As promised, the doctor stopped by to see Blaine, the following morning. She poked and prodded at him for what felt like far too long, while asking a series of ridiculous questions that he could only assume were to see that he hadn't lost his memory, and that he didn't have any loose screws. She asked for his parents' contact details, too, but he gave her the same excuse that he had given to Kurt, the previous night.
"Oh my god, I just realized! Your parents don't even know that this happened! Blaine, what's their number? I can call and let them know that-"
"No, no. You can't. They're... on vacation. They're in Europe, so they switched to different phones for the few weeks that they'll be over there. I don't know the new numbers off the top of my head..."
Kurt hadn't questioned anything.
Once the doctor left, Blaine sat up and rubbed his eyes. He still felt exhausted, even after the decent amount of sleep that he had gotten. The blow that he had taken to his head and the muscle pains in his lower stomach were seriously weighing him down.
Kurt and his family had gone straight into the kitchen that morning, to let the doctor attend to Blaine. Now that he was on his own, it seemed only right to join them and thank them for being so welcoming. When Kurt's parents and step-brother had arrived home last night, Blaine had already been fast asleep. All three were glad to know that Blaine was okay and resting, but secretly, they all felt a little disappointed that he wasn't awake. They were curious.
He limped toward the kitchen door and knocked gently before entering, feeling a little nervous. The door creaked. Heads turned.
"Blaine!" Kurt's glowing smile was the first thing that caught his eye. He smiled back, but knew that he should probably address the parents of the house, first.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hummel? Um, hi, I never got the chance to talk to you guys until now. I just really need to thank you both so much for how much you've all donne for me. I really –" Kurt's father raised his hand, gesturing for Blaine to be silent. "Kid, firstly, you can call me Burt. Come sit down and have some breakfast while you talk. You must be starvin'!"Blaine couldn't deny that. He walked to the table, trying to hide his limp, but he could tell that it was still obvious.
He sat next to Kurt, feeling slightly uncomfortable. He owed these people - these wonderful people - so much, but what could he possibly do in return? Feeling almost guilty for the hospitality he was receiving, Blaine took the plate of food that was handed to him, while "You're sure you're feeling okay, now?"was asked more than once.
"So, Kurt told us that you two have a lot in common!" Blaine swallowed a mouthful of eggs and raised his head to face the woman sitting opposite him. The pair had spent the previous night getting to know each other a little better. Kurt's fascination with the Royal Family was beyond amusing to Blaine, for some reason. "Yeah, it definitely seems that way. His Broadway knowledge puts mine to shame, though." He glanced to the side, watching the expression on Kurt's face become just a little more smug.
"Oh, dude, are you gay, too?"
Blaine chewed his food for longer than necessary before replying. Kurt slapped the arm of the boy to his left, and hissed "Finn!" That was it. Finn. Blaine had completely forgotten all of the names that had been mentioned to him, last night. He was watching Blaine sheepishly, smiling a little. It was obvious that the question hadn't been asked with any hint of malice.
"Uh... yeah, I am."
The evening before, when the two had been alone, Kurt hadn't been able to contain a rant about how attractive he found Johnny Depp, when a commercial for one of his movies appeared on TV. Blaine had said nothing, but he hadn't been able to hide the smile that managed to force its way onto his face, at the time.
Letting a family like this, who were obviously accepting of Kurt, know that he was gay didn't seem like an entirely awful idea. He felt much more comfortable around them already.
Blaine focused his attention on his breakfast once more, and didn't see the smirk that Carole shot in Burt's direction, when she noticed Kurt staring across the table at Blaine, after his little "announcement". Luckily for both of the boys, Burt didn't notice, either. Embarrassing conversation avoided.
"Blaine, you can't!" Kurt was glaring at him. One hand rested on his hip, the other was waving about it the air as its owner stressed his point. "You can't go home to an empty house after taking damage like that to your head! What if you fall unconscious? What if –"
"Kurt, Kurt, look..." Something as simple as knowing that he cared was making Blaine's heart swell. Nobody usually cared.
"I'll be okay. I can't crash on top of you guys forever. You've all done enough for me. Too much, actually."
"But..." Kurt sighed. "When will your parents get back from Europe?"
"I'm, um... not sure, exactly."
"Blaine, I've talked to dad and Carole. They don't mind you staying here for a bit longer. The couch is all we have to offer, but, I'd feel better knowing that you're here. If anything were to happen to you while you're alone that could be prevented..." Kurt shook his head. "No. Seriously, please stay. You can't be alone while you're hurt like this."
Blaine even lied to try and get around Kurt. He suggested that he could stay with a (non-existent) friend of his family's. That's when Kurt reminded him of one of his earlier lies. "I thought you and your family didn't know anybody here at all. You said that you just moved here."
"Yeah, but... I have a cousin here."
"... Blaine, you just told me that it was a friend of the family."
"Did I?"
"Yes."
"I... meant a member of the family."
"Uh-huh. Have I told you that you're a terrible liar, yet? Because you really, really are."
After almost half an hour of trying to get the truth out of Blaine, Kurt finally managed to break him.
"Fine! ... Fine. I'll tell you. But, Kurt, this is just between the two of us. Please." Kurt nodded and eagerly watched Blaine, frowning at the way his face fell before talking.
"I... ran away from home. I don't actually know anyone here. I've just been... getting by, I guess, for the past few weeks."
Kurt blinked a couple of times before responding. "Why?"
"Let's just say that my dad isn't exactly the type of guy that'd be happy at the sight of a rainbow flag."
"Oh. But... running away from home, I mean, that's... that's pretty serious, Blaine. What if –"
"... He called me a faggot and he hit me."
Kurt noticed the way Blaine's voice had just cracked. He froze. For a short moment, he looked sympathetically at Blaine, through widened eyes. Then, without a second thought, he took a step closer and pulled him into a hug.
"Then you're definitely staying here. I'm not letting you go back to that, or to being stuck with nowhere to go. You're staying with me, and don't you dare attempt to argue."
Blaine held onto Kurt, and refused to let him go. He couldn't remember the last time he had been hugged. He held the taller boy a little tighter than was necessary, but Kurt definitely didn't mind it. It was obvious that this was needed. Kurt was just about to speak again, when he felt Blaine weakly trembling against him. It took him a moment to register what was happening.
Blaine was sobbing into his shoulder, and the only thing that Kurt could do was hold him close, whispering "Shh, shh," reassuringly, and let him cry. Everything that had happened over the past few weeks seemed to hit Blaine at the same time. All of the pain he had tried to bottle up and push into a forgotten place had somehow found its way to the surface.
Blaine never had anyone to turn to, in the past. He was used to crying alone.
This felt different.
He clung onto Kurt until his tears eventually subdued. When he slowly lifted his head, his eyes were swollen and bloodshot. They met with Kurt's eyes. Kurt's beautiful, perfect eyes, which he had to look away from. He must have looked awful. Looking at the floor seemed like a better idea, for now.
"I'm sorry, I didn't... I don't know where that came from, I just –"
"Blaine, stop apologizing. Crying is better than letting things build up." Kurt tilted his head to meet Blaine's eyes again. He noticed how beautifully coloured they were, beneath the pain that was so heartbreakingly obvious in them.
"You know that I'm here to listen, if you need to talk, right? It really seems like you do."
He couldn't. Not a chance. Not now.
"No. I'll be okay. I feel a little better just after crying, and after –" He couldn't say "after hugging you", could he? That sounded a little desperate in his mind. "After everything you guys have done for me. You, especially. I know it sounds really cheesy, but honestly, you have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you. I'll make this up to you. Somehow. I promise."
Kurt smiled. "Well, you'd better get used to it. You'll be stuck with me for a while." He gently rubbed Blaine's arm in an attempt to reassure him, but found himself having to consciously take his thoughts away from how well-toned it felt. "... Now, I'll make something for us to eat, okay? And later tonight, I think you and I need to sit down and have a little discussion with my parents."