Disclaimer:
"Glee" belongs to Ryan Murphy
"Dalton" belongs to CP Coulter
It was Sunday night. The stars were hidden behind the clouds that hovered above, predicting an oncoming storm. Reed shivered and pulled his jacket closer as he ushered Daisy into her caravan. A few droplets of rain fell, marking his shoulders and the elephant's hide. "C'mon girl." he muttered, slapping her hide. He followed the elephant into the caravan.
Daisy settled herself down in her bed of hay while Reed filled up her trough with water. "You probably drink half your weight a day." he mumbled, struggling under the weight of the bucket filled to the brim. Daisy made a prim noise and turned away. Reed rolled his eyes at her antics.
There was a knock behind him. Reed called out cheerily, "Yeah?"
"Er, Reed?"
Reed spun at the sound of the voice and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Kurt standing in the doorway.
Kurt seemed to be holding himself together. There were some dark marks that showed on his cheekbones. Water soaked his shoulders and hair and his eyes were sad. Yet he held himself in a way that showed the world that it could throw whatever it wanted at him, and he would still not be broken. He held a large Vera Bradley bag in his left hand and had a backpack slung over his shoulder. "Kurt, what-?"
"I don't really want to talk about it right now Reed." Kurt pursed his lips, looking a little sorry that he had had to say that. Reed shrugged. "Okay. C'mere, get out of the rain."
Kurt stepped into the caravan, nose instantly wrinkling at the smell. Reed giggled. "Yeah, I know. It takes a while to get used to. But I've been around it so long, I can hardly smell it anymore." Kurt managed a smile at Reed's outgoingness.
When Reed was finished, he and Kurt went back out into the rain. Reed locked the door to the caravan and turned to Kurt. "Do you want to know where Blaine's camper is?"
Kurt nodded. "Yeah, I forgot where it was."
Reed shrugged. "No problem; follow me." Reed grabbed Kurt's hand and they stumbled through the rain. Reed brought Kurt down once when he slipped. "Sorry, sorry!" He said hurriedly, helping Kurt up. "I'm accident-prone."
Kurt smiled. "It's alright. Not like these clothes weren't ruined before."
Reed eyed the bag in Kurt's hands. "How much clothes do you have?"
Kurt shrugged. "Not a lot. I didn't…have much time to pack."
Reed's eyes sparkled. "Well, we look about the same size, and I've got plenty of stuff. You can borrow mine for now, until or unless you want some new ones."
Kurt smiled gratefully. "Thanks Reed."
Reed stopped in front of the camper that Kurt remembered from yesterday. Reed rapped on the door. "Blaine?"
In the camper, Blaine pulled on his pajama pants and walked to the door. He pulled it open. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Kurt standing beside Reed. "Kurt?"
"Hi Blaine." Kurt said plainly, attempting a smile. Blaine stood there for a moment before jumping to into action. He grabbed Kurt's hands and pulled him into the camper. "Jesus Christ, Kurt! What're you doing out here in this weather?"
Kurt shrugged his shoulders. Reed stepped into the camper behind them, feeling awkward. Everyone knew that Blaine already had a crush on the newcomer, and this felt like a private moment. "I'll go get you some dry clothes Kurt." he said. Both Kurt and Blaine nodded in thanks and Reed left the camper.
Blaine observed Kurt, who wasn't meeting his eyes. It was Sunday night, two days before Kurt was supposed to officially join the Cirque. So what was he doing here at this hour?
"Kurt?" Blaine raised his hands to Kurt's face, turning it gently as he took in the dark bruises on Kurt's cheeks. Kurt winced as Blaine passed his thumb over them. "Hey…" Blaine said softly, raising Kurt's face so that Kurt met his eyes. "…I'm right here."
There was a single moment of silence before Kurt flung himself into Blaine's arms, sobbing hysterically. Blaine clutched him tightly, letting Kurt smother himself in Blaine's shoulders. Blaine moved carefully to the bottom bunk, still holding Kurt.
A few minutes passed. Reed carefully stepped into the camper, wincing when he saw the scene. He caught Blaine's eye and set the clothes down on the dresser. Blaine mouthed thanks and Reed nodded silently, leaving.
Finally, Kurt raised his head. "Thank you." he murmured, voice hoarse. Blaine sighed and reached out, wiping the tears away from Kurt's face. "Sorry about that…" Kurt looked away from Blaine.
Blaine shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Here –" Blaine stood up and grabbed the clothes that Reed left. "Reed left these, you can change. I'll turn my back." He offered a wan smile, which Kurt barely returned.
Blaine faced the window while Kurt changed behind him, humming and leaning back and forth on the balls of his feet. The window was streaked with tears of the clouds. Blaine always liked the rain, well, as long as he wasn't in it. But no matter where you were, it always made that place seem cozy.
His eyes narrowed when he saw a faint light in Logan's camper. As he watched for a few more seconds, the light flickered and turned off.
He remembered the look on Logan's face when he had first introduced him to Kurt. The look he hadn't seen since he himself had received it over a year ago. His thoughts darkened as he thought of that time. He shuddered inwardly. Whatever happened, he wasn't going to let Logan do to Kurt what had been done to him.
"I'm done." Kurt said quietly. Blaine turned around and smiled fondly at Kurt.
The two sat leaning against the headboard of the bunk, pressed closely together. Despite his predicament right now, Kurt couldn't help but revel in the sense of security that Blaine gave.
"So…" Blaine began, unsure of where to start.
Kurt sighed. "My grandparents found my bags under my bed. They confronted me about it, and it…" Kurt shivered. "…got a little violent."
Blaine sighed. "How'd you get out?"
"I climbed out the window. Took off."
"Do you have your car?"
"No. They'd be able to track the license plate or whatever."
Blaine looked down at Kurt sorrowfully, wondering how it was possible for someone to look so drained. Kurt's eyes were half-closed, and he struggled to keep them open.
Blaine sighed once more. "Well, I don't think Harvey will have any objections to you joining early. You'll just have to lay low for a bit."
"They know I was going to come here…do you think they'll call the police?"
Blaine shrugged. "Maybe. If they do, we can just show them these – " he motioned to the bruises on Kurt's body, "- and I think they'll be easier than to return you. Most likely Harvey and Sylvia will demand custody. That's what happened to me and Shane when we arrived."
Kurt twisted his head. "What's your story?"
Blaine looked down into his lap, guilt crossing his face. "Um…well, our parents were…big homophobes. We were both in the closet and it was torture for us to listen to them say how disgusting gays were. I think I actually got sick a few times.
"Well, I came out and…it did not blow over well. I got shoved around, I ended up bleeding…Dad wouldn't let me hear the end of it. They were going to send me to a camp for the summer. They sent me down to the bus stop, and on the way…I ran away. I couldn't take it. And I left Shane behind." A single tear fell down Blaine's cheek.
"I didn't make it far out of town before I went back. I couldn't leave him. He's still my baby brother." Blaine smiled fondly. "So I went back to the house during the night. Knocked on his window. He packed his stuff and we left for good…I'll never forgive myself for thinking about abandoning him though."
Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand comfortingly. Blaine looked down, brushing his thumb across Kurt's hand. It was very warm, and despite the depression of the story, he couldn't help but feel tingles on his arm.
"We wandered around for about a month until we found the Cirque. It was like a blessing, really. We were running low on food, Shane was sick, we were both ready to drop from exhaustion…and they just took us in. Didn't even bat an eyelid. Shane became a trapeze artist, and Harvey took me on as an apprentice." Blaine finally grinned, letting his head loll back. "Our parents did call the police and they did find us. But Harvey fought and he won. A lot of the members of the Cirque have been adopted by them. And life's never better."
On the contrary - his life had gotten better when he saw Kurt sitting in the chair in Harvey's office. A whole lot better.
Kurt smiled. "That's quite a story." Blaine noticed his eyelids drooping and shook his head. "Look at me; I'm boring you with my tale when you should be getting some sleep."
Kurt shook his head furiously. "No, no it's fi – " his statement was interrupted by a huge yawn. Blaine laughed. "Yeah, you're tired." He got up from the bed. "Get some sleep. And sleep in the morning. You'll need it. I'll tell Harvey you're here."
Kurt nodded in thanks, already missing the warmth that Blaine had radiated.
Blaine climbed up to his bunk and pulled the covers up. "Good night Kurt. Sleep tight."
Kurt smiled dreamily, already dozing off. "Good night Blaine."
Blaine switched off the light and lay quietly for a few minutes. It wasn't long before he heard Kurt's peaceful breathing beneath him. He closed his eyes, listening to Kurt sleep, before his inner voice told him to knock it off, stalker. Geez.
Despite these thoughts, he fell asleep to the sound of Kurt breathing. And it was, without a doubt, the best lullaby he had ever heard.
AN: Klaine fluff! Blaine's story! What does Logan have in mind? I wonder…oh wait. No I don't. I already know ;D ...okay I'll stop being mean.
Hope you're all enjoying it so far! Reviews are appreciated!
Love Lala, xoxo