The bell rang signaling the end of the day and Kurt couldn’t have been more relieved. He and Blaine stood, Blaine taking Kurt’s hand, and they made their way to the parking lot. They walked cautiously to Blaine’s car, maneuvering around the crowds of people, and Blaine helped Kurt into his seat. “Thank you,” Kurt said quietly. “No problem,” Blaine replied. He got into his own seat and they drove out of the parking lot. Not sure where they were going, as they still hadn’t decided what to do tonight, Kurt asked “So…where are we going?”

Blaine glanced over at Kurt, whose fingers were dancing across his armrest in a repetitive motion. “I have an idea. But it’s really stupid. But I think it could be fun.” Blaine said secretively. I wonder if I should be worried… “Well…are you going to tell me about said stupid, yet fun activity?” Kurt asked suspiciously. Blaine smiled to himself and replied with a worrisome “I will. When we get there, so you can’t back out.”

Kurt let out a puff of irritation. So that’s how its gonna be. The rest of the ride was completed in silence, apart from the sounds of the radio and Kurt and Blaine occasionally singing along. When the car slowed to a sudden stop, Kurt sat up a tad straighter and turned towards Blaine. He sat his head in the palm of his hand, whose arm was against the arm rest. “So, I believe I deserve to know what we’re doing now.” Kurt said, tilting his head. “Yes you do.” Blaine said and then paused. “Okay, so…I thought it would be cool if…we went ice skating. No, stop with your face! I know, I know, how can you skate blind? Well, I thought it would be fun to teach you. I used to go ice skating all the time with my parents before I hit high school. It was the highlight of my childhood and I would be honored to teach you. Please, Kurt? Just give it a shot? We can leave if you don’t enjoy yourself.

Kurt was incredulous at first. Ice skating? What is he thinking?! But listening to him explain how much he enjoyed it he softened. What harm could it really do if they stuck to the edges of the rink? Kurt relaxed and his mouth formed a small smile. “Okay Blaine, but if I can’t do it I am leaving. Faster than you can say Giorgio Armani.” Blaine let out a half shout, half squeal of excitement and jumped out of the car to retrieve Kurt. Kurt laughed as he was pulled out of the car and rushed to the, what he assumed, was an inside ice skating rink. Blaine pulled open the doors, Yup, indoors. and they were met with frigid air. Kurt pulled his jacket closer, glad he had remembered it that morning. He heard Blaine talk to a lady at the counter and Buy them tickets for their skates and access to the rink. “Kurt, what size shoe do you wear?” Blaine asked.

“Well, if it’s normal shoe sizes then a ten.” Kurt replied, pushing his cold hands into his pockets. Blaine got their ice skates and took Kurt to a bench to try them on. Luckily, they fit him well and he needn’t try another pair. Something soft and bundled was placed into his hands and he held it carefully, confused. “What is this?” Kurt asked, tilting his head to the right. Blaine laughed. “Oh, sorry. There gloves…I came prepared on the off chance you agreed. Turned out it’s a good thing I brought them.” Blaine said. Kurt blushed, embarrassed because what else would it be? He slowly untangled them and put them on, relishing the immediate warmth. Blaine took his hand, adding to the comfortable warmth and they hobbled their way to the wall separating the ice from safe, non slippery ground. Once Kurt reached out and grabbed onto the waist height wall, he felt nerves settle into his heart and make his legs wobble. There were loud voices reverberating off the ceiling making the place sound larger than it probably was. He heaved a heavy sigh, and took a step towards Blaine for support. “I don’t know if I can do it. People will run over me, I don’t even know how to ice skate.” Kurt whispered. Blaine wrapped a tentative arm around his waist, barely applying any pressure. “It’ll be fine, I will have you from one side, and you’ll have the wall on the other.” Blaine whispered back. Kurt nodded his head, to let Blaine know he was ready, and Blaine opened the little gate.

Blaine stepped onto the ice, and then looked back up at Kurt who was biting his lip anxiously. He latched onto Kurt’s slightly outstretched hand and pulled himself closer to the blind boy. Kurt reached out a shaky foot and it touched the ice. He then clung to the wall and put his other foot down. He stood like that for a moment then turned towards Blaine to smile. “I got it.” Kurt said. Blaine hovered around him just in case he fell, as Kurt pulled himself around the edge of the rink. “There you go,” Blaine said appreciatively. After one slow lap, Kurt decided he should try without the wall. He leaned towards Blaine and voiced his wants.

Blaine gladly complied, skating backwards to watch out for Kurt. It was good that everyone around them were skating in the center, because if it was crowded this could have been an absolute failure. Kurt let go of the railing and kept his balance by sticking his arms out. Blaine watched as Kurt stuck out his tongue adorably, and he concentrated.

When Kurt let go of the wall, he immediately feared he was going to fall over. But somehow he managed to keep his footing and he was slowly gliding forward in the frigid air. He felt each freezing breathe enter his lung cavity and warmly leave it as he made his progress. He felt someone skate right by and he tensed and stumbled but a strong arm wrapped around his waist and he managed to right himself. “Thank you,” Kurt said to Blaine. “Anytime” Blaine replied. “Now, I don’t know if you’re ready yet, but when you want to skate faster, all you have to do is press back your foot and then raise it so your momentum pushes you forwards. You just keep alternating feet like you regularly do.” Blaine explained.

Kurt listened silently, trying to absorb everything Blaine said because he couldn’t exactly watch him demonstrate an example. He did as Blaine said, pushing back his leg and then lifting it, and was surprised when he gained a little speed. He felt his face make a surprised look, lips parting slightly and his eyebrows rising. He did the same with the other leg and propelled further. He continued on making the same movement and Blaine gave him an excited “You’re doing it!” Kurt smiled and pushed himself faster still.

Blaine watched as Kurt got the hang of ice skating and felt a deep emotion swirl in his chest. He couldn’t put a name to the feeling, but it was a heavy comfortable weight that warmed his heart and made it pound with a ferociousness he didn’t know it capable of. He slowed down to watch Kurt skate his way down the length of the rink but then realized it was a mistake. Kurt was steadily gaining speed and there was a curve up ahead, which he was going to ram straight into if Blaine didn’t stop him. Blaine skated faster, easily closing the distance to Kurt as he had more skill, but they were speedily approaching the wall. “Kurt, slow down! Hey, watch out!” Blaine said loudly.

Kurt stilled his feet at Blaine’s shouted warning but he didn’t know how to stop. He glided forward confused with his arms out at his sides until someone put an arm across his chest and he stumbled against it. He curved against the arm that suddenly stopped his momentum, grabbing it with his hands, and his legs went forward ahead of him. The person belonging to the arm let out a shout and Kurt pulled both of them down. Kurt fell first, landing with his back on the ice and one of his arms trapped between him and who he assumed (and hoped) was Blaine. Blaine landed on top of Kurt, his chest against Kurt’s, but he was vertical while Kurt was horizontal. He arms were in front of him, catching his face before it almost hit the ice. Kurt tugged his arm free from Blaine and Blaine looked down at Kurt’s face as he pulled himself to his hands and knees. The look on Kurt’s face was so indignant that Blaine had to laugh out loud. He sat down next to Kurt who was still lying down and couldn’t help himself. He started laughing as people skated awkwardly around them, because when they fell they had landed in a stream of people.

Kurt lay there as Blaine laughed his head off, feeling the freezing ice beneath him through his jacket. “It’s not funny.” Kurt said. Blaine just laughed again. “Yes it is. You should have seen your face! It was absolutely priceless.” Blaine said enthusiastically. Kurt tried not to be sensitive about his choice of words, but couldn’t help but be a little hurt. “Well, try as I might, I wouldn’t be able to see what face I had made. So if you would help me up now?” Kurt inquired. Blaine’s laugh died in his throat. “Oh…Kurt I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me. I…I didn’t…” Blaine said as he got to his skate clad feet. He leaned down and grabbed Kurt’s gloved hand. Kurt made it to his feet with minor difficulties; his skates kept slipping away from him on the ice.

Kurt got to his feet and wiped his back off with his hand. “It’s fine. Let’s just skate.” Kurt started forward, leaving Blaine behind, mostly not on purpose. I don’t know why that hurt so much… Blaine caught up, and brushed his hand against Kurt’s like he did that first time at school, asking for permission. Kurt curled his fingers in between Blaine’s own and squeezed, to show him he was alright. Blaine tugged Kurt’s hand a little to the left to take them through the curve in the rink. “I really didn’t mean to.” Blaine said just loud enough to hear over the echoing voices sounding through out the rink.

Kurt lowered his head towards where the ice and his skating feet were. “I know. And I really don’t know why it affected me so much. It’s just a common expression.” Kurt said in equal volume. Blaine bumped his hip ever so lightly against Kurt’s jokingly. “Wanna get out of here? We can go wherever you want. We have all night.” Blaine said. Kurt mulled it over and decided, yeah, he would be okay with leaving. I’ve had my fill of ice skating. “Let’s go.” Kurt agreed. Blaine led them back around to that little gate and exited, pulling Kurt up with him.

They dropped off their skates and walked back to Blaine’s car in their usual companionable silence. They got it and Blaine was silently thinking of places they could go. They could walk around the park, Blaine thought. Or they could….well; the park is a good idea. “The park.” Blaine said confidently. “The park?” Kurt asked anxiously. Kurt knew it was only a dream, but thinking about the park brought back a flurry of memories; the warm breeze tickling his face, Blaine’s beautiful lullaby and comforting heat, then suddenly the confusion and the cold and the falling. Kurt shuddered and pushed the thoughts away. “Uh huh. That okay with you?” Blaine asked, turning towards Kurt. “That’s fine.” Kurt said quietly.

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Blaine parked his car in the park’s parking lot, and looked over at Kurt who was wringing his hands together and biting his lip. “If you don’t wanna go we can just hang out at my house or something.” Blaine said, wondering what was wrong. “No, no the park is fine! I promise.” Kurt said quickly, reaching for his door handle. They got out, Blaine walking around the hood to grasp Kurt’s hand. They walked through the warm air, breeze tickling their faces, down a winding path outside the center of the park. This was Lima’s only park, and it consisted of a child’s playground and a small lake in the direct center which the path wound around. It was surrounded on all sides but the side they parked on by a thick outcrop of trees. The sound of children playing was brought to their ears by the wind and they listened to the joyful noises in silence. Blaine pulled them half way around the lake and then directed them towards a large grassy patch partially shaded by the towering trees that was farther away from the playground, leaving them in mostly silence.

Blaine tugged them both to the ground and lay down but Kurt stayed sitting, leaning back on his hands. Blaine fiddled with the grass beneath his fingers in the sunlight, basking in the warmth, and then glanced up at Kurt who was awash in the sunlight’s glow. His chestnut hair was shining and tints of almost red were making themselves known. His cheeks were glowing in the heat and Kurt’s eyes were staring straight up into the sun that he couldn’t see. It was an amazing effect and Blaine could hardly tear his eyes away. “It’s a gorgeous day out.” Blaine said into the stillness. Kurt lowered his head down towards Blaine’s voice and replied with a hushed “Yeah, it feels great.”

Kurt lowered himself to his back and his arm brushed Blaine’s but he didn’t pull away. Blaine leaned his head against Kurt’s shoulder and just enjoyed the tranquility of the moment. “What does the sky look like?” Kurt’s voice broke the silence. “The sky? It… well right now it’s pretty cloudless. A bright blue, you can almost see the suns rays reaching towards the ground.” Blaine said in reply. Kurt nodded his head. “Can you…the clouds that you do see, can you describe them?” Kurt asked shyly.

“Yeah, of course. There’s one a little to the left of us, it’s all fluffy. I guess it kind of resembles a… a goat! Yup, it looks like a goat. Then way way off in the distance past that one is a cloud that looks like a long thin disk. And then on the other side of us is a small puff, it looks kind of like a cheeto ball. Then there are others, but they’re far away.” Blaine said, turning his head up towards Kurt’s own. Kurt nodded again and then said “Thanks. I just wonder sometimes, you know? I can’t really remember what things look like and it worries me. I thought maybe being told would help me picture it and it kind of worked.”

“That’s… just know if you ever want me to describe something I’m here.” Blaine said in sad tones. “Thank you.” Kurt said, turning his head towards Blaine and was shocked when he felt Blaine’s lips press against his. Again, he tensed for a second but then relaxed. It only lasted a few seconds but it was the reassurance Kurt needed. The sun was setting, casting an orange-pink glow over the clearing. Their peaceful bubble of quiet was then shattered by the loud approach of teenage boys entering their patch of grass. Both Kurt and Blaine immediately sat up, surprised by the formerly unannounced guests.

“Well lookie here boy’s. It’s Hummel and his new boyfriend.” Said a voice. Azimio, Kurt heard Blaine get to his feet as the grass beside him crunched in the shifted weight. Kurt tensed, hoping they would just wander off somewhere else. He wasn’t so lucky. He heard three pairs of footsteps cut through the grass in his direction. Kurt got to his feet and felt Blaine brush their hands together in a sign of support. Kurt tilted his chin up, in a look of disdain and took a step away from the approaching figures. “Why so scared Hummel? What, were just here for a little friendly chat.” Said a different voice that Kurt didn’t recognize. There was the sound of a struggle and then Blaine cursed. Kurt didn’t know what was going on so he took another few small steps away from the noise and walked into something solid. The something solid was sadly not a tree, but a person, and the person grabbed Kurt’s arms and held them behind his back. It wasn’t as painful as it was uncomfortable but it was frightening and most definitely unwelcome so Kurt pulled against his captor to no avail.

Kurt huffed as he was pulled back into his captors grasp roughly. A figure in front of him approached until Kurt felt his hot breathe on his face. Kurt turned his face away from it, his mouth curling down into a frown. “Listen here, Hummel. We don’t want you parading around with your little homo boyfriend, ya hear?” Said Azimio. “Well, last time I checked this was a public park, and we weren’t exactly making a show of ourselves were we?” Kurt said bitingly.

“Oh, we gonna be using attitude are we? I don’t appreciate it. I might have to show you a lesson. Or I could show your little boy toy one. Yeah, that sounds like a lot more fun.” Replied Azimio with a sneer. Kurt gasped and reared back into his captor, trying to stop whatever it was that was going to happen to Blaine. “Not so quick homo,” Said the body holding him back. Kurt tugged again but was grabbed back, this time his captor wrapping his arms around his shoulders and chest, leaving him no room to break free. He heard Azimio walk away towards Blaine and then a punch and a large intake of breathe from Blaine. Kurt screamed “Blaine!” But a hand was then placed over his mouth, muffling his shouts. The person dragged him away, backwards, as Kurt heard Blaine’s pained cries. Kurt struggled; thrashing his feet, but that only caused the jock to grip him tighter, hurting his shoulders. Kurt didn’t know where they were; only that he was being led farther and farther into the surrounding trees of the park. Slowly, Blaine’s shouts of pain got quieter and quieter until he couldn’t hear them anymore. How long have we been walking? Suddenly, his captor let him out of his clutches and spun him in a tight circle. When he let go, Kurt fell forward to the ground; his equilibrium had been thrown off. He heard the jock say “Night, fag.” And then the figure retreated leaving Kurt lost in the park with no way of finding his way back.

Kurt slowly got to his feet and brushed his hair out of his face, letting out a shaky breathe. How do I get back to Blaine? Kurt took a tentative step forward and reached out with both hands, hoping he didn’t run into a tree. What time is it? All around Kurt was silence except for the rustling of leaves and an occasional chirp from a bird. Kurt started a slow, hesitant procession to where he heard the bully leave. His hands made way from tree to tree, and Kurt started getting more nervous. there’s no way for me to reach anyone. What if no one is even here anymore? Kurt called out “Blaine?” and got no reply. He continued forward, repeatedly calling out things like “Hello?” “Someone there?” and mostly “Blaine?” And with each shout he became more harried and exasperated. Kurt’s foot snagged on a root and he fell forward, thankfully catching himself before he face planted into the grass and dirt. He stayed down for a moment, and then got to his feet, brushing off his knees and hands reflexively.

After a few more minutes of screaming and getting no reply, Kurt stopped in his tracks and leaned against a tree. He slid to the ground and pulled his knees to his chest, capturing them with his arms, and lay his head down on his knees. His throat was hoarse from his yelling and he couldn’t help but let a small tear escape and trail down a corner of his face. He sat and listened to the crickets, and the night creatures prancing through the trees. Kurt’s breathing became slower and heavier as he got more comfortable against the tree. As he sat there in the lulling noises of the park, he fell into a fitful sleep.

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Blaine groaned. He couldn’t get a grip on what had happened. He rolled to his side on the grassy ground and blinked, taking in his surroundings. He was still on the ground in the park. He had bruises on his side and face; he felt them as they dully throbbed. Lifting a hand to his eyes he rubbed and then slowly got to his feet. It was dark outside, so he had been unconscious for anywhere from one hour to several. He looked around the clearing feeling like he was forgetting something, something important. He and Kurt had just been…Kurt! “Where was Kurt?” Blaine thought. He grabbed his cell phone out of his back jeans pocket and checked the time. His phones clock read 10:30. He shoved his phone back into his pocket and took off at a brisk pace into the surrounding trees. He had watched one of the football guys take Kurt this way. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted “Kurt!” and after a few moments silence he tried again. Still getting no answer, Blaine hustled faster.

All around Blaine there was a cloak of silence save for the noise of bugs. He whipped around in a circle when he heard a twig crack but saw no one. He let out a breathe he didn’t know he had been holding and walked backwards, and then turned around searching through the trees once more. Blaine kept looking, and looking, and looking. He pulled out his phone again and saw that it was nearly 11:15. Blaine groaned in frustration and screamed “KURT!” still only greeted by silence. Blaine’s thoughts were passing through his head at a rapid pace. What if he wasn’t even here? What if they took him away or…maybe Kurt was safely at home? That last was highly improbable but Blaine clung to it. Wait a moment, Blaine thought; I have Kurt’s phone number! He ripped his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts until he reached “Kurt (:” and pressed call. He gripped his phone tight and pressed it to his ear. It started ringing and then Blaine thought he heard music.

Slowly turning on the spot he listened hard, pretty sure he wasn’t imagining it. He walked forward towards the sound until Kurt’s voicemail started in his ear and the music stopped. He looked down at his phone and called Kurt again, listening as yes, the music started again. It sounded almost like… a Lady Gaga song. He kept forward as the music steadily grew louder, not looking at the ground. He tripped on something too big to be a tree branch and slammed to the parks floor. Blaine gasped as he hit the ground, also noticing how loud the music was from here. Blaine turned his head and….Kurt! Kurt was there, Leaned against a tree with his legs sprawled out in front of him. The music was coming from Kurt’s pocket. Wondering why Kurt hadn’t been answering his phone, Blaine looked at Kurt’s face and saw the boy was fast asleep against the tree. Blaine got to his knees and stumbled to Kurt’s side and then picked out Kurt’s phone from his pocket. He turned it off and put it in his own pocket, then brushed the bangs out of Kurt’s face. Deciding not to wake the sleeping boy, he picked him up easily in his arms. It was like he weighed next to nothing. Walking back the way he came, he tried his best not to jostle the sleeping Kurt in his arms. He picked his way carefully through the trees for what felt like next to nothing compared to the time it took to find him and broke into the clearing in the trees to the little patch of grass they had been laying on. Blaine walked along the path back to his car and carefully pulled the back door open then lay Kurt down onto the back row of seats. Kurt mumbled in his sleep then curled into the seat, resting his head on his arms. Blaine smiled at the sight and closed the door, walking around the hood of the car to his door. Hoping Kurt’s father wouldn’t be too angry with him when he dropped off his son, he started the ride to Kurt’s house in silence.

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Kurt was bouncing. The surface he was laying on was slowly rocking up and down in an uneven rhythm. Kurt rubbed his nose and then turned his head to where he was pretty sure “up” was. He pressed his hand down into the surface beneath him and thought it felt like…leather. I’m in a car? His hands moved on the seat and felt something hard and plastic that he was pretty sure was the seat buckle of a car. Definitely In a car, then. But who’s car? Blaine’s? Kurt slowly sat up, turning so he was facing forward. The motion didn’t go unnoticed by the person driving and Kurt heard a quiet but cheerful “Hey your up!” It was Blaine’s voice so Kurt relaxed into his chair, leaning against the back of it. “How did I get in your car?” Kurt asked confused. He remembered being dragged away by that dreadful jock and feeling lost and then just, nothing. “Well, I woke up and you were gone. I freaked out and went looking for the woods and there you were, fast asleep against a tree. I was so worried. For a second I thought you were just gone. If I couldn’t find you…” Blaine sounded so heartfelt that Kurt blushed. “I thought I was gonna be stuck in those trees all night. No one answered my calls for help and after awhile I just got tired of trying. I guess I fell asleep.” Kurt said, still blushing slightly.

“Just…let’s try not to let that happen again.” Blaine said, both in a silent agreement to stop the conversation. Blaine turned on the radio not that Kurt was awake and they listened to Ke$ha sing about being addicted to someone’s love. Kurt and Blaine settled into the comfortable silence they tended to end up with and continued the car ride listening to the catchy new songs from the radio station. When Blaine slowed to a crawl and pulled into Kurt’s driveway, Kurt went rigid in his seat. My Father is going to be furious. “Uhm, Blaine…do you think you could take me to the door?” Kurt asked, trying to prolong the inevitable talk with his Father. “Sure” Said Blaine, a tone of confusion hinting at his voice. Blaine got out of the car with his brows furrowed and preceded to open Kurt’s door. He grabbed the porcelain boys hand and they walked to the door. Kurt knocked on the door and Blaine turned towards him wondering what he was doing. There were hurried footsteps and then the door was wrenched open. Burt stood in the door, an extremely worried look coloring his face. When he saw Kurt, there was visible relief on his face and then Kurt was pulled away from Blaine into a bone crushing hug.

“Ow, ow, ow!” Kurt protested while struggling in his Father’s grasp. Burt pulled back a little and looked at Kurt’s mostly unharmed face as his old bruise was still fading then to Blaine’s freshly bruised one and stepped back completely. He took a step in the door then motioned for Blaine to come in while saying “In, Kurt. Let’s have a talk.” Blaine looked in horror to Kurt’s uncomfortable looking facial expression, and then walked into the Hummel-Hudson household scared of what was to come.