Come What May

Kurt cried hard into his father's chest, trembling all over. "Daddy…"

"Shh, I'm here. It's okay, Kurt. It's alright, I'm right here. I've got you," he said softly, rocking him.

Burt had needed a day to calm down before he came up here. He'd never been so angry in his life. He'd never wanted to kill someone like this before. He'd been protective of Kurt since the day he was born, and it had only been heightened when he'd lost Elizabeth. He'd been angry for Kurt before, whether it be for a bully or someone denying him an opportunity he deserved.

But never like this.

He took a day so that anger would go away when he saw his son. He took that day so he would be able to hold and console him and not think about what he was going to do to the man that hurt him.

The father's heart twisted when Kurt looked up at him. God, he looked like his mother. His eyes were swollen and filled to the brim with tears.

"What did Blaine tell you?" He choked.

"He told me everything, son."

Kurt was bawling again, shaking his head.

"No, no, no…" He moaned.

"Shh…Kurt, it's alright."

He cried for a long time, curled against him, loathing himself. Why did Dad have to know? Why did this shame have to keep coming back? Burt rubbed his back, like he did when he was little, telling him over and over that it was alright, that everything would be okay.

Kurt pushed away, wiping his nose and standing. Burt frowned, confused as he walked away.

"Kurt?"

He stormed into the bedroom, finding Blaine on the couch reading a book. "Why did you tell him?" He asked brokenly.

Blaine looked at him, shutting his book and going to him immediately. "What?"

"You told him. You told my dad what he did! Why?" He was crying.

"Kurt," Blaine moved to take him in his arms, but stopped himself. That wasn't what he wanted right now. "I told him because he wanted to know what he did. He wanted to make sure you were alright. He wanted-"

"He didn't need to know!" He snapped. "He…oh, God, this…you don't know what this did to him!"

"Hey, hey," Blaine soothed, touching his cheek. "Shh…shh…It's alright. Everything's going to be okay." Kurt collapsed against his husband, allowing him to hold him. There tears in Blaine's eyes as he held him, trying to soothe his wounded husband. "Kurt, I'm so sorry, I…I just didn't know what to do. I thought that maybe your dad would be able to help you better than I could. I want you to stop crying."

Kurt looked at him, understanding how much this hurt Blaine too. "I'm sorry I upset you," Blaine continued swallowing his tears and keeping them from his eyes.

"It's alright. You're helping me. I…I don't know what to do either, Blaine," he whispered. He swallowed, looking back at the door. "I'm gonna go back out there," he nodded. "I haven't seen him in awhile."

"Okay," Blaine nodded, still smiling a little, willing to let Kurt do anything that might make him feel better. He gently kissed his cheek, noting Kurt's flinch. The pale boy smiled anyway and went back into the living room.

Blaine went into the bathroom, carefully shutting the door behind him before collapsing to his knees. He buried his face in his hands, and sobbed.

"I don't know what to do," Blaine confessed tearfully. "I don't know what I can do to help him get past this. I don't know what to say, or how to help him, or… Burt, what do I do?"

The older man didn't have all the answers. He didn't know how to really help a rape victim, he didn't know what exact criminal charges to file or anything like that. But he did know what his son needed when he was hurt.

"Blaine, all you have to do is be there. Just be there for him. Hold him if he wants you to, leave him alone if he asks you to. All he needs to know is that you're there if he needs you. Don't worry about saying the right thing, as long as you're saying it, it doesn't matter. He wants to hear your voice, he wants you to be there when he wakes up in the middle of the night scared. Just be there."

Blaine stared at him for a moment before looking at Kurt, who was sound asleep in their bed, eyes still swollen from previous tears.

"Just be there?" He breathed. Burt nodded.

"I didn't know what to do when his mom died," he said truthfully. "So I asked him," he chuckled softly. "He just looked at me and said, 'Just don't go with her, Daddy.'"

Another wave of tears crashed over him that he swallowed. "Okay, okay, I'll try. I'll do whatever I can."

There was a pause before Burt spoke again. "How's the play going?"

"Good," Blaine nodded, laughing a little. He'd forgotten all about that. "It's good. We open next week."

"And the son of a bitch that touched my son, he's in jail right now, right?"

Once again, Blaine nodded. "Yeah, they arrested him the night I took Kurt to the hospital. I called my friend Thad yesterday; he's a lawyer. He's gonna handle Kurt's case."

"Does he think you'll win?"

"He thinks there's a very small chance we'll lose. But he won't really say until he knows more about it. We're meeting with him on Monday," he explained. Burt glanced at his son.

"Does Kurt know about that yet?"

The dark haired boy bowed his head. "I haven't had the chance to tell him. I don't want to hurt him anymore than that bastard already has."

"He wants this to be over with just as much as you do," the older man assured. Blaine sniffed, nodding steadily.

"How long are you staying?" He wondered.

"Just for the weekend, unless he needs me to be here longer," he said. They both looked at Kurt for a moment. "I'm gonna get some sleep. You should too."

"I'll do my best," Blaine assured. He sat on the bed beside his slumbering husband, stroking his hair and rubbing his forehead. "I'm here, Kurt. I'm right here."

Blaine woke to the sound of Kurt moaning. He looked down at the boy in his arms, who was shaking, fresh tears on his cheeks, whimpers growing louder and louder.

"Blaine…" He moaned, curling further into himself. "Blaine, no, please!"

"Kurt," he said sleepily, shaking his shoulder. "Kurt, wake up, baby."

"Please, no…" He sobbed. "No, let go! DON'T!" He writhed in Blaine's hands, trying desperately to get away. "LET GO! Don't do this, please!"

"Kurt, it's alright, wake up. I'm not hurting you!" He touched his cheek. Kurt screamed.

"NOOOOOOOO!" He jerked out of his grip, rolling off the bed to the hard floor. Blaine jumped up immediately, bending beside him. He lifted his head off the floor, trying to hold him. Kurt was sobbing so hard he was choking, shaking all over, squirming from Blaine's hands, begging. "No, no, BLAINE! Nohoh, stop it!"

"KURT, WAKE UP!"

His eyes snapped open, still crying, still in agony. He searched the room before finding Blaine's face.

"It's okay, it's okay," he assured. "I'm not hurting you, baby, I'm not. It's alright."

Kurt wrapped his arms around his neck, tight, crying into it. "He was doing it to you," he gulped. "He was hurting you. I tried to stop him, but he'd hurt you worse. I tried, Blaine, I really tried."

"Shh…" Blaine felt tears in his own eyes. "I know, I know you did. It's okay. He can't hurt me, and he can't hurt you anymore, alright?" Kurt nodded, still crying into Blaine's neck. "Shh…come here, baby."

Gently, Blaine put his arm under Kurt's legs, holding him close and lifting him off the floor. He carefully set him down, looking up at the doorway at Burt, who looked tired and worried. Blaine nodded to him, signaling that Kurt was alright.

"Shh…I'm here, baby. I'm here. It's okay now. Shh…" He held him all night, kissing him and rocking him, making sure that he knew he would always be there.