Yeah. Well, this thing seems to be like a living, breathing organism. It's all right there, floating around in my head. I started this fic yesterday, and I'm already posting chapter 4. Wow. Yeah. Like always, I don't own anything, except the plot line, which I'm pretty sure is just plain old me. If it's not, and I'm accidently plagerising, PLEASE let me know! I don't remember all of the fics I've read, so this might be somewhere in my subconcious floating around. Hope you guys like it!
Blaine was dressed in record time, after having made sure Kurt had some of his clean casual clothes to wear. Since Kurt didn't go to Dalton, he really couldn't get in trouble for being out of uniform.
Together, the boys made their way downstairs to the cafeteria, passing an arguing Wes and David on the way down.
David noticed Blaine and Kurt on the way past, and stopped his argument with Wes to fall in beside Blaine and throw an arm across his shoulders.
"Hey Blaine!" David grinned fiercely at his friend, and turned to Kurt with a slightly less manic smile. Releasing his hold on Blaine, he held out his hand to Kurt. "I'm David! Nice to meet you!" His grin slipped a bit when Kurt just stared at him, stunned.
Blaine reached over to take David's hand, and gently pushed him in the direction of the cafeteria.
"Guys, this is Kurt. I told you about him yesterday, remember?" Blaine wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, making sure they caught the hint.
"Oh, Yeah! Kurt! Well, welcome to Dalton, man! Better get a move on or I'm gonna eat all the bacon!" And with that, David dashed off in search of food.
Kurt watched the other boy disappear, a small smile of amusement playing over his lips. He clutched at Blaine's hand when a few more boys rushed past, and unconsciously leaned closer to where Blaine and Wes were talking softly about a homework assignment.
They all wandered into the hall together, grabbing trays and waiting in line for their breakfasts.
Wes and Blaine got the full breakfast, including eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and home fries. Kurt, on the other hand, only picked up a small bowl of granola and yoghurt, and an orange. Blaine and Wes cringed when they saw the granola, and Blaine spent a good minute and a half trying to convince Kurt to take more than just what he had.
"It's not a big deal, Kurt, if you want more than just that. I mean, there's bacon!" And he pointed to the small mountain of bacon lying in the greasy platter.
Kurt looked at it, as though contemplating, but responded with a soft, "I'm a vegetarian, Blaine."
Both Blaine and Wes cocked an eyebrow, but neither commented, and Kurt was left in peace.
Blaine paid for both his and Kurt's meals, while Wes coughed up money for his own. As they settled at the table alongside David, Kurt whispered to Blaine that he would pay him back.
"Don't even worry about it, dummy. I'm more than happy to treat you. It's not like my allowance gets spent on much else." Blaine however, did neglect to tell Kurt exactly how much allowance he got a week. It may not have been as much as some of the other students around Dalton, but it wasn't anything to sneeze at, either.
As Kurt sat eating quietly, in seeming contemplation, Blaine studied him unobtrusively. He noticed that Kurt flinched every time he heard a loud noise, and when someone brushed up against him when walking past, he almost jumped out of his skin. Blaine realised that the boy he was helping had had a really, really rough time before meeting Blaine, and his mind raced around in circles, trying to determine why Kurt was so scared.
"Blaine," Came the soft whisper from the withdrawn boy beside him. "I can feel you staring at me. Please stop." Blaine felt the blush begin at his neck and spread over his cheeks, and he quickly returned his focus to his food. He began to devour it at a tremendous pace, as he realised what time it was. He had a total of five minutes to get to class or risk facing detention for tardiness.
Wes and David jumped up, and placed their trays in the holding rack.
"Bye, Kurt," Wes called and David waved, as they dashed out the door into the hall.
Blaine scarfed down the remainder of his food, and checked Kurt's tray only to discover Kurt waiting for him to finish. They placed their trays on the holding rack as well, and Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and rushed out the door. He led Kurt to the bottom of the staircase, and released his hand.
"Will you be okay getting back to the room from here?" Blaine asked worriedly. "I'd take you myself, but I don't need detention this week, if I'm going to help you," Blaine took in the slight panic in the boy's eyes, who then very carefully schooled his emotions.
"I'll be fine, Blaine. It's just on the second floor, um… seven doors down on the right, right?" Kurt had to stop and think for a second.
"Yes, that's right! Excellent!" Blaine praised, while a soft blush crept up Kurt's cheeks. "I'll see you later then?" Kurt nodded quickly, and Blaine dashed off to his first class of the day, leaving a stricken Kurt floundering on the stairs.
Kurt slowly made his way up the staircase, taking in the paintings and view from the windows as he passed them. He wandered down the hallway slowly, basking in the opulence of the building, his mind at peace for the first time in what felt like years.
Kurt gave a start when a figure darted out of one of the rooms, heading towards the staircase at full tilt. He pressed himself unobtrusively against a wall as the other boy ran past, not even noticing that Kurt was there.
Kurt dashed the rest of the way down the hallway, and yanked open the door to Blaine's room. As he pushed the door closed behind him, the tears started falling, and he slumped to the ground against the door, sobbing softly.
Ever since yesterday, he no longer had control over his emotions. His tears flowed whenever the hell they felt like it, and he felt like he had no power to stop them.
Yesterday.
Oh God. What would his father say? Kurt knew that Burt would be searching frantically for him, but didn't have the guts to call him to let him know where he was. He was too ashamed to let Burt know what had happened. The tears continued to fall, mercilessly soaking into the Death Cab for Cutie tee shirt Blaine had loaned him.
As the sobs finally died down in his throat, Kurt crawled into the tiny bathroom, finding only a sink and a toilet, and pulling off a generous handful of toilet paper. Wiping and blowing his nose, he tried to pull himself together, while sitting on the cold tile floor. The alone time allowed his mind to return to yesterday, and all of a sudden, he was being sick into the toilet.
The door to the room opened quietly, and Blaine rushed in, gently rubbing Kurt's back softly, while murmuring soothing words.
"Hey, it's okay. You're going to be all right. Okay? Nothing bad is going to happen to you here. I promise. It's okay…" As Kurt finished being sick, Blaine pulled off another clump of toilet paper, and handed it to Kurt to wipe his mouth. Fishing in the cupboard behind the medicine cabinet, Blaine pulled out a brand new toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste for Kurt.
Handing them off to Kurt, he helped him get to his feet, and made sure that Kurt was steady enough to stand by himself while he brushed his teeth, and then returned into his room to put his shoulder bag on the chair at the desk.
Kurt returned to the room after having brushed his teeth, washed his face, and using Blaine's comb to somewhat tame the mess on the top of his head.
"You're looking a bit better, now," Blaine commented softly as he took in the colour in Kurt's cheeks. The other boy wasn't nearly as pale as he had been, and Blaine was guessing a good cry was something that Kurt had needed, for cathartic reasons.
"Yeah... I feel a bit better now. Guess all I needed was a good cry." Kurt echoed Blaine's thoughts aloud. "Um. Blaine, is there, like, a pay phone or something I can use? I'm guessing my dad is probably throwing a fit right now, not knowing where I am. He's got a weak heart, so I'd like to avoid putting him under any more stress than I already have."
Blaine reached over to his blazer pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Tossing it to Kurt, he commented "I have unlimited nation-wide long distance, so it doesn't matter how far away he is. Just call him and let him know you're okay. If I had known you needed to call him, I would have told you to do it last night." Blaine coloured slightly, because he had automatically assumed that Kurt had been homeless, or possibly in a broken home.
Kurt coloured too, automatically realising what Blaine was thinking. He simply responded with a quiet "Thank you," and opened the phone.
Dialling the number that he knew so well, he waited half a ring before the line was picked up.
"Kurt?" The voice on the end of the line sounded so worried, so weary and so distraught, that Kurt almost burst into tears again.
"Yeah, Dad. It's me." Kurt murmured softly into the phone.
"Oh God, kid. Thank God you're okay. I've been frantic since Finn…" His father cut off, not really sure how to put into words the story that Kurt's stepbrother had told him. Not that Finn knew the truth. But he did know some of it. And that he told Kurt's father hurt Kurt. A lot.
"Calm down, Dad. I'm all right," Kurt began, but his father cut him off.
"Where are you? I'm coming to get you. Stay right where you are. And why aren't you calling from you're cell phone? Kurt? Are you still there? KURT!"
"Dad! Please, I'm all right, will you just listen to me please? " Kurt's strong voice as he talked to his father impressed Blaine. "Dad, I'm not going to tell you where I am at this moment. I've, well, I've made a new friend and he's been looking after me."
"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel you tell me where you are this instant! You have had me worried to death all night long, and you didn't call until now, and you won't tell me where you are? Kid you better have one HELL of an explanation, because if you don't," And Burt left the threat hanging there, for his son to absorb the implications.
"No Dad. I c-can't." Kurt's voice wavered slightly, his emotions flying over his face as he tried desperately not to break down on his father. Blaine reached up to grasp his hand lightly, conveying all of the sympathy and support he could through a simple gesture.
"Why not, Kurt?" And now Burt was crying, which opened the floodgates for Kurt. He collapsed on the bed beside Blaine, openly sobbing his poor heart out.
"I-I h-have to s-sort through t-this m-myself…" Kurt blurted out, before his crying cut off any response he could have made to his father.
Blaine gently pried the cell from Kurt's clutching hand, and placed his ear to the receiver.
"Sir?" Blaine asked, trying to gain the attention of the now openly weeping man.
"Hello?" A woman's voice came over the phone. "Kurt?" She asked down the line.
"No Ma'am. My name is Blaine, I'm a friend of Kurt's. He's… well he's a bit upset right now, and he really doesn't want to come home yet. He's all right, physically, from what I've been allowed to see. But he's been emotionally roughed up and needs a bit of healing time." Blaine closed his eyes and prayed to whatever force was out there that this woman would see reason and not force him to tell her where they were.
The line muffled for a moment, as she spoke to Kurt's father.
"All right, Blaine. I can tell from your voice that Kurt's mind is made up, and he is very much like his father sometimes. Stubborn." Blaine could tell that she was rolling her eyes, and a small smile crept onto his face. "Still, Burt is really worried about Kurt, so please make sure he calls again soon. Is this your phone number, Blaine?"
"Yes, this is my cell." Blaine replied. "I know that Kurt's dad has a heart problem, so if you need to call him, no matter what time of day or night, then call. It's always on."
"Thank you, Blaine. My name is Carol, by the way. I'm, well, I'm Kurt's stepmother. I don't know if I've had the chance to tell him yet, but can you please let him know that I love him? And that his father is really worried and that we'll be waiting for him to call?"
"Of course, Carol. I promise I'll get him to call soon, but right now he just needs to calm down and work through some of this first. I'm working on getting him to open up to me about what happened, but I think he needs to start trusting me first. Once I can get him calmed down, I'll definitely get him to call you, okay?" Blaine swiped his hand over his eyes, as he waited for her response.
"Okay. Okay, Blaine. Please let him know we love him. An-and… Thank you so much for being a good friend to him, Blaine. That truly means so much to us."
Blaine looked down at the teary eyed boy lying prostrate on his bed. "I'm trying, Carol. I'm really trying. Bye for now."