Hello *waves*
Okay so I've been working mostly on AC for the past few weeks (months?) and then I had a stupid writer's block. But since I've already written quite a bit of THIU I wanted to share another chapter with you – if you're still reading xD Sorry for the long wait!
Life was most definitively not loving Kurt Hummel at the moment.
After his attempt at getting back to sleep with minimum humiliation, his alarm hadn't gone off, he'd used the wrong shampoo because Finn had exchanged them ("But yours smells better, dude!") and he'd had to park far away from the entrance to school because he'd been so late.
When he arrived late for class, he noticed several of his friends' worried looks - he was never late - but he didn't have the energy to tell them about his morning, even as he took his seat next to Mercedes and she shot him a glance.
His day didn't take a turn for the better after that. He was called on by the teacher and he hadn't done his homework; why hadn't he? Oh right, he'd been too depressed yesterday. He got shoved into a locker and cut his cheek on the way down. Nobody was there to help him pick up his papers, just like usual.
He didn't know why these things made him feel even more depressed than they normally did. Kurt was pretty sure he was used to the treatment already but apparently not.
To top it all off he didn't have any classes with Blaine, but he couldn't figure out if that was a good or a bad thing. He knew he wouldn't be able to look into those hazel eyes without blushing tomato red, but he really would like to apologize to Blaine for being so weird the day before. Blaine had made it clear (kind of) that he was taken, and Kurt should just man up and forget about it.
Which was easy enough when you thought about it, but when it came to actually doing something? It got a whole lot harder. So when Kurt locked eyes with Blaine in the hallway, he was tempted to just turn around and walk away, but then his eyes had frozen on the three jocks making their way over to him, and he'd just pushed all thoughts of Blaine away and closed his eyes; waiting for the cold.
He really didn't want Blaine to see him like this, but he knew if he tried to get away, it'd only be worse. And maybe he was lucky and Blaine had moved from the hallway.
Blaine's morning, opposite Kurt's, had been - in lack of a better word - perfect. He'd woken before his alarm, he'd showered and dressed to a ten and even managed to make breakfast for Cooper. He'd slept like a baby after waking up and not even the girl almost running him down on her bike could ruin his mood.
He'd even been tripped into a locker before the first class, but nothing happened. He could feel the knot in his stomach move a bit, but nothing more than that. He didn't know what was happening, but he hadn't been so happy in months, so he wasn't about to ruin that.
His day took a turn for the worse, though, as soon as he was heading to lunch and he saw Kurt in the hallway. Now, Blaine had never been a violent person. Taking the whole another-personality thing away, he was a pretty quiet guy. But seen as the other personality couldn't just be pushed under the rug, Blaine was now a quiet guy, with an enormous temper.
So when he saw the tall guy and his two friends in Leatherman jackets walk in Kurt's direction, he hadn't been able to control himself completely. He knew it wasn't any of his business; he barely knew Kurt, but when he saw the way the brunette's eyes grew and then squeezed shut to prepare for the hit… well. His mind may have left him for a few moments.
A few terrifying moments, because when he regained his own vision he was standing over a guy, who was lying on the ground; a dropped slushy on the floor next to him. His two friends were standing next to him looking shocked. Blaine turned his head to look at Kurt, who looked just as surprised as he felt.
So much for not losing control.
Kurt heard the surprised grunt before his eyes shot open. He caught the last moment of Blaine's hands connecting to Azimio's left shoulder and shoving. The jock fell to the ground; almost knocking into one of the other guys.
Blaine's breathing was coming in short puffs and when he raised his head he looked surprised for a moment before turning his head and locking eyes with Kurt. His whole neck jerked and Kurt understood; half a second later they were both running down the hallway.
Turning a corner Blaine reached out for Kurt's hand to tug him the right way and Kurt ignored the fluttering in his stomach, even though Blaine didn't let go of his hand as they kept running.
They burst through the doors to the cafeteria and then finally stopped. They looked at each other and couldn't contain their laughter. They ignored all the looks they were getting and walked up to the line to get their food.
"You- What was that?" Kurt asked; still chuckling lightly.
"I have no idea," Blaine shrugged and then realized he was still holding onto Kurt's hand. "Oh. Sorry," he mumbled and let go. Kurt didn't acknowledge the empty feeling suddenly filling his stomach; instead he nudged Blaine forward so he could grab his lunch.
They sat down at the table with the rest of the Glee club, but neither of the boys really registered what was being said by the others; they were too busy stealing glances at each other.
"So," Blaine began, because Kurt seemed like he was back to his normal self, so he actually dared ask. "What happened back there?" Kurt looked confused for a moment before a shadow fell over his face and he looked down at his salad.
"Nothing," he mumbled. He didn't want Blaine's pity. He wanted… But he couldn't have that. So he'd settle for being Blaine's friend.
"Bullshit." Blaine looked as surprised at his choice of word as Kurt did. He even blushed slightly and then cleared his voice. "I just mean, um, they were headed straight for you, and it even looked like they were going to throw those slushies at you-" He was about to continue but was interrupted by a girl sitting next to Mercedes.
"They slushied you again?!" She shrieked and Blaine pushed down the urge to cover his ears with his hands.
"Rachel!" Kurt hissed to stop her from speaking.
"You look fine though," the girl - Rachel - added after looking Kurt up and down; ignoring both Kurt's warning voice and Mercedes nudge.
Oh he looks more than fine. He looks absolutely delicious. Eatable, really. I could just lean over and sink my teeth into that piece of skin right next to his collar… Blaine forced his eyes down to his plate as a blush crept up his neck. Why now? He'd been having a good day before this incident, but now he almost couldn't drown the dark thoughts out.
"-pushed them out of the way, didn't you, Blaine?" Kurt asked with a small smile that clearly said help me out here. Blaine looked confused for a second before understanding.
"Oh, yea, yes, I did," he said as he looked at the girl from before. Very eloquent, Anderson.
"You pushed Azimio? The 300 pounds gorilla?" Mercedes asked with a quirk of her eyebrow. "I'm sorry, that's just a little hard to believe."
Blaine had no idea why they didn't believe what he and Kurt told them; he didn't understand why they would have reason not to. But then he looked over at Kurt's closed off expression and the way he was biting his lower lip. Maybe they were used to Kurt lying about this kind of thing?
"I'm stronger than I look," Blaine heard his own voice say, even though he kept his gaze on Kurt. It was true. Even without the shadow in his mind, Blaine was stronger than what he appeared to be. He may be short, but he had his muscles placed the right places.
"Psh, yea, c'mon, you're like a hobbit," a new voice said and Blaine tore his eyes away from Kurt's slumped body. He vaguely remembered the guy's name to be Puck, but he wasn't all that sure.
"I-" Blaine began to defend himself but a rush of black tore its way up his throat. "Could easily take you on," it spit out even as Blaine wanted to slap a hand over his mouth. Puck looked mildly surprised but then a smirk showed itself on his face and he nudged Mike, who'd been sitting next to Blaine, into the next chair.
"Challenge accepted," he said and Blaine felt all blood leave his face. Fuck. What had he done? He didn't want to provoke anyone; least of all himself. And to add to the whole thing this Puck guy looked like he could break every one of his bones just by blinking.
"I don't-" he started, but then he caught sight of Kurt leaning a bit closer. Was Kurt curious as to how strong Blaine was? "What did you have in mind?" He asked instead of finishing his sentence.
"A man's sport, dude. Arm wrestling," Puck grinned and wiggled his fingers in front of Blaine's face. Blaine gulped a bit but nodded nonetheless.
"Blaine, you really shouldn't do that," Rachel warned with a worried voice. "Puck could break your arm," she said as both boys put their elbows on the table and reached their hands into each other.
"When I win your name will be Hobbit," Puck smirked as he looked into Blaine's eyes.
"And if I win?" The other teen said with a smile.
"You get seven minutes in heaven with our own McQueen over there," Puck nodded at Kurt, whose face had taken a flaming red color. Blaine felt himself flush a little too, and he felt his throat close up. What should he say to that?
"You're not playing for his team?" Puck questioned. "Well, you can get the other hobbit instead, if-"
"Oh no, I'm gay," Blaine rushed out and blushed even more. "I, I mean, not that, that I would, because that-" He babbled until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Kurt just smiled at him even though his cheeks were still pink.
"It's fine, Blaine," he reassured and squeezed Blaine's shoulder before letting go. "They won't force you when you've got a boyfriend."
"A- I've got- What?" Blaine shrieked and turned around in his seat the best he could while still having his hand squeezed by Puck.
"Oh, you're taken? Sorry man," Puck said with a shrug.
"I'm- I'm not- I don't have a boyfriend," Blaine spluttered and tried to keep his blush to a minimum. He was about to ask why everyone seemed to think so, when Puck interrupted him.
"Great, so nothing wrong there, c'mon Hobbit, I don't have all day. Someone count down!" Blaine turned back in his seat and pushed the thoughts of boyfriends - Kurt thought he had a boyfriend? - away and concentrate on the slightly bigger hand in his own.
"Three, two, one - go," Rachel said with a sigh and Blaine had to tighten all his muscles at once otherwise his arm would've been broken off by the elbow. Puck was strong, damn it. Not that Blaine really hated being called Hobbit; Puck could've picked something much worse - but the possibility of maybe kissing Kurt…
"You're stronger than I thought dude," Puck laughed and put more strength into getting Blaine's arm down. It didn't move an inch though, because as soon as the thought of Kurt had sneaked into his mind, he couldn't shake it out. How would his lips feel? Would they be soft? Would they tremble? Would he be allowed to suck the full lower lip into his mouth to really taste it?
Blaine was about to panic - he couldn't show up here in the middle of the cafeteria when he was surrounded by people - but a steady beat inside his stomach calmed him down. Was the shadow communicating with him..? He relaxed his leg muscles as he put more weight behind his right arm; if only they'd been doing this with their left hands Blaine would've won without breaking a sweat.
"Damn it, Hobbit, you've got some strength underneath that sweater vest!" Puck grunted out. The calm feeling in his stomach skipped a beat and he felt the heat rise to his face. No, no, no. Please don't. Blaine saw the darkness creep over his left eye and looked down. Oh God, please don't do this, I swear I will give you anything, just please don't.
His frantic thoughts almost made him miss the way his right arm slammed Puck's hand into the table. But as soon as the skin touched the cool table, the darkness disappeared. Blaine suppressed a shiver as a voice - so close to being his own - sounded inside his head.
You owe me.
Blaine sighed in relief as he stretched his cramping fingers. He took a look at Puck's surprised face and almost laughed. Almost. He looked over to Kurt who had a stunned expression on his face and - was that a smile?
Next to him Mercedes looked like she just swallowed an apple whole and Rachel looked even more shocked before shaking her head and sending Blaine an impressed smile. Blaine turned back to Puck; slightly scared that he'd be mad, but he was met with an approving nod.
"Not bad, dude. What's your name again?"
"Blaine. Blaine Anderson," he said politely, just like he'd been taught since he was a small child. Out of nowhere a pair of arms wound themselves around Blaine's neck and a weight settled in his lap.
"Well, Blaine Anderson," a seductive voice purred in his ear. "When is it my turn to try out these strong arms of yours?" As if to prove her point, she squeezed his bicep. Blaine was absolutely frozen; he had no idea what to do in situations like this.
"Uh- Um," he stuttered and felt a blush rise in his cheeks.
"Santana!" Kurt shrieked. What a way to make Blaine feel welcome…
"He's not playing for your team, Lopez," Puck laughed. "He'd rather have a make out session with Hummel over there."
"Why are all the pretty ones homos?" Santana sighed and removed her arms even though she kept her spot in Blaine's lap; completely ignoring the boy's discomfort. "Though, you really should make out with Hummel," she added. "Maybe some of his fashion sense would rub off on you. What is this even?"
Blaine looked down at his cardigan. It was a light green with white details. Cooper had bought it for him last Christmas. He frowned slightly but just as he was about to answer, Santana turned around in his lap so she was facing Puck and started talking. Blaine turned his head back to Kurt with a confused expression.
"Just ignore her," the brunette said.
"That's a bit hard with her being, um, with her sitting on me," Blaine mumbled.
"Are you calling me fat, Frodo?" Santana turned around and glared at him. Blaine was stuttering an apology when Kurt spoke up.
"Just move Santana, you're going to wrinkle his clothes."
"Urg fine. I'd rather sit with a real man anyways," she brushed her hair over one shoulder and sat down on Puck's lap. See, normal Blaine would've just shrugged or maybe even laughed, but this Blaine sitting in the cafeteria had a shadow growing in his stomach, and he'd already calmed it down once in the past twenty minutes. He took a deep breath in through his nose and closed his eyes; trying to will away the swirling in his lower stomach.
A soft hand touched his shoulder and he immediately felt the darkness drown out of him again. What was it with Kurt's touches?
"We better get to our lockers. Class starts in fifteen," Kurt said softly and normally Blaine would've been confused. Fifteen minutes was way too long to go get their books. But then he caught Kurt's line of vision; the jock's table. They weren't done eating yet. Which meant they would have enough time to get their things without running into any of them.
"Yea okay," Blaine rose from his seat, and when had he even decided to stop avoiding Kurt? Was it because his touch calmed down the rage in him? Or was it the fact that Kurt's eyes were shining an even brighter blue than before when they locked with Blaine's own?
"I'm comin' with ya," Puck said and pushed Santana off his lap. The Latina just huffed and sat down in the chair Blaine had occupied.
"Why?" Kurt asked as they made their way out of the cafeteria. Puck just shrugged and made a noise in the back of his throat. They walked in silence until they were about ten feet away from Kurt's locker, where Puck stopped.
"Is something wrong?" Blaine asked; trying not to be intimidated by Puck's smirk.
"What about that prize of yours, huh?" Puck grinned and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Kurt blushed and glared at him.
"I don't really think-" Blaine began, but didn't get any further.
"Good thing you don't need to think to make out. Have fun!" And with that they were pushed into the janitor's closet. They bumped into each other on the way and Blaine almost crashed right into Kurt before steadying himself.
"Oh well, isn't this cozy?" Blaine joked after a moment of silence and took a small step back. He could feel the shadow swirling and moving and longing. "I can't see a thing, sorry if I step on you."
"Blaine, we really don't have to do this okay, it's fi-" Kurt didn't get to finish his sentence before his lips were covered by Blaine's though. Kurt made a surprised sound in the back of his throat, but then closed his eyes and wound his hands up in Blaine's shirt.
Blaine had no idea what was going on. Normally the shadow only showed itself when it could beat someone up or when Blaine was really angry or irritated; when it was provoked, so to speak, so what was it doing here now, taking control and forcing him to- oh God Kurt's lips tasted like heaven.
He knew he should step back; he knew it was the right thing do to. He should take a step back and then beg for forgiveness. His body just didn't want to obey him. Every cell was strumming with dark energy and Blaine could slowly feel himself slipping away.
No, no, no. Stop this, don't hurt him, please don't hurt him.
You owe me, remember?
MERRY (almost) CHRISTMAS YOU GUYS!
Or if you don't celebrate Christmas, then just have a lovely normal December day :D
Love you!