Author's Note: If Blaine seems a bit OOC in this chapter bear with me, okay, 'cause there is a basis for it, & all shall be explained in due course. And there's enough near the end of this chapter to not have you completely and utterly baffled as to why he would do such a thing. Anyway, you shall soon see what I'm talking about.

Disclaimer: Still applies

Chapter 10: Episode

When Blaine arrived back at his dorm, mentally and emotionally drained, stretched to his breaking point, and looking forward to at least trying to find some respite in sleep, he was met at the door by a stricken-looking Sean.

"Blaine," he said, speaking in a rush, "oh God, I heard what happened, is he okay?"

Blaine raked a few bedraggled curls back from his forehead and resisted to urge to snap at his roommate.

"He should be," he said in a deliberate tone that he hoped would convey the message, just leave me alone right now, I'm not up to dealing with people at the moment.

Obviously the message was not conveyed or Sean chose to ignore it.

"Should be? Is it bad?"

"They can't be sure yet," said Blaine, closing his eyes. Damn he was tired. "His fever's really high and he hit his head pretty hard, but they don't—they think he should come out okay." I hope. Oh God please let him be okay. Oh God, oh God, oh—

Sean was still speaking. Blaine dragged his shot brain back to his roommate.

"…Blaine, I'm so sorry, if I had thought it was anything serious I would have said something…"

That caught Blaine's attention.

"You would have said something about what?"

Sean sucked in his cheeks and then blew them out in a great rush of air.

"This morning, before you woke up, Kurt and I both woke up before you and we were talking, and he asked me to feel his forehead and see if I thought he had a fever. I did and it felt as though he probably did, but he asked me not to tell you because you'd only worry. I also gave him some ibuprofen before we left for class, while you were looking for socks, to help him through the day. He looked a little off and I just wanted to help."

"You what?" All of the usual gaiety and warmth was gone from Blaine's voice, leaving it sounding hard and dead.

"Blaine, I'm so sorry, I didn't think it was anything serious or I never would have—I feel awful. If there's anything I can do…"

Blaine stared at his roommate for a moment as if he didn't recognize him, then launched himself at the other boy.

"Blaine! Stop!" said Sean in alarm as the shorter boy shoved him back against his desk, knocking the wind out of him and jarring his spine

"You knew he was still sick and you didn't say anything?" snarled Blaine. "You let him tell me he was fine and go to school when he still had a fever and wasn't feeling well? You gave him ibuprofen so he could pretend to be okay?"

"Blaine!" said Sean, sounding scared. "Blaine, stop it! You're hurting me!"

"Kurt's in the fucking hospital!" shouted Blaine, slamming Sean against the desk once more.

"You said he's going to be fine!" said Sean, struggling to break free of Blaine's iron grip.

"But what if he's not! ?" Blaine slapped his roommate across the face. "It's going to be all your fucking fault!"

"Blaine, what the hell are you doing?"

Wes and David, passing by the open doorway on their way to their own dorm, had stopped in shock at the scene inside of Blaine's.

"It's his fault Kurt went to class to day, his fault Kurt's in the hospital in danger of brain damage!"

"Brain damage?" said Sean, horrified.

Blaine drew back his fist to punch Sean but Wes caught his arm from behind and David grabbed him around the waist and dragged him back away from the wide-eyed boy.

"Get a grip man!" David grunted, tightening his hold on the struggling soloist.

"FUCK YOU!" shouted Blaine.

"Are you okay, Sean?" asked Wes.

The shell-shocked young man straightened up, gingerly feeling the base of his spine and his smarting cheek.

"Yeah…"

"Then I advise you to leave for a while, while David and I sort out our friend over there," said Wes.

David, his arms still clamped around a cursing Blaine's waist, was rather less eloquent.

"Get—out."

Sean cast a light frightened look at Blaine and hurriedly did as he was told.

Wes turned back to Blaine, who David had deposited on his bed.

"Blaine, give it up," David was saying. "You're a midget. I'm, like, a foot taller than you and I'm on the football team."

Blaine glared sullenly up at the black boy and slumped against the wall behind him.

Now assured that Blaine would not try to attack them, Wes and David sat down on either side of him.

"Now, are you ready to explain to us rationally what the hell is going on here and why you were going after Sean like a raving lunatic?"

"He knew Kurt was still sick, he knew he had a fever and wasn't feeling well but he didn't say anything, he promised not to tell me, he gave him ibuprofen, he helped him pretend that he was okay when he wasn't!" Wes and David remained silent, letting Blaine rant until he ran out of breath. The younger boy's shoulders hitched. "He saw it, why didn't I?"

"Ah," said Wes, "and now we get to the heart of it."

"I failed him," said Blaine, waving his hands and picking up speed again. "He was still sick and I was too busy being an oblivious, self-centered ass to notice and now he's in the hospital and I don't even get to be with him because I'm still just his friend even though I think I might be in love with!" He ran out of breath again and buried his face in his hands.

Wes and David looked at each other.

"Okay…" said David.

"When did this revelation come about?"

"I mean, we've known for ages, but…"

"Today," said Blaine, lifting his face once more. "I just… I was thinking about how he's made more feel these last few weeks…my feelings for him…how I see him, it's been changing…I could feel it, but I didn't have the balls to admit it to myself. And now it's so fucking obvious but I can't do anything about it. It's too late. I could be there with him, as his boyfriend, but I'm not and I have no one to blame but myself. For all of it.

"Blaine, we've been over this," said Wes. "You can't keep blaming yourself for this. You're not Mr. Perfect and you're not God. It's not your job to carry the world on your shoulders."

"When you to take too much on you crack," said David.

"Like now," said Wes.

"With Sean," said David.

Blaine put his face in his hands again.

"What he said, it just made me so mad. I just—lost it."

"Yes," said Wes seriously. "You did."

David put a hand on Blaine's shoulder.

"It's been a long time since you've had an episode like that, Blaine."

"Almost a year now," said Wes.

Blaine let his head fall onto David's shoulder.

"God, what's happening to me? Kurt makes me feel so many different things it's a wonder I don't explode. Being around him is the best feeling in the world, it's intoxicating, and I'm truly happier than I can ever remember feeling in my life. But it's also scary as hell, and it brings back everything from back then, everything I've spent the last year and a half trying to forget.

David rubbed his back.

"You're a great guy, Blaine. You know, Wes and I were so happy when you met Kurt, because he could give you what we couldn't, no matter how much we wanted to."

"What you really needed," added Wes.

"But remember, you don't have to go through this alone," said David. "It's no you against the world anymore."

Blaine nodded.

"I know. I didn't mean to shut you guys out."

"We know," said David.

"Come on," said Wes, "get your stuff."

"What?" said Blaine.

"Get your stuff," repeated Wes.

"Why?"

"Because you're sleeping in our dorm tonight."

"Guys, no. I don't—"

"I said you are sleeping in out dorm tonight," said Wes. "No, 'do you want to sleep in our dorm tonight?' So get your stuff."

"I think Sean might appreciate having some time to himself tonight," said David pointedly.

Blaine glowered at them and pounded his fist into the bedspread.

"Blaine," said David. "We understand, but that doesn't mean we're going to pretend that this kind of thing is okay. You've been there, remember? We're not going to let you go back there."

Blaine sighed.

"I know. And I don't want to go back there, ever." He placed his hands on his knees and pushed himself up from the bed. "I'm gonna get my things, okay?"

Wes pushed himself up from the bed as well and clapped Blaine on the back.

"That's our boy."

AN: Whenever I set out to write a fic in which things happen to Kurt, it always turns into an analysis of Blaine's character & past O.o (always being 3 times, since I only have 3 Glee fics right now, but that is 100%) I always love to hear what you think of the story, but I would especially love to hear what you thought of this chapter.

-SQ