Kurt lowered the phone and took a deep breath, feeling hurt and confused. Him and Blaine hadn't even been on a proper date yet and he'd already upset the boy twice.
He kicked at a pebble with the toe of his white dark martin, refusing to let his tears fall. Whatever this was, it was obviously Blaine's problem. Kurt was going to have to wait for Blaine to come to him.

He sighed loudly into the air, shoving his hands deep in his pockets as he waited for his step-brother to pick him up. He shivered hard and he felt himself wishing he had Blaine's Blazer draped back over his shoulders. He'd ruined a perfect night, sometimes he really felt like he couldn't do anything right.

Eventually the familiar car pulled up and Kurt smiled in relief, hurrying to scramble in.

"Okay Dude?" Finn checked as Kurt clipped on his seatbelt.

Kurt nodded, "Yeah thanks."

It wasn't until they were almost half-way home that he realised that he hadn't thanked the warblers for inviting him. He chewed his lip for a second before pulling out his phone, sending a message to Blaine.

Hey, I'm sorry. Tell everyone I say thanks for inviting me, I had a lot of fun.- Kurt.

Kurt wasn't surprised that he still hadn't received a reply by time they were home. However he tried to put on a smile, for his family's sake.

"Hey Sweetheart, have fun?" Carol asked him as he got rid of his outer wear.

Kurt nodded, "Yeah, it was good."

"So who's this Blaine kid?" Burt asked straight away, making Kurt groan.

"Can we not right now? I'm so tired, I just want to go to bed," Kurt begged.
Burt narrowed his eyes. "Fine, but tomorrow I expect a true answer"

Kurt nodded in agreement and thanked Finn for his lift, checking his phone one final time before he planned on going to bed.
Meanwhile Blaine had just gotten off the phone with his Dad, letting out a sigh as he went back into the dorm room to say goodbye to his friends and Kurt.

"Everything okay Blainey?" Wes asked him softly.

"No," Blaine shook his head, "I've got to go but...thanks, this was really fun...Where's Kurt?"

"He went off after you didn't he?" Nick asked, looking a little confused.

"Yeah, but I told him to..." Blaine's face dropped. "H-He's not back here?"

Nick shook his head, "No, he just rushed out after you, we haven't seen him since."
Blaine gulped, "Fuck. I ruined it, I ruin everything, God!"

"What...Blai-"

"Thanks for the party, congratulations guys." Blaine interrupted cutting of nick, before he turned and left.

He rushed out and down the steps, pulling out his phone again and seeing the text from Kurt, running a hand through his curls. He fumbled with his phone, retyping the message four times before sending Kurt an 'I can explain!' He stared at the screen, wishing hard with all his will power that Kurt would let him explain.

Kurt rolled over and groaned checking his phone, sitting up when he saw it was from Blaine. 'Blaine, I'm really tired' He text back.

Blaine bit his lip.

"Okay, I'm just...I'm really sorry. I hope I haven't ruined things between us, if you'll let me, I'll explain later, sleep well xxx"

Kurt sighed. 'Sleep well Blaine xxx'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four miserable days passed.

Neither Kurt nor Blaine had heard from the other boy.

Kurt would find himself tapping out a message on his phone, only to erase the whole of it, and throw it down in frustration. He had no idea if Blaine was still mad at him, or even wanted to talk to him at all. He'd said that he'd explain his actions but Kurt hadn't heard so much as a breath from him.

Blaine on the other hand, had received a particularly brutal telling off from his father, and had spent the last four days without a phone or laptop. And instead was now the owner of a fading purplish bruise on his cheek. After what felt like years, Blaine was allowed to go on his daily trip to the coffee shop, unable to stop the butterflies in his stomach when his hair wouldn't go right and his bowties just didn't look straight no matter how hard he altered it. He had wanted so badly to explain himself to Kurt, or at least let him know he was thinking about him. But without a phone or the internet-all Blaine could do was count down the days till he'd get to see him again, and hope he'd hadn't done too much damage.

When he finally walked into the coffee shop his stomach dropped at the sight of Kurt leaning over the counter to talk to a tall, muscular guy with dark eyes and hair. Kurt laughed at something the guy send and rolled his eyes before handing the guy something that looked sweet and fizzy and a muffin, ushering him away... And then Kurt looked up, and the electric blue eyes widened when they landed on Blaine still standing in the doorway. Blaine took a deep breath and walked forward, unable to put a smile on his face as his gaze kept flickering over to the guy Kurt had been talking to.

"Hey!"

Kurt smiled at him, "It's good to see you."

Blaine nodded, looking at the floor and feeling stupid, he can't believe Kurt had found someone else already.

"I'll have my usual, please" Blaine mumbled

Kurt saw his gaze flicker to the guy he'd just been talking with, and he smirked as he turned away to get his order. He glanced back at Blaine, who once again was trying to subtly stare at the guy with distaste. He grabbed a pen, grinning widely and wrote once again on the corner of his cup, butterflies in his stomach at the sense of déjà vu.
'Cute bowtie but it doesn't match jealousy very well'. He scribbled neatly, praising his own wittiness.

He paused for a second before drawing a tiny love heart too and passing the cup to Blaine with a smile, "Here."

Blaine took it and mumbled his thanks before going over to his normal table and throwing himself down, spinning the cup between his palm like he always did while waiting for it to reach a suitable temperature. The message finally caught his eye and his froze for a second, his cheeks heating up before he looked over at Kurt who was smiling at him softly.

Blaine looked back at the message for a second before he noticed that the coffee shop was pretty much empty and stood up, going back over to the counter and chewing on his lip.

"Hey," He said again, "How are you?"

"I'm good, how are you?" Kurt asked with a smile.

"I'm good" Blaine nodded, "So..who's the guy?"

"What guy?" Kurt asked, teasing.
"Ya know, the one I'm supposedly jealous of?"

"Ohhh, my step-brother?" Kurt laughed softly.

Blaine hung his head. "Oh..."
Kurt laughed again, "Don't worry, it's cute." "

"Kurt. I would have called." Blaine looked up. "My dad he er, took away my things" He scratched the back of his head, looking away.

Kurt let out a little breath, "I-I thought you were mad at me."

"What?! Kurt you've done nothing wrong" The light cast down on Blaine, making the bruise on his cheek stand out and the bags under his eyes more prominent. "Please believe me"

Kurt gulped, "B-Blaine, you're face, what...?"

"N-Never mind about that," Blaine shook his head, "You haven't done anything okay? I'm the one who should be saying sorry." Blaine breathed.

"I am so sorry Kurt" Blaine's eyes pleaded with Kurt's. "I just...C-Can...I need a hug, please Kurt"

Kurt's eyes widened, "Sweetie," He whispered, lifting up the counter so Blaine could rush behind and bury his face in Kurt's shoulder as soft tears trickled down over his cheeks and the older boy held him close.

Kurt whispered soft nothings it to Blaines ear. "it's ok, are you hurt? Let me see that cheek"

"N-No, please Kurt, can we just...," Blaine clung to Kurt tighter, "Just hold me, please," he whimpered pathetically.

Kurt nodded, holding him tighter. "Okay"
Blaine sniffled, nuzzling closer and closing his eyes.

"M' sorry," Blaine whispered, feeling his body relax a little more against Kurt's, "I'm really...I'm really just messed up. Sometimes I just need a little...comfort," He explained with blushing cheeks.

Kurt nodded, resting his cheek on Blaine's hair. "We all do, you're not messed up honey"

"I haven't ruined us have I?" Blaine sniffed, pulling away a tiny bit.

"No, of course not," Kurt shook his head and cupped Blaine's chin,
tilting his head up to get a better look at the bruise and tracing his finger over it lightly.

"Does it hurt?" He asked softly.

Blaine shook his head no.
"not anymore" he smiled weakly.

Kurt let out an angry breath and kissed the mark lightly without thinking, watching delight as Blaine's cheeks heated up into a warm blush, "Is it my fault?" He asked with a frown, tracing the mark with his lips again softly.

"why would it be your fault?" Blaine asked, his eyes closing at the feel of Kurts lips against his skin

"Because I wouldn't just let you talk to...your dad I'm guessing, and you kinda stayed late there because of me," Kurt bit his lip with a guilty expression, "Was it? You're dad who....who...who..."

"Who hit me?" Blaine whispered, Yes."

Kurt cringed, "Blaine..."

"Don't. Just...please, I don't want to think about it," Blaine begged, pulling Kurt impossibly close to him again.

Blaine wouldn't admit it, but in Kurt's arms was the only place he felt safe at the moment. He snuggled closer, trembling.

"It's not your fault Kurt, not at all. It's mine," Blaine told him, "But it doesn't matter now okay?"

"No. No Blaine its' never okay to hit someone, this isn't your fault," Kurt shook his head and kissing the top of Blaine's curls.
Blaine clung to Kurt tighter.
"K-Kurt?"

"Hmm?" Kurt hummed, stroking his hand down Blaine's back comfortingly.

"Will you go out with

me?.....Please?"

"what do you mean?" Kurt whispered.

"Like a proper date," Blaine whispered back, "Like a movie or something?"

Kurt nodded, kissing the side of Blaines head. "not a movie, dinner, so we can talk. We've kind of done things backwards'

Blaine laughed awkwardly, "Y-Yeah, okay. Thank-you.

"still, it doesn't stop me wanting to kiss you right now" Kurt breathed

Blaine blushed, glancing around to make sure the shop was still pretty much vacant and seeing Kurt's brother playing on a Gameboy and practically inhaling his muffin.

Kurt bit his lip, his hands coming to rest on Blaines hips

Blaine made one final scan of the coffee shop before he looked up at Kurt with a hesitant smile. He knew it was stupid, they'd done a hell

of a lot more at the party, and they'd only been the tiniest bit drunk, but somehow without the babble of voices and the music it seemed a lot more important. Just him and Kurt with nothing else but the smell of coffee and eager lips and he stepped up on his tiptoes a little bit to kiss the older boy.

Kurt melted into the kiss, eyes closing, his mind spinning quickly. He kissed back eagerly, blaines lips hot against his own. A hint of

Coffee and mint lingered there. Kurt felt Blaine's hand caress his hips and back and he had to remind himself firmly that right now what not the time or place to start moaning erotically and..

"Can i get another muffin?"

Kurt pulled away from Blaine to see his step brother standing at the counter with chocolate spread around his face and eager eyes. He stared at him in disbelief for a second, but the tall teen still seemed oblivious to

what he'd been interrupting. Kurt reached behind Blaine, pressing the close together in the process, and grabbed another triple chocolate muffin and passed it over to his brother who jogged happily back to his seat and his games console .Blaine couldn't help the laugh that escaped him.
"your brother is adorable" Blaine whispered. "he's like the BFG"

"He's an idiot," Kurt corrected with a fond tone and smile in Finn's direction.

"I don't know. it looks like he managed to figure out he can scrape free muffins off you when you're working here," Blaine pointed out.

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "I never thought of that" Kurt said, yawning.

"Tired?" Blaine asked, brushing a stand of caramel hair back from Kurt's forehead.

Kurt nodded, leaning into Blaine's touch. The door opened with a bang, causing Blaine to jump. A crowd of McKinley guys walked in, wearing letterman jackets. Blaine cowered away slightly, flinching when Kurt reached out to touch him.
"What's wrong?" Kurt asked softly, pulling Blaine into a comforting hug only to be pushed away harshly.

Blaine's eyes flickered from Kurt to the football players, back to Kurt again. By now he had backed himself up against the corner.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, trying not to feel hurt by Blaine's reaction.

Blaine just shook his head. Kurt was forced to pay attention to the customers when they reached the till, the biggest guy handed Kurt the money while the others found there seats. Kurt had to concentrate hard on their orders. The sight of Blaine on the corner stuck in his Mind. The guy sneered heavily at Blaine as he waited for his orders, causing Blaine to start shaking uncontrollably.

Kurt carried out the task automatically, without thinking about it, handing over the cups and forcing a smile on his face to the customer. The guy thanked him, giving one last look at Blaine for joining the rest of his team in the corner of the cafe. A whimper from Blaine made Kurt snap into action. He spun around and bit his lip when he saw Blaine curling in on himself, pressed against the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible. Kurt approached him cautiously, softly touching his arm.
"Want to get out of here?"

Blaine flinched away from the contact for a second before he made a desperate grab for Kurt, any part he could reach, which ended up being the edge of Kurt's apron, his knuckles white
"Yes p-please."

Kurt nodded, keeping a firm grip on Blaine. They took the back exit so Kurt could tell his boss he was going on his lunch break, and because walking through the main entrance where the boys had sat didn't seem like a very appealing option. Once Kurt had safely ushered Blaine to his car, he turned.

"What was all that about, are you alright?" He stared at the younger boy who looked like he was close to throwing up, or passing out... or even both.

Blaine just stared at the floor as he waited for Kurt to unlock the door, gripping hold of Kurt's arm.

Kurt sighed. "Blaine...you have to help me out here, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong with you" "N-Nothing, M' fine, " Blaine muttered, "Can we just...Go, please?"

"Fine...Fine? Blaine, that word cannot be used to explain a guy that broke down on practically a stranger, or a guy that just had some sort of fucking anxiety attack in the corner of a shop. So don't stand there telling me you're fine. Because I'm not buying any of it."

Blaine winced away, taking a step back and gulping back tears, "I-I-I.."

Kurt let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm sorry, look let's just calm you down and we can talk" Kurt stepped closer to Blaine.

"Maybe i should just go..." Blaine offered quietly.

"No" Kurt whispered. "I've just got you back, you're going nowhere"
Blaine blushed and looked away before he looked up at Kurt tentatively through his lashes, "Okay."

"Want to come back to mine for a bit?" Kurt asked, taking in the lines under Blaine's eyes.

Blaine bit his lip; "I don't...my Dad..." he trailed off, looking unsure.
"He won't find out ...if that's what you're worried about, when do you need to be home?"

Blaine looked down at his wrist for the time, "I still have a few hours, let's go." Kurt smiled weakly, opening the car door for Blaine. "We'll pick yours up on the way back"
Blaine nodded, smiling in thanks as he was just about to slip into the car before he paused and hesitated for a moment, looking up at Kurt and biting his lip before he pressed a soft kiss to Kurt's cheek and slid down into the car.
Kurt smiled, walking round to the driver's seat.

He was going to get to the bottom of Blaine Anderson if he died trying.