaking his head, shifting his body backwards as if to step away entirely.
Blaine touched his hand softly, fingers gently prying Kurt's hand away from his cheek to reveal the skin beneath. Kurt didn't put up a fight, closing his eyes as if he couldn't bear to see his friend's reaction, cursing himself for not being better at being discreet and lying. Blaine brought his fingers to the area of skin that was a complete shade darker to the rest, which was very fair compared to the almost rich complexion of someone like Rachel. Blaine recognised it was cover up immediately and rolled his thumb over it tenderly, earning a wince, which he soothed with a breathy 'sorry'. Underneath the makeup, was a very angry looking bruise, in the stage of turning blue and purple with a cut in the centre of it, scabbed over but it had obviously been deep enough to bleed.
Blaine suddenly found himself exceptionally emotional, entire body sagging and a tiny tut escaping his mouth. Kurt's eyes fluttered open to meet his, and they stayed that way for a while, just looking at one another, utterly lost for words. Kurt just wanted to apologise, to assure him that nothing was the matter although he knew that Blaine wouldn't accept that that was the case. Blaine just wanted to protect him, just wanted to embrace him and find out what had happened to his dear friend, who had dared to lay a finger on him. It was a while before either of them spoke. The first one to, was Blaine.
"What happened?"
"I—I—accidentally hit myself in the face with the cupboard door," Kurt lied in a feeble last attempt to keep Blaine from worrying. When the Dalton student narrowed his gaze, Kurt blushed. "Karofsky..."
Blaine wasn't surprised, not after seeing how Karofsky had reacted to him that time Kurt had asked him to confront him in hopes of getting him to accept his sexuality. The way Karofsky had flared up so quickly had alerted Blaine that this guy was not one to be challenged or messed with, like a firework. Sometimes, you just had to run and watch it set off on its own accord. It was out of his and Kurt's hands, and even if they did try to help the likelihood that everything would blow up in their faces was almost definite. Blaine couldn't cast off the pang of guilt he felt for not telling anyone else about Karofsky, for not insisting that Kurt tell the teachers sooner and be a witness to the physical violence. But Kurt had never asked; Kurt didn't let on that it was that serious. He just dubbed it as harassment, and that it was just a closet case giving him a bit of a hard time. Blaine didn't see it as physical violence, really, not counting the odd shove as particularly life threatening though, of course, upsetting and unpleasant. Now Kurt was standing there, a bruise on his cheek from blatant abuse.
He couldn't talk, just scanning Kurt's eyes with a great amount of sympathy and remorse sitting in those hazel pools, gnawing his bottom lip as he grazed his fingertips ever so slightly over the bruise a second time. Kurt flinched but didn't make a sound.
"Did he hit you anywhere else?" Blaine asked, stunned to find his voice hoarse as if he had been yelling though he hadn't really spoken much.
Kurt went to shake his head at first just to remove that sad look from Blaine's eyes but then transitioned it into a single nod, swallowing hard. Blaine seemed to tense up for a millisecond, eyes gliding up to the ceiling...and Kurt could have sworn he saw tears brimming there.
"Show me," Blaine whispered, clearing his throat as it nearly disappeared altogether.
Kurt gingerly unbuttoned his shirt downwards; if this were any other occasion, he'd be blushing beetroot red at this point at the mere concept of Blaine seeing his chest, worrying if he would still be bloated from breakfast or dinner the night before. But he wasn't. It was almost like he was revealing something to a doctor, removing his clothing to show the point of concern. Blaine drew the shirt sideways like a curtain, digging his teeth in deeper into the meat of his bottom lip upon seeing the dark bruise on Kurt's abdomen. He touched that also, as if in hope that his touch could remove it or take the pain away even just a little bit though it did nothing. The mark remained there.
"We—we have to leave if we still want to catch that movie," Kurt reminded Blaine weakly.
Blaine gave a weak smile that didn't even reach his eyes. "We're not going to the movies anymore, Kurt. At least, not today. I want to sit here with you, and hear everything that happened."
000
It didn't take Kurt very long to explain the situation seeing as though he skipped a lot of detail since he was trying to repress the memory. He broke down once or twice in the midst of speaking, but Blaine didn't push him. He just touched Kurt's hand and slipped his fingers in between his, cementing their hands together. Comforted by the simple warmth of Blaine's hand, Kurt continued to talk a little stronger. After he'd finished, he expected Blaine to take his hand away but, to his relief, it remained bound to his. Blaine stroked slowly with his thumb, eyes never leaving Kurt's, even when Kurt had tried to duck away to hide his tears in shame. Blaine just whispered for him to look at him, that Kurt had nothing to be embarrassed about. They sat there in mute for a moment, the small sounds of Finn walking around upstairs and Kurt's sniffs the only things disturbing the air.
"You have to talk to someone...other than me," Blaine spoke eventually after long consideration. "I have no real authority, but I can back you up. I can be a witness to his violence and maybe they'll expel him successfully this time."
"That's the thing, Blaine..." Kurt breathed. "Maybe. I can't leave this up to chance. If I tell someone again and he doesn't get expelled a second time, it's just going to be worse."
"But there's a still a chance he will be expelled," Blaine protested. "And you won't be alone this time. I will be there backing you up. I promise you, Kurt. You're not going to be alone in this...not again."
"I can't, Blaine..." Kurt hated frustrating Blaine, hated disagreeing with him. He just wanted to agree so they could move away from this topic, but knew they wouldn't so easily change subjects. "Maybe it was just a onetime thing..."
"Kurt, like you, I don't want to leave anything to chance," Blaine interrupted tenderly. "Karofsky doesn't sound like a guy you should take a chance with. He's an angry, confused, closet case who just doesn't want to accept what he is. Until he sorts out his own problems, he will continue to hurt and lash out at you to make himself feel better. You can't be protected all the time, there will be moments when you'll be alone at school or even outside of it and he'll jump at those chances more than anything. Please, Kurt...I'm begging you. Tell someone."
Kurt turned away for the first time since they'd sat down cross-legged on his bed to tell Blaine everything that had occurred, never feeling so lonely without Blaine's eyes attached to his. Kurt didn't like distressing Blaine, not one bit, and regretted not doing his cover up right and not hiding it better. If only he was a better liar...like Puck or Santana. But no, he was useless at that and now a wonderful day out borderline date was spoiled. He did not expect a pair of lips to press themselves carefully against the bruise on his cheek in such a loving, doting manner he would have certainly swooned if the circumstances were different. Blaine's lips stayed glued to Kurt's skin for what seemed like forever before departing. Kurt cringed as he felt his body lean after the other boy's, correcting himself rapidly and meeting Blaine's eyes again.
The corner of Blaine's mouth leaned upwards and he gave Kurt's hand a squeeze. Kurt returned it, clamping is other hand over Blaine's. Blaine reciprocated this, letting out a short laugh. Kurt felt himself smile, the movement making his cheeks ache; both pair of hands clutched one another desperately.
"I don't want you to leave..." Kurt confided, feeling abruptly idiotic for saying such a thing.
Blaine obviously didn't find it as pathetic and childish as Kurt did as his smile widened. "How long do you want me to stay?"
Kurt didn't want to sound needy, but he was. He didn't want Blaine to leave in fear of being alone, in fear of those memories flooding into his mind at the most inappropriate moments like just as he was about to fall asleep. Blaine's presence pushed everything out of the way, making him focus on nothing but him. Kurt knew saying a couple more hours would seem less weak but that wouldn't suffice for he knew the moment Blaine left, everything would pile up on top of him and he'd find himself crushed.
"Until tomorrow?" Kurt suggested, not daring to glance at Blaine as he said this.
"If it's okay with your brother, then I'd be delighted. Though..." he sighed. "I have nothing to change into."
"Don't worry I have loads of spare clothes," Kurt amended quickly.
"Where would I sleep?"
Kurt hadn't thought about that. "Uh...I think Finn's staying over at Rachel's for the weekend. I'm sure he wouldn't mind you having his bed for the night."
That was false; Finn had no intention of stopping over his girlfriend's that weekend but Kurt really needed Blaine to stay, and was sure he could persuade his stepbrother to do him a favour. Blaine agreed to stay nonetheless, and Kurt left the room to go upstairs as Blaine called his parents to make sure they were okay with it.
Finn was sitting on the sofa, devouring handful after handful of popcorn at such a fast rate he choked after every intake, recovering by the time the next dozen were poured down his throat. Kurt masked his disgust as best as he could, forcing a seemingly innocent expression.
"Fiiiinnn," he chimed, leaning on the back of the sofa behind his stepbrother.
"Help yourself," Finn said through a mouthful of popcorn, holding the bowl out behind him.
Kurt wrinkled his nose, pushing the bowl away gently. "Um...no thank you. Would you mind staying over Rachel's tonight?"
"I dunno," Finn answered, taking a small break from the popcorn to gulp from the bottle of coke he had handily planted at his side. "Why?"
"Blaine's staying the night and..."
Finn spluttered, the drink dribbling down his chin as he coughed. He turned round with watery eyes to Kurt. "Dude, don't get up to freaky stuff in our room! I thought this was your first date!"
"Shush! Keep your voice down!" Kurt hissed, blood freezing in his veins in case Blaine had heard that. "I'm not going to do anything 'freaky' okay? I've offered him to stop over and he'll be sleeping in your bed so...no weird things going on there." He gave an awkward chuckle.
Finn narrowed his eyes. "There better not be, man. If I find stains on my jacket that you claim to be milk, I am so going to kick your ass."
"Oh please, grow up for a second," Kurt rolled his eyes. "That was one time and it really was milk!" when Finn snorted, he changed tactics. "Please, Finn. I really like Blaine, and I seriously don't want to rush things with him. I just...want him to stay for the night so we can get to know one another better. Please?"
Finn let out an exaggerated groan, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine, fine whatever. Just...wear protection or whatever if things do get a bit...heated."
"Thank you Finn, I owe you one," Kurt enthused, close to bouncing up and down with delight. He swept up a handful of popcorn and bolted off down the stairs to his room.
Blaine was just about to finish his conversation, so Kurt held back, standing at the middle of the stairs so not to intrude any private discussion being exchanged.
"Okay, yeah love you too, mom," Blaine said, his back to Kurt as he absentmindedly traced circles on Kurt's duvet. "Bye...bye."
Kurt counted to five before announcing his presence. "Hey, Blaine, Finn said it was okay for you to have his bed for the night."
Blaine turned around and grinned. "Oh, well...tell him thank you from me." He helped himself to a piece of popcorn, popping it into his mouth never breaking his gaze on Kurt. He cringed every time he saw the bruise, feeling the guilt twinge inside of him again. Kurt was just looking at him curiously, a smile still plastered on his face. Blaine realised his own had faded and forced his mouth to stretch out into a smile again, though it had lost its force.
Blaine and Kurt spent the right of their day doing absolutely nothing...and yet they felt fulfilled. They sat in front of the television upstairs, watching films ranging from 'Hairspray' (for Kurt), and then 'Nightmare on Elm Street' for Finn who had groaned and complained all the way through the first movie. Kurt had never really been good at handling horror films and so wound up with his knees tucked up to his chest, eyes wide as he watched gory murder after gory murder take place. Blaine gawped at the screen with Finn, every now and then cocking his head as if he couldn't quite understand what was happening. Kurt couldn't help but stare at Blaine's hand, sitting on the sofa beside him. He wanted to put his own down next to it, see if they would wind up holding hands again, which would not only make him a little less scared of the movie but would also make his heart skip a beat again. He wanted to feel what he felt down the basement all over again, the radiating heat shared between their two hugging palms, the soft skin of Blaine's fingers against the back of his hand. It was like a physical connection, powerful yet simple. Kurt thought one of the most romantic things in the world was to hold someone's hand, as if to say that this person is someone that I love, someone I will hold up if they fall, someone I want to be connected to no matter where I am, even if we can't hug or kiss we can just hold one another. That simple gesture, made Kurt's chest swell. Much to his disappointment, he couldn't pluck up the courage to grasp Blaine's hand, and instead it remained clutching his knee as another murder took place, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.
After it had finished, Finn called up the pizza place down the road, ordering two large pizzas, one for himself and the other for Kurt and Blaine to share. They sat around the kitchen table, Finn and Blaine conversing animatedly about the movie, putting Kurt off his meal entirely once he looked at the red tomato sauce under the thick layer of cheese. He excused himself and went to the bathroom to shower, realising his entire body had started to sweat a little from fear and suspense. Kurt sighed, feeling ridiculous that he couldn't even sit through an old horror movie without breaking into perspiration. He felt like a coward.
He undressed slowly, not exactly wanting to hurry back out into the Freddy Krueger discussion. Kurt glowered at his reflection in the mirror as he peeled away his clothing like the skin of a banana to find the tender underneath covered with bruising. His stomach only held one dark patch but when he turned around to examine his back, he saw multiple ones from being shoved into the wall, into the sink, being knocked to the ground. Kurt couldn't shake the knowledge that all of those marks belonged to Karofsky; it was like he had marked him as his own. He felt sick and tore his eyes away from the mirror to clamber into the shower. The only thing that would turn his agitated mind away from his tormenter was his favourite number from 'Hairspray'. He started the song quietly.
I can hear the bells,
Well, dontcha hear 'em chime?
Can't you feel my heart beat, keeping perfect time?
And all because he
His voice began to rise, growing louder so it bounced and echoed around the tiled bathroom walls. The shower was always the best place to sing, it magnified and clarified his voice to utter perfection.
Touched me
He looked at me and stared
Yes he bumped me
My heart was unprepared
When he tapped me
And knocked me off my feet
One little touch now my life's complete
'Cos when he
Nudged me
Love put me in a fix
Yes it hit me
Just like a ton of bricks
Yes my
Heart burst now I know what life's about
One little touch and love's knocked me out and
I can hear the bells,
My head is spinning,
I can hear the bells,
Something's beginning,
Everybody says that a guy who looks like me,
Can't win his love but well just wait and see 'cos
I can hear the bells
Just hear them chiming
I can hear the bells
My temperature's climbing
I can't contain my joy
Cos I finally found the boy I've been missin'
Listen, I can hear the bells...
Round one,
He'll ask me on a date,
And then,
Round two,
I'll primp but won't be late,
Because round three,
Is when we kiss inside his car,
Won't go all the way but I'll go pretty far,
Round four,
He'll ask me for my hand and then,
Round five,
We'll book the wedding band,
So by
Round six
Very much to your surprise,
This heavy weight champion takes the prize and,
I can hear the bells,
My ears are ringing,
I can hear the bells,
The bridesmaids are singing,
Everybody says that a guy whose such a gem,
Won't look my way well the laugh's on them 'cos
I can hear the bells
My father will smile
I can hear the bells
As he walks me down the aisle
His mother starts to cry
But I can't see 'cos Blaine and I are French kissin'
Listen
I can hear the bells
I can hear the bells,
My head is reeling
I can hear the bells
I can't stop the feeling
Everybody warns that he won't like what he'll see
But I know that he'll look inside of me yeah
I can hear the bells
Today's just the start 'cos
I can hear the bells
Until death do us part and
Even when die
We'll look down from up above
Remembering the night when we two fell in love
We both will shed a tear and he'll
Whisper as we're reminiscing
Listen
I can hear the bells
I can hear the bells
I can hear...the bells...
Kurt breathed heavily for a moment as he struggled to regain the oxygen that had been used as fuel for his singing voice. He finished up showering pretty quickly after that and was dried and dressed in his pyjamas in about five minutes. He reapplied the cover-up over his bruise so to avoid Finn was realising it. Luckily, his stepbrother, stepmother and dad hadn't really asked any questions. Kurt had been stressed out the entire ride home, drafting a version of what he was going to say about the purpling bruise on his face, knowing his dad would explode into a fit of rage and his heart really couldn't withstand such a strain right now. When Finn had pulled up, Burt Hummel had opened the front door and stood there waiting, arms folded and eyes narrowed directly on his son. When he'd seen the bruise, he went livid, storming towards Kurt.
"What's that on your face?" he had demanded, pointing at the mark.
"Oh...just a bruise," Kurt replied offhandedly, trying to make out it was nothing.
"I know what it is, Kurt," Burt said, firmly but still quite tender. "What I'm asking is how it happened. Did someone hit you?" he touched his son's face gently, nudging his head backwards and to the sides to get a better view of the bruise.
"I got slushied, that's all," Kurt had lied, looking his father straight in the eye. "This guy threw a slushie at Finn and me. Ice can cause bruising you know."
"Really?" the tiny expression of relief that had startled to crawl over Burt's features alerted Kurt that his dad wasn't aware that it was kind of false...though ice did freaking hurt and felt like it bruised when it was being thrown in your face.
"Yeah, I read it in a magazine," Kurt claimed.
Burt had still been annoyed that someone had thrown slushies at both Kurt and Finn and offered to call up the school to have them remove the machines. Though Kurt was certain the whole of Glee Club wanted those damned slushie machines gone, he knew that taking the iced drinks away would mean the jocks would replace it with water or coke or even food (their imagination was greatly limited), so he politely declined. Burt then asked Kurt to join him in the living room, just the two of them, to talk about Dalton Academy.
"You know the question already...so just tell me your answer and I promise to support it no matter what," Burt Hummel had started, scanning his son's eyes.
Kurt breathed in deeply. "I'm going to stay at McKinley. I have too much there to walk away now. I'm sorry dad..."
"Hey, none of that sorry stuff, okay? You're my son, and I will support your decision. If anything happens again, tell me. Tell me and I swear to sort it out. I would travel the globe just to find a place where you're happy, and even if it comes to leaving Ohio..."
"Whoa, dad, don't get ahead of yourself..."
"I not Kurt," Burt had said sadly. "I'm preparing for the inevitable."
Nothing more had been said about the subject and the pair had embraced tightly, as if squeezing Kurt hard enough would transfer his issues onto him. Burt felt like he was losing his child, like he was setting him out in a perilous world and there was nothing he could do about it. He knew that Karofsky wouldn't suddenly turn nice, that something bad would happen, be it in a week, a month or even in a year. He knew in his gut that the ignorance towards his son's sexuality wouldn't fade just from a near expulsion. But he could do nothing. Kurt was deciding to stay, out of either stupidity or bravery Burt wasn't sure but he admired him nonetheless. Burt and Carole took half an hour to finish packing with the vigorous help of Finn and Kurt. They had an hour and fourty-five minutes to get to the airport, so they left shortly after Kurt's choice had been announced.
Kurt had stood beside his step-brother on the doorstep, a great heaviness sitting behind his ribcage, making it difficult to breathe let alone wish his father and stepmother goodbye. He hugged Carole, whispering in her ear to make sure she wore the dress he bought her. She had laughed in return, promising she would before moving on to her son, cupping his face as if to memorize him. Burt Hummel had stood there awkwardly; hands in his jeans, looking at his only child with such despair and helplessness it broke Kurt's heart a tiny bit more. Father and son hugged for the second time, just as strong, just as desperate.
"Don't forget that I love you," Burt breathed.
"How could I possibly forget?" Kurt replied quietly, wiping his tears away on his dad's shoulder.
And like that, his guardian, his safety net was pulling away in a taxi, not to be back for a week. Kurt and Finn waved until the car had vanished completely, his lack of presence haunting and leaving Kurt feeling very empty. He clutched the note with the emergency numbers in his hand, wondering if he'd need them. He swore to himself he wouldn't call unless it was absolutely necessary, unless something was very wrong. He wouldn't call for a shove or a punch or anything like that. He'd call if he was felt his life was under threat...
The bathroom door knocked and Kurt dropped the towel on the floor in surprise. He rolled his eyes as he realised he had spaced out for a good ten minutes, collecting up the item and hanging it up before opening the door. He couldn't fight back the blush that erupted on his cheeks when he met the hazel eyes of Blaine. The boy smiled wryly.
"Finn's just about to leave," Blaine informed. "He wants to see you before he goes." He bit his bottom lip, smiling wider with some unshared joke.
"What?" Kurt pried when Blaine's eyes had started to glitter with unshed laughter.
"Nothing...I just...couldn't help but overhear your musical number." Kurt's jaw dropped but he swiftly snapped it back up, blinking rapidly as if to bat away the words, denying them. "I thought the guy's name was Link?" Blaine added.
"Um...no, Link was his surname," Kurt blurted out, his face alarmingly hot. "Blaine Link."
Blaine frowned and leaned back slightly. "Is that right? I could've sworn..."
"Nope, nope his name was Blaine Link," Kurt insisted, feeling incredibly naked with his shirt left undone. He went to do them up when Blaine's hand quilted his, their eyes meeting. Blaine touched the bruise on Kurt's stomach with just tender care and caution that Kurt had to prevent himself from melting on the spot by trying to divert his thoughts back onto the horror movie. The chills still rocked his body, however, and he found the hair on his body standing on end.
"I'll have to look that up later," Blaine murmured, doing up the buttons slowly. He jerked his head back in a gesture to the living room. "You better go see Finn...before he goes..."
Kurt nodded. "Yeah you're right," he agreed breathlessly. Once his shirt was closed up, he nudged past Blaine and crossed into the living room where Finn was standing, rucksack over his shoulder.
"You wanted to see me?" Kurt enquired, leaning his elbows on the back of the sofa.
"Uh, yeah," Finn sounded nervous, toying with his hands as he shuffled from one foot to the other. "Just wanted to tell you to have a good night and—have fun. And uh...take this."
He dunked into his pocket and brought out something small and square, taking Kurt's hand, uncurling the fingers and putting it down in his palm. Kurt looked down at the tiny wrapper to realise, with horror, it was a condom. He dropped it down and jumped back, gawping at Finn in shock.
"J-just in case," Finn explained, blushing fiercely. "I promised to have your back and...I guess that means for these kinds of situations too. I just want you to be safe if anything does go down..." he squirmed at his choice of words. "Just be safe."
"Nothing is going to happen, Finn!" Kurt persisted, looking at disgust at the condom on the sofa. "Blaine is just...a friend staying over. So take that back before he sees and think I'm trying to get him into bed!"
"Kurt, you don't have to use it just put it in your bag," Finn said, picking up the packet and pushing it into Kurt's hands.
"I am not putting a condom in my bag!"
"Yes you are!"
"Not!"
"Hey guys..."
Kurt snatched the condom from Finn's hands and hastily shoved it behind the sofa, turning around nonchalantly to face the Dalton boy, who stood behind them confused and oblivious to the situation.
"I haven't walked in during an argument have I?" Blaine checked warily, eyes darting from Kurt to Finn, Kurt's face reddening every time those eyes landed on him.
"Not at all," Kurt reassured him. "Just...brotherly banter." He turned to Finn. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay, dude, see you later," Finn's attempt at sounding casual was cringe worthy, his acting terribly wooden as he waved goodbye to both Kurt and Blaine, leaving through the front door. The click of it shutting filled the empty space where voices should be.
Kurt rubbed a hand over his face though he couldn't help but smile over Finn's silly little gesture. Even though it was silly and embarrassing, Kurt was grateful for it since he knew his stepbrother meant well. Then panic swept over him like a strong wind as he realised he would be spending the night alone...with Blaine...the boy who he was practically insane about. He worried that his heartbeat was now loud enough for everyone to hear, and he was close to fanning his face to urge the rising heat to leave his face. Kurt straightened up and looked at Blaine; the mere sight of him made Kurt's legs turn as feeble as strings being torn about in the breeze. He clapped his hands together.
"Now, what shall we do?"
Blaine walked slowly closer, reaching out a hand to touch Kurt's lightly. "Anything we want."
Kurt swallowed hard.
TBC
Thank you so much for the reviews and story favourites! Keep them coming!
The song used is 'I Can Hear the Bells' from the Hairspray soundtrack. I love that song and when I heard it, I could imagine Kurt singing about how perfect Blaine was. Of course, a few things had to be changed like 'girl' and a character reference like 'Amber'. Also, I had to change the character name Link to Blaine and the line 'my mother starts to cry' since Kurt's mother sadly died so I changed it to 'his mother' as in Blaine's mother.
Oh my lord! The Kurt and Blaine kiss was so beautiful. Living in the United Kingdom, I didn't get to watch it in wonderful HD on television so I had to watch it on a video on the internet. All the same, I was stunned and blown away. It was wonderfully handled and was so sweet. I'm glad it wasn't Kurt doing the hitting on again. It's nice to see someone else act on their feelings towards him. Also, the kiss was much more tender and romantic than the Kurt and Karofsky kiss.
You have no idea how many times I used the cupboard excuse! But it always worked with me...I guess people thought I was that stupid I'd keep walking into cupboard doors. The tender scene between Blaine and Kurt was based on a scene that happened to me in real life and so it was quite emotional for me to write. This chapter is dedicated to a friend of mine who (when she discovered her sexuality) fell into a very deep depression. I only found this out about her a few days ago, and I was close to tears when she told me. This is dedicated to all the victims of homophobia and I just want to say: stay strong. The bruises they leave on you don't own you; the words they say don't describe you. Only people who love and know you can offer words that describe who you are. The words of a stranger aren't a blurb to your story. The person who says those things probably hasn't even read the first paragraph of your life story, so they couldn't possibly summarise you with words like 'faggot' or 'dyke' or just thinks like 'sick' or 'disgusting'. Those words are hideous to hear but they aren't you. Stay strong ~ MaisyShane.