It was an odd scene: the crowd of glee boys, forming a rough semi-circle around Blaine and Karofsky, standing in horrified silence, all stared at him with their mouths hanging open; Blaine, his eyes full of guilt and tie hanging askew, stood with his hands in his pockets and stuck out like a sore thumb in his Dalton uniform; Karofsky just lay still on the ground, face down but clearly breathing. Kurt didn't know what to do – thankfully, though, Burt had parked the other side of the lot and couldn't see what was happening. The group of boys just stood stock still in silence for a few moments. Kurt noticed that, once Blaine had gotten over his shock at seeing Kurt, he determinedly wasn't looking at him.
"What are you doing here, Kurt?" Finn was the one to break the silence.
Kurt dragged his eyes away from Blaine to focus on his stepbrother. "I just got discharged. We thought we'd come say hi."
Finn gasped. "Your dad – "
"He's round the corner," Kurt responded quietly. "He can't see us."
Finn nodded slowly. "Are you going to...?"
Kurt exhaled and shook his head. "No, I won't tell him. But maybe you should go and meet him so he doesn't come looking for us."
Finn nodded immediately, more enthusiastically this time. "I'll tell him you're – I'll just tell him you're – oh," he said, gesturing vaguely, "y'know."
Kurt half-smiled and Finn jogged away. Silence fell again, and everyone looked uncomfortable.
"Kurt, man," Puck grinning, coming forward and clapping Kurt lightly on the shoulder. "Good to see you; we were worried."
"Puckerman, I know you put Finn up to this," Kurt scolded, pointing authoritatively at Puck. "So help me, I will figure out what I'll do with you the moment I get a chance. But for now – " his eyes scanned across the other guys in their red jackets " – you guys, I appreciate the sentiment, but... could you please just go?"
The McKinley boys all nodded obediently and walked past Kurt away, reaching out to pat him when they neared.
That left Kurt, Blaine, and Karofsky. Karofsky was clearly conscious, slowly flexing his limbs and groaning quietly. Kurt glanced briefly at Blaine before kneeling down next to Karofsky. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.
"Shut the hell up, Hummel," Karofsky spat. "I don't need none of your fairy dust to fight my battles for me."
For an instant, Kurt was overwhelmed by an astonishing urge to kick Karofsky in the face. He swallowed his anger, but stood up and walked away, pulling Blaine away too by the sleeve. Kurt still didn't know whether or not to be angry. Blaine was defending him, but at the same time... No, Kurt assured himself. There is no excuse for violence, anywhere. He'd been fighting too hard and too long against it to sink to their level.
So, as it was, Kurt rounded on Blaine. "What the hell were you thinking?" he spluttered angrily.
"Look, Kurt, I know what you're gonna say," Blaine said quickly, holding up both his hands. "I'm sorry, alright? It was a – an error judgement. A big one. I shouldn't've – ever – I just – oh, god – " Blaine ducked his head and rubbed his eyes hard. When he looked up again, Kurt did a double-take. Were there tears in Blaine's eyes? "I'm so sorry, Kurt. I am. You have no idea how stupid I feel right now." He paused to take a breath. "Wait – how are you? You only just got discharged? Did something happen?"
Kurt was too surprised to be angry. That wasn't the reaction he'd expected. "I'm fine, Blaine," he said quietly. He paused. "How did you even know to come here?"
Blaine already guilty face went red. He reached into his pocket and pulled out – Kurt's phone. Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. At least he needn't worry about that anymore. "Some of the guys texted me. Well – you. I guess."
Kurt took his phone back and pocketed it. "Why did you do it, Blaine?" he asked wearilt. "Why beat up Karofsky? What good did it do?"
"It made me feel better."
"It made you feel better?" If anything, Kurt thought, it was him who needed to feel better, not Blaine. Blaine hadn't been in hospital all day.
Blaine heard the sarcasm in his voice and looked up. "Kurt, I know you had it worse than me, okay, but I just felt so – so awful. It was hard. I felt – helpless. He'd attacked you and there was nothing I could do about it."
Kurt frowned and shook his head. "You called the ambulance. You saved me, Blaine."
"I shouldn't have needed to!" Blaine exclaimed. He laughed mirthlessly, and Kurt could clearly see the tears in his eyes. There was no mistaking them. He felt his own eyes sting. "Kurt, he shouldn't have attacked you in the first place, and if – if he did it again... I just don't know what I'd do."
Kurt looked hard at Blaine.
"Kurt, if something happened to you... I don't know what I'd do." Blaine wiped his eyes and sniffed in a masculine sort of way. "And that idea, it just makes me so..."
"Violent?" Kurt suggested, trying and failing to stay angry.
"Scared." Blaine's brown eyes found Kurt's blue ones and held them there. "Kurt, I – you're so special, Kurt." He said it completely sincerely.
Before he knew what he was doing, Kurt had thrown his arms around Blaine's neck – not caring that Karofsky was maybe only feet away, and not caring that he was supposed to be mad right now.
"I'm not condoning what you did," he said after a while.
"I know," Blaine breathed quietly. Kurt felt the air tickle his ear.
The two boys stood together in silence, holding each other tightly.
Kurt was the first to let go. "I should go," he said, "to find Dad and Finn."
Blaine nodded. "Okay, Kurt. See you at school tomorrow?"
Laughing, Kurt replied, "just try to stop me. I've got enough catch-up work as it is."
Blaine chuckled, nodded a goodbye. "Be careful," he said.
Kurt smiled affectionately. "You too. See you later."
With that, Kurt turned and walked away, Blaine heading towards the gates and Kurt his dad's car.
Later that evening, Kurt's phone buzzed with a text from Blaine.
I'm glad you're alright.
Kurt immediately texted back.
Me too. Thanks.
He didn't think that he need say what the 'thanks' was really for.