Curled under a large comforter and feeling far too warm Kurt cracked open an eye and looked around, yep he was definitely alone and definitely in Blaine's room. Throwing the comforter off him he stood quickly and swayed at the sudden rush to his head, bracing himself on the dresser until he regained his balance he bent and grabbed his boots from the floor and headed towards the door.
Glancing at his watch his face creased in confusion as he realised that he had lost several hours. Had he really slept that long? Pulling the door closed behind him Kurt padded down the corridor in his socks, his boots swinging back and forth in his hand. He felt stiff but at least he was no longer emotionally wrung out like he had been earlier that day, the sleep, regardless of how untimely it had been had obviously done him the world of good and the fact that he had talked things through with Blaine definitely added to his new lighter mood.
Reaching his room he opened the door and walked inside, dropping his boots with a loud thump he nudged them with his foot until they were set against the wall not quite tidy but not abandoned either. Closing the door he turned to his full length mirror to assess the damage to his outfit. Appraising it sadly it was as he had feared, the jeans were beyond saving. Although most boys his age would have cut off the legs at the knees where most of the damage was and made a pair of rough shorts Kurt could not comprehend this kind of fashion blasphemy so they would have to go. His top was undamaged but was insanely creased from where he had been sleeping for the last few hours. Raising his hands to the buttons he popped them free one at a time slowly allowing the shirt to fall off his shoulders removing each arm in turn but catching it before it had a chance to hit the floor. Crossing the room Kurt dropped the shirt into the hamper before pulling open his dresser draw and grabbing a plain white t-shirt, not his usual style but his current mood warranted comfort and simplicity, pulling open a second draw Kurt considered a pair of sweat pants before deciding on a pair of regular fit jeans instead.
Slowly Kurt pulled the shirt over his head and slipped his arms through, pulling the shirt down to meet the waistband of his now ruined jeans. Popping the button on his denims he pulled the damaged article off and with a reluctant expression and an audible sigh threw them in the direction of his trash can. Bending slightly he scooped up the alternative jeans and stepped into them, pulling them up quickly but leaving the button undone as he sat at his dresser.
Assessing the tear stained streaks on his face Kurt grabbed a wipe from the pack on his dresser and closing his eyes, pulled it slowly across each one in turn and down each cheek. Peering back at his reflection he nodded slightly to himself as he considered his fresh appearance, his hair was okay and his face was now streak free, the only downside was that the bruise was now clearly visible since he had wiped off what little concealer had been left following the tears. Deciding that there was nothing he could do about the bruise and since Blaine knew all about it, he didn't feel inclined to attempt to cover it up again. Hopping up from his seat he grabbed the used wipe and dropped in into the trash, cringing sadly when it landed on top of the jeans he had placed there moments earlier; he would absolutely need to replace them but the thought of going to the mall just now was more than he cared to think about. Reaching down Kurt buttoned his jeans and pulled the bottom of his t-shift out from where it had caught in the waistband, absentmindedly smoothing it down as he walked over to his wardrobe to grab his sneakers. Pulling open the door Kurt cast an eye over the boxes which were stacked in the bottom of the wardrobe, he knew his sneakers were in there somewhere but he didn't wear them often so exactly where they were was a bit of an open question. Squatting down on his haunches he began to open a few boxes, closing them again after peering inside and not finding his objective. After shuffling several boxes around Kurt finally discovered them nestled in a box along with a pair of football boots which he had purchased for Dalton but thankfully had yet to wear.
Grabbing the sneakers he closed the wardrobe door and made his way back to his bed; perching on the edge he pulled each one on in turn, tying the laces securely as he did so. Standing Kurt shook his jeans to cover the sneakers so that only the front was visible, catching himself in the full length mirror Kurt couldn't help but notice that he looked surprisingly normal. The white t-shirt although plain, fitted him well and showed his toned physique to devastating effect, the deep v-neck accentuated his long neck and highlighted his pale skin and collar bone. The jeans, although not a favourite certainly balanced him out proportionally and as they were not contained in ankle boots made him appear more masculine. After assessing the outfit from all angles, Kurt decided that the simple look worked well on him and appealed to him in a James Dean kind of way, silently he wondered if Blaine might have a fifties kink.
Turning back to his dresser he grabbed his phone and keys and headed out of his room and down the corridor in the direction of the kitchen.
"See you guys later" Blaine yelled over his shoulder waving a hand in the air as he made his way out of the common room and began heading back toward his room. He had been gone longer than he intended but he figured that since Kurt needed rest he could get away with leaving him to sleep for a while and still have time to get back before he woke.
Walking briskly down the corridor toward his room he nodded greetings at passing students, Blaine managed to avoid having to stop and chat, opting for a casual "hi" or "how's it going" as he passed by. Luckily the corridors weren't too busy yet as most students would be returning this evening and those that had remained were most likely cramming in their due homework.
Taking the handle to his door in his hand, Blaine took a deep breath and pushed it open slowly; poking his head around the door he straightened immediately when he realised that his bed was now empty. Pushing the door fully open he stepped in and took in the room with a sweeping gaze.
"Shit" he muttered realising that Kurt had clearly woken in his absence and was now gone astray.
Backing out the room again and pulling the door closed behind him, Blaine hurried along the corridor to Kurt's room; knocking confidently and calling "Kurt, baby it's me", Blaine waited patiently for his boyfriend to answer.
"Kurt" he tried again, "Come on Kurt, please open the door", he implored bracing his hands on the door frame and bringing his ear to the door to listen for signs of movement.
"Kurt" he tried again, "Kurt are you there?" still he received no answer. Anxiety slowly began to creep from the pit of his stomach towards his chest, turning from the door he headed back in the direction of the common room.
Kurt stood leaning against the counter in the kitchen. He had made himself a ridiculously large cup of black coffee and was currently waiting for a muffin to warm under the grill; as he slowly raised the cup to his lips taking a long drag of the hot liquid he looked out across the grounds through the large window. There were students milling around in the grounds now, some dragging cases clearly returning from their weekend at home whilst others were just enjoying the bright, crisp day before returning to classes tomorrow. Kurt glanced to the bruise on his wrist and frowned.
He didn't want to be scared of Dave, although he knew this was inevitable. The guy was at least twice his size after all, but really, why should he be scared?
"because he'll beat the crap out you" his subconscious helpfully supplied.
"Not if I keep away from him" he mentally argued.
"you know that won't happen, you know he'll find you again, you can't hide here forever" it whispered.
"He's just a coward, a scared little boy" he chipped in again.
"yeah, a very large coward with a very large fist" his inner voice sarcastically replied.
Shaking his head Kurt lowered his mug, still holding it with both hands, not caring about the heat burning his palms as he continued to stare into the distance, lost in his own thoughts.
Kurt's eye caught the swirling actions of a bird as it glided effortlessly on the air currents, rising and falling gracefully against the airstream. The bird moved beautifully, it was free, free from constraints, free from tethers; it could come and go as it pleased. Kurt felt an impulsive pang of jealousy that such an existence seemed so easy. Sure the bird had some natural enemies but for the most part it could swoop and glide and hover as it pleased, Kurt smiled as the bird settled on the tip of a branch on one of the larger tree's outside the kitchen's window, his reverie broken as the smell of burning reached his nose and he swung about to see black smoke wafting from the grill.
Spinning around Kurt placed his mug roughly on the counter, coffee sloshing over the side and pooling around the base as he did so. Twisting the knob on the grill to off he grabbed a cloth from the side and pulled out the tray to reveal a rather blackened muffin, cursing he fanned the smoke and crossed over to the window to open it and allow the smoke to clear.
Sighing heavily he took the charred remains of his snack and dropped them into the trash.
"Kurt?" came a voice from the doorway, "Babe, you okay?"
Turning from the trash Kurt looked into the concerned eyes of his boyfriend.
"Oh hey" smiled Kurt, "yeah, you know I didn't think that there'd been enough drama around here so I thought I'd start a small fire" he joked.
Blaine considered him as he walked into the room, he looked good, very good in fact and not at all how he had expected to find him. He had thought that Kurt would still be upset, possibly curled up in his room wearing pyjamas and eating peanut butter from the jar but here he was, looking gorgeous, if not a little bruised, which in truth only added to the overall look. Blaine was at a loss as to what to say as he crossed the kitchen and placed his hands on Kurt's waist.
"Hey" he smiled, pulling him into a firm embrace, "I was worried when you weren't in my room when I got back, I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up."
"Blaine its fine, really" Kurt replied, "I didn't expect you to watch me sleep, I'm fine, I promise" he said gently placing a soft kiss to his boyfriend's nose.
Blaine swallowed thickly, "so" he said softly against Kurt's lips, "what were you cremating just now?"
"Oh that" laughed Kurt pulling away and taking up his mug again, "that poor specimen used to be a muffin but it's not looking good, I don't think it's going to pull through" he smirked, raising the mug to his lips again and taking a long drink.
Blaine watched Kurt's throat as he swallowed the warm liquid, he watched the way it tightened and relaxed and he watched the way Kurt's eyes twinkled as he laughed at his own comment.
"So..." he smiled.
"So...?" asked Kurt watching him from over the top of his mug.
"So...How about I take you out?" Blaine asked carefully, "you seem to be feeling better and you look great" he added spontaneously.
Kurt quirked an eyebrow, the corners of his lips raising slightly.
"Ah, what I mean is... That you look much better. Better than I thought...
Another eyebrow quirk.
"I mean, not that I didn't expect you to look good, what I mean to say is that I thought you'd still be upset..." struggled Blaine.
"Honey, I am upset" clarified Kurt, "but you know what? I can't change what happened and I can't imagine that it's the last time it will happen, so..."
Blaine let out a low growl at this comment and Kurt put down his mug and made his way over to his boyfriend, gently rubbing his hands up and down his arms in a soothing motion.
"So..." he continued, "I've decided to just get on with it, you know life goes on and all that jazz" he smiled, making small jazz hand movements with his hands hoping to make Blaine smile again without success.
"So let's go out, I feel okay, you've already said I look okay" said Kurt.
"You look amazing" cut in Blaine.
"Okay then I look amazing" smiled Kurt graciously "albeit a little boyish."
"You know boyish looks good on you" spoke Blaine in a lower register, "suits you" he added.
Kurt looked down at his outfit and blushed, pulling at the hem of his shirt as Blaine placed his hands on his waist again and began to pull him closer.
"Are you hungry" Kurt asked coyly.
"Most definitely" replied Blaine eyes boring into Kurt's as he leant closer.
"Yo Klaine" came a shout from the doorway.
"You have got to be kidding me" groaned Blaine.