Kurt hissed as the ice pack made contact with his face, reigniting the earlier pain that came with having a hard rubber ball thrown at him.
"It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you," Blaine whispered soothingly in his ear.
"I know," Kurt whispered back, near to tears. "It's just so humiliating. Dodge ball was something we did for fun as kids. But now it's become so much more vicious. If high school's changing us like this, what will college do?"
Blaine pulled the ice pack away briefly to press a kiss to the inflamed skin surrounding Kurt's eye. "I don't know, honey," he replied, a sad smile on his face at the sight of his Kurt in pain.
They sat in silence for many minutes, hands clasped together on top of Kurt's ice pack, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Your turn, Mister," said Kurt at last, discarding the ice pack and motioning for Blaine to stand.
"I'm fine, Kurt, honest," he pleaded.
"You took one too many hits for my sake today. Let's see the damage," Kurt demanded.
Sighing resignedly, Blaine pulled his t-shirt off in one smooth motion. Kurt took a moment to admire his boyfriend's well-defined abs and the way his muscles rippled with strength. Then he noticed the bruises littering his chest.
"Blaine!" he squeaked.
"It's nothing, Kurt," said Blaine, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
"Nothing?" Kurt hissed, his voice having taken on a deadly quality. "You think that's nothing?"
"Yeah, basically. It's not like I regret anything. It was for you, after all," Blaine said patiently.
Kurt closed his eyes. "Don't say that," he whispered. "I'm not worth it."
"And I say you are," Blaine insisted. "I love you, and taking a few hits during a game of dodge ball is the least of what I'm willing to do or go through for you."
Giving a long-suffering sigh, Kurt approached Blaine, a tolerant smile on his face. "Thank you," he murmured, taking one of Blaine's hands in his and kissing the knuckles gently, "My knight in shining armor."
"I do what I can," said Blaine modestly, shrugging off Kurt's praise.
"You go above and beyond the call of duty, Blaine Warbler," said Kurt.
Blaine tensed, which would have been imperceptible to all but Kurt. "Don't call me that," he pleaded. "I'm not a Warbler anymore. I shed that persona along with my blazer."
"Is this about Finn?" asked Kurt shrewdly.
Inclining his head, Blaine acquiesced to Kurt's observation.
"He's an idiot," Kurt declared.
"He's also your brother," Blaine replied. "And, as such, deserves your loyalty."
"He deserves nothing of the kind," said Kurt vehemently. "He's done nothing but pick on you and criticize ever since you joined the New Directions. He's no different than Dave, and 'befriending' Rory doesn't make up for his treatment of you. I can't even begin to offer an excuse—."
"I wouldn't expect that of you," said Blaine gently. "I'm sure he has his reasons."
"Don't you start," Kurt groaned. "He doesn't deserve you any more than he deserves me. I wish there was something I could say to make it all better . . ."
"You worry too much," said Blaine, chuckling slightly. Moving to embrace Kurt, he drew him in to his arms and held him close. As such, he could feel the moment Kurt sighed, and the way his shoulders dropped as he allowed himself to relax.
"I only worry because you don't seem to worry enough about yourself," Kurt quickly countered. "Somebody has to, and it might as well be me."
"And I wouldn't have it any other way," said Blaine, smiling into Kurt's hair and pressing a brief kiss to his brow.
"I love you, Blaine," said Kurt suddenly, pulling away to look up into his boyfriend's startled eyes. "I hope you know that."
"Yeah, I know," Blaine replied easily. "I love you too."
The pair shared a passionate kiss, each exploring the other's mouth, until a lack of oxygen forced them apart. Breathing heavily, they fell backwards on to Kurt's bed, assuming their habitual position which found Kurt nestled securely in Blaine's arms. Dodge ball had taken a lot out of them, and they were exhausted. Before sleep claimed them, though, Kurt found enough energy to claim Blaine's lips in a sweet and chaste kiss, before allowing his head to fall back on to Blaine's shoulder.
And that was how Burt found them when he went upstairs to investigate their silence. Smiling to himself, he decided to leave them be. It was rare for them to find an opportunity to let go and just be themselves, and he certainly wasn't going to deny them these few precious moments.