Author's Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry! I know you're all wondering where the hell I've been. This past week was Spring Break, which seems conducive to writing, but is really just conducive to goofing off. I actually spent most of my break glued to my PMs forming a partnership with another author on this site. We now have an account together, Crazy-Minds-Think-Alike, and have posted the first chapter on an Al/Scor next gen HP fic. I also managed to get her to start watching Glee & AVPM, so not a break totally wasted, eh? Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

-SQ

Disclaimer: Hasn't changed

Chapter Twenty-Five: Revelations, Accusations, Explanations

*Rap rap rap rap rap. Rap rap*

Kurt looked up from his magazine.

"Hello, beautiful."

"Blaine!"

Blaine grinned and went to give Kurt a hug. "I told you I'd come today."

"I know. I'm happy to see you anyway."

"I'm happy to see you, too."

"Awwww," said a sarcastic voice from the doorway. "How adorably sickening. I should have brought my camera."

Kurt looked back toward the doorway. "Sean!"

"Hey, Kurt." The tall boy pushed himself off the wall where he had been leaning and came over to join Blaine by Kurt's bed. "How are you?"

"A lot better," said Kurt, "thanks." He pushed himself up higher on his pillows and then frowned. "What happened to your cheek?"

"Huh?"

"Your cheek, it's all bruised. It wasn't like that a few days ago. What happened?"

Sean and Blaine traded uncomfortable looks.

"I, um…" said Sean.

"It looks like someone hit you," said Kurt, a touch of indignation in his voice. "Did you get in a fight?"

"In a manner of speaking…"

"What do you mean, 'in a manner of speaking'? What manner of speaking? Sean? Blaine?"

Blaine sighed. "It was me."

"Blaine, don't—"

"What am I going to do, lie to him?" He turned to face Kurt straight on. "After you collapsed and were admitted to the hospital I was pretty shaken up, close to hysterical. I was keeping it together, barely, but when Sean came in and told me he'd known you were still sick, had helped you pretend to be okay, to trick me…I lost it."

"What do you mean, 'lost it'?" asked Kurt slowly.

"It's not important," said Sean.

"I attacked him," said Blaine, as though Sean hadn't spoken. I probably would have put him in the hospital if Wes and David hadn't pulled me off.

Kurt looked at Blaine in horror. "You attacked him for giving me ibuprofen?"

"It wasn't just that…" Blaine took Kurt's hand. "It was—it was…"

"It was what?" snapped Kurt, pulling his hand away. "A flight of passion? I don't need you to beat people up for me, Blaine! Enough of that kind of thing went on at McKinley! Why—why would you do something like that?"

"I don't know," said Blaine in frustration. "When this stuff happens—"

"'When this stuff happens'?" echoed Kurt. "'When this stuff happens'? How often does 'this stuff' happen, Blaine? Do you make a habit of beating people up behind my back? This is what I came to Dalton to get away from."

A lump rose in Blaine's throat, stoppering his breath, choking him.

"Kurt," said Sean. "Kurt, listen to me."

Kurt shook his head, looking at Blaine with an expression of incomprehension. "All this stuff about hating violence, about being the bigger man…"

"Kurt—"

Blaine tried to say something, but he couldn't breathe, tears filled his eyes and he couldn't see…

"What else have you been keeping from me? Lying about?"

"Kurt—"

"I thought I knew you. Who are you? !"

"Kurt!"

Finally Kurt looked up at the tall boy with the golden-brown curls. "What?" he snapped.

Sean pointed at Blaine.

The boy was curled into himself on the bed, rocking back and forth, and almost keening sound coming from his lips. He was trembling uncontrollably.

Kurt's heart skipped a beat. Something was very wrong.

"He's having a panic attack," said Sean, trying very hard not to freak out himself.

"A-a what?" said Kurt

"I'm calling Wes and David," said Sean, pulling out his phone. "Don't touch him," he added as Kurt reached out his hand toward Blaine.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know what he'll do."

Kurt watched, helpless, as the boy he was in love with rocked and shook and whimpered in front of him.

"David? We're at the hospital. Blaine's having a panic attack."

"Shit." There was a brief, muffled exchange, as though David had put his hand over the telephone receiver. "Try to calm him down. We're on our way."

Sean ended the call and looked back over at Blaine and Kurt. Kurt had tears streaming down his cheeks and, despite Sean's warning, was rubbing Blaine's shoulder and saying over and over again, "Blaine, baby, I'm sorry, I love you, I'm sorry, Blaine, please, I'm sorry…"

*****BB*****

Wes and David must have driven like madmen to get there, because it was barely ten minutes later when they came bursting through the hospital room door, panting heavily.

Wes took a still-crying Kurt aside while David knelt in front of Blaine on the bed and took his hands.

"Blaine," he said calmly, keeping his voice level and his tone even. "Blaine, it's David. Blaine, look at me. Blaine, you're okay. You're with Kurt at the hospital. Blaine. Blaine."

"What's wrong with him?" said Kurt. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He's going to be just fine," Wes reassured him. "Do you have any idea what triggered this?"

Kurt swallowed and nodded. "I was yelling at him… He attacked Sean, Wes, because he gave me Ibuprofen.

Wes groaned. "When I said you were going to have to find you, this isn't what I had in mind."

"Find out what?"

"Kurt," said Wes seriously, a rarity in of itself outside of Warbler rehearsals, "how much has Blaine told you about his life before he met you?"

"I know he was bullied before he got to Dalton," said Kurt, realizing that this was pretty much the extend of what he knew about Blaine's past.

Wes snorted.

"What?"

"That's putting it mildly. Look," he said, "Blaine went through a lot of crap before he got to the point he as at when he met you."

"What kind of crap?"

"He's going to have to tell you that himself," said Wes. "I hope you'll give him that chance."

Meanwhile, David had succeeded in calming Blaine's panic attack. "Kurt," he said softly.

Kurt turned toward David's voice and was met by Blaine's shining hazel eyes.

"Oh Blaine, I'm sorry!" Kurt threw his arms around the other boy, who hugged him back. "Are you okay?" asked Kurt, meeting Blaine's eyes squarely with his own.

"Shhh," murmured Blaine. "You're sick, lie back down."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Lie down."

"You scared me."

"I'm sorry. Kurt, please lie down."

"Don't be sorry." Kurt touched Blaine's face. "Do you often have panic attacks?"

"Not often but…sometimes. Not so much recently. Kurt, you have a head injury and a fever and I would really feel much better if you would lie down."

Kurt leaned back against Blaine. "Is that what happened when you hit Sean? You had a panic attack?"

"Kind of." Blaine sighed. "I'm sorry, Kurt. You must think I'm actually insane."

"No…" said Kurt slowly, "but obviously there's something going on here."

"I know what I did to Sean was bad," said Blaine. "I was under a lot of stress, and I know that doesn't excuse it—please believe me when I say I'm not like that anymore."

"Anymore?"

"Kurt," said Blaine, "do you—do you want to be my boyfriend?"

"Of course."

"Even after—"

"Yes."

"Then you deserve to know the answer to your question."

"What que—?"

"Who I am."

"Blaine, I didn't mean that, I know who you are."

"Did you know I had panic attacks?"

Kurt didn't answer. He traced pattern on the back of Blaine's hand with his forefinger. Finally he said, "Why did you have a panic attack just now?"

Kurt felt Blaine's Adam's apple move against his shoulder.

"I'm kind of a wreck right now," Blaine admitted. "It's not your fault; obviously you couldn't help getting sick, and what happened just now with you was just what set me over the edge. I'm running on adrenaline; I've barely slept or eaten in days. I've been worrying about you and dealing with my own feelings...trying to get that damn song written… I've had to relieve some pretty unpleasant memories as a result of all this… I've been on an emotional roller coaster these past few days—longer than that, really. It's hard repressing feelings for one of your best friends." He ran his free hand over his face. "Kurt, you're one of the best things that's ever happened to me, but I'd be lying if I said knowing you these past few months hasn't brought back some difficult memories.

Kurt shifted to lean back against the headboard, puling Blaine with him. "Wes said… Wes said that there are some things that happened before I met you that I should know about."

Blaine sighed but nodded. "He's right. There are things that I…I honestly should have told you sooner. But I just couldn't bring myself—I wanted so badly to leave it all in the past."

Kurt took Blaine's hand and squeezed it. "It looks like the others have decided to give us some time alone. Why don't you tell me now?"

Blaine took a breath. "O-Okay. I guess I really need to start back in seventh grade, when I first began to realize I was gay…"

AN: I don't really have much to say here, other than I hope you'll review this chapter and check out my and Arty-the-Puppeteer's joint account, Crazy-Minds-Think-Alike. We're planning on writing for HP & Artemis Fowl.

Thanks for reading!

-SQ