I was only half paying attention to the prime time comedy that was on the television, as my eyes kept darting to Kurt sitting on the couch beside me. He was wrapped up in a comforter, insisting he wanted to feel warm, half dozing off. After awaken from a third nightmare though, he was refusing to close his eyes. His father's suggestion that he go to his room and climb in bed had resulted in a near panic attack.
As I watched, Kurt's eyes closed and his head started to dip before he jolted awake. Even I could see that he was exhausted.
Grabbing the throw pillow that was stuffed between me and the side of the couch, I put it in my lap. "You need to lay down, Dude," I told Kurt, reaching out a hand slowly toward him.
"I'm not tired," Kurt managed to get out before yawning.
"You were saying," I said with an amused laugh.
"I don't want to close my eyes, Finn. I don't want to relive this afternoon again."
An arm around his shoulders, I started pulling him toward me. "I'll be right here, dude. No one will be able to touch you. Just lay down."
Hesitantly, Kurt settled down with his head on the pillow in my lap. I tucked the comforter around him securely, before resting my hand on him protectively. Looking down I saw silent tears rolling down Kurt's pale cheeks. I hated seeing people cry.
"Come on, don't cry. Everything's going to be okay," I told him, wondering if I should call for his dad and let Burt handle this.
"I'm sorry," Kurt said, reaching a hand up out of the comforter to wipe away tears.
"You don't need to apologize, I just hate seeing people cry. I always feel so helpless."
"How do you think I felt this afternoon. For the past couple of weeks when nothing I seem to do would convince Karofsky and the others to just leave me alone. Or when Karofsky kissed me."
"Whoa, what? Karofsky kissed you?"
"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. He said he'd kill-" Kurt's voice broke and I saw more tears well up in his eyes.
Suddenly things were a whole lot clearer to me. Karofsky's increased torment of Kurt. Kurt's weight loss and withdrawn attitude. Kurt's nightmares about this afternoon when Karofsky almost had followed through with that threat.
"He's never going to lay a hand on you again," I told Kurt, reaching for the hand he had used to wipe his tears away. I gave his hand a squeeze, hoping to reassure him of the conviction of that promise.