Poison

Chapter 11

Blaine, on impact, is holding his breath in pain, hardly daring to breathe when the following Monday another locker slam throws him, the first cut just barely starting to heal, into another open locker door.

For minutes he just stands and tries to figure out a way to breathe so it won't feel like his side is being torn apart.

He is still standing there, trying to appear like he is only casually leaning against the locker during lunch time, waiting for someone, when someone shows up.

"Hi, Love. I had hoped to run into you here." Kurt goes completely quiet as soon as he has fully rounded Blaine and catches sight of his face, the broken up tears caught in his eyelashes, the floods of tears Kurt sees held back when Blaine opens his eyes.

"Kurt."

Kurt knows the bullies and Kurt more importantly knows his boyfriend. So he quietly takes Blaine's right hand, interlaces their fingers and walks them out the school's main entrance, onto the parking lot, to the car he has borrowed from his dad.

They scoot into the backseat together, and Kurt still has not said another word, neither has Blaine.

Kurt leans over and kisses Blaine's forehead before he reaches under the backseat, pulls out from under it the first aid kit, the type he himself is still well acquainted with from his high school days.

Blaine winces when Kurt guides him to lie down on his back, lets out a whimper when Kurt reaches for his shirt and starts pushing it up a little so he can reach what he has known must be there since he had faced Blaine, saw Blaine's hand reaching for but not quite daring to touch his own side.

"I'm sorry, Love. I'm so sorry, it's your back, isn't it? Covered in bruises. You can get back up in a second, I promise. I just need to take care of these first. I'm so sorry," Kurt whispers as he helps Blaine turn on his side a little then cleans out the wounds, both the old, broken open again today, and the new.

Blaine cannot help but wonder what exactly Kurt is apologizing for. But his mind feels foggy and aches much more than his body from the row of new locker slams today.

Kurt knows how much it can hurt to be touched, fresh bruises everywhere, so once he is done, the first aid kit stowed away again, Kurt simply sits back and lets Blaine control the position they snuggle up in together. It ends up being Blaine kneeling next to him, just resting his forehead against Kurt's and crying his heart out, the both of them clasping each other's hands in between them.

"I love you. I love you," Blaine hears Kurt whispering all through it, again and again.

When Blaine gets up and out of the car a while later and makes to walk back towards the school Kurt's voice stops him.

"Where are you going?"

"Kurt, I'm already late for chemistry."

Kurt is by his side again with a few long strides only. "I don't want you to go back i..."

"Kurt!" Blaine interrupts him. "I have been done running from bullies a long time ago," and then the new tears come, "I won't start again now. It's the last week, only one more week."

"Then I'm coming with you."

It is not what Blaine had expected, "What?"

"I've seen graduates come back before to visit teachers or friends. I was always a good student, I bet no one will mind if I am around. No one who could make me leave anyway. And I can protect you this time around, properly protect you. If I get into a fight with anyone they can only throw me out, I'm not a student anymore, they can't do anything else that could affect my future much."

"That's not why I'm not hitting back, Kurt. I thought you knew that."
"No, I do, I do, Blaine. I despise violence just as much as you do, which is why I cannot let you go back in there alone. And I'm not saying I do want to go around beat up others, but I can't, I can't," then a sob and tears break free openly for the first time since Kurt came to see Blaine, found him hurting so very badly, "I can't stand by while they do that to you."

"Did your dad call you?" Blaine asks, not sure if he would be angry or upset or just immensely greatful if the answer, Kurt's answer was a yes.

"No."

"What?"

"No. It wasn't my dad," Kurt catches Blaine's sceptical and questioning look, "or Carole. I'm ..., I'm still subscribed to that website too, you know."