Blaine took a deep breath as he stared at the school from the safety of his car, his lashes lowering over his dark eyes when he turned his hard gaze to his shaking hands. Itd been a few days since their return from California, and Blaine was more than disappointed that he had to leave the place where he could just hold Kurt and not fear getting recognized. He could be Kurts completely, but now he was back to faking a grin and watching Kurt from across the hall. His jaw tightened, but his tense expression went away when a gentle hand stroked him. He had no idea how he did it, but Kurt was always good at reading Blaine like an open book.

Turning his head and staring at Kurt through his heavy hair, Blaine frowned at him. He held still as Kurt brushed his hair off his forehead, then he looked away again. A pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders, and he heard Kurt scooting across his seat. Suddenly, warm lips touched his cheek, just a peck that made Blaine lift his head again. "Youll be just fine." Kurt cooed in his ear, still smoothing and rubbing him. "I promise."

Trusting Kurt to keep him safe, Blaine opened his car door and set a foot on the cool pavement. The wind snapped at his face, slowly getting colder with each passing day. He shuddered and stuffed his hands in his pockets, then he strode around the car to collect Kurt, who was wrapped in a white pea coat. He tucked him under his arm when he shivered, and he walked across the parking lot. He was aware of every stare they got, every grimace, and it hurt him more with every person they came across.

Keeping himself from bursting by watching his feet, he concentrated on every step, counting the pebbles he kicked and the leaves that blew by his heels. Before he got to fifty pebbles, his vision went black and he had to stop counting. He felt his head crack against those pebbles, and they scraped his skin. Shocked and dazed, Blaine gasped to get his breath back. He couldnt figure out if he had tripped or if he had run into something because hed had his head lowered, but he almost screamed when he felt something sharp plunge into his skin. At least, he thought it was his scream.

Something that felt like a semi slammed into his back, making him shout and roll over onto his stomach. His hair was ripped at, and his head was jerked up from the ground. Pebbles stuck to his cheek, so deep in his skin he worried that they would never fall out. Getting a brief image of a pair of pink flats, Blaine closed his eyes when he was dragged up to his feet. His cheeks burned from hard slaps, and his ears throbbed from thunderous shouting. "You faggot!" He made out in short pauses when his hearing wasnt cut off by the sound of his skin getting pummeled. "You faggot! You faggot!"

Blaine cracked his eyes open and saw Karofsky in front of him, his face red with heat and a look of absolute fury stuck on him. Hed never seen Karofsky look that way before. Suddenly panicking, Blaine snapped his head to the right and desperately searched for Kurt, who was crying something at Karofsky. His vision went black again and he felt something wet on his cheek, and then he smelled rust. Half opening his drooping lids, Blaine let his head loll to the side, just barely catching the flash of something metal.

His eyes snapped open when what felt like steel wrapped around his neck, tightening until he couldnt suck in a breath. The ground left his feet as he was hauled into the air, and he stretched his legs, desperately trying to put his heels down. "Stop fighting me!" Someone roared in his ear, making him flinch. He recoiled at the feeling of something sharp pressing to his neck, drawing a thin line of blood. "Ill slit your throat, you fucking faggot! That way you wont be able to blow him anymore! Did you blow him when you left with him? Did you like it? Did he taste good? You faggot!"

Blaines head rolled backwards and he realized he was going to pass out, his breath becoming shorter. He wondered if Karofsky had already slit his throat, but he couldnt tell. All of his body was on fire. "Karofsky!" He heard a tiny voice squeak, and he tried to peer through darkness at a little figure. He couldnt make out much because his vision was foggy, but he watched a tiny boy push and slap Karofsky. "Karofsky, let him go! Please dont hurt him!"

Karofskys voice almost sounded monstrous, so low and guttural, "Get away from Blaine!" His body was yanked against a huge chest, and a pair of arms suffocated him as he was squeezed. Since the hand left his neck, he inhaled sharply and coughed a few times, his throat still too tight to get a full breath. He was distracted from his breathing when he heard a quiet shriek, and he opened his eyes as wide as he could and saw Kurt fall to the ground. He had a red handprint on his tear streaked face, and even though he was writhing in agony, he forgot about his pain and freed his arms with a hard jerk backwards.

He slammed his fists into Karofskys chest, making him stumble backwards. He didnt fall over, but he did look shocked, which gave Blaine the chance to finally be stronger than Karofsky. "Never hurt him!" His voice shocked even himself, raspy and low, like a horrifying beast. "I hate you!" Hed never said anything against Karofsky-at least in front of him-so the alarm on both of their faces must have been mirrored.

Covering his mouth and wondering what would happen to him now that hed said what he wanted to after so many years, he watched Karofsky fall apart. Blaine had always been Karofskys source of power, even more than Azimio, for some reason that he wasnt sure about, and now that he was gone Karofsky almost crumbled. Almost. "No, Blaine..." Karofskys voice trembled, his face screwing up as he shook his head. He took a step toward Blaine and held out his hands, but Blaine jerked backwards. "Blaine, you dont know what youre doing. Its that fag... hes done things to your head. You dont know what youre talking about. You and me are together."

He reached out for a strand of Blaines hair and caught the end of it between two fingers, but Blaine smacked his hand away and snarled. His eyes widened, then they snapped over to Kurt, who had curled himself up to be as tiny as possible. He started to lunge at Kurt, but Blaine took a step to the right and blocked him with his leg. A shock of pain jolted through his thigh, and he bit back a yell. Pulling back, Karofsky turned his head between Blaine and Kurt, and a slow smile twisted his pale lips. "Fine... you can fuck him." He barked at Kurt, hitting Blaines chest and making him teeter. "But Ill get your ass back."

Striding by Blaine and pausing to put a hand on his butt, Karofsky whipped around a corner of the school and disappeared from their view. Blaine stood completely still for several seconds, listening to Kurts soft crying and peeping. His body ached everywhere, and blood was running down his skin and seeping into his clothes. Turning his head to Kurt, who had his face hidden behind two small hands, Blaine bent down to comfort him, but his stomach lurched. Pain burst from below his chest, and he collapsed to the ground beside of Kurt.

"Blaine!" He cried out, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. Blaines body convulsed as he tried to roll over onto his side, to keep himself from Kurt. He hated that Kurt had finally seen the secret hed kept private for so long, that he was really a weak rag doll under Karofskys violent hands. "Oh, dear. Please... hold still."

Blaine stopped moving, but he wasnt sure why, and he felt Kurts hands brush over his arms. His voice became very thick as he spoke, "Let me help you. Youll be okay." Something warm was draped over him, and he lifted his lids to see Kurt sitting beside of him, wrapping Blaine in his coat. "There... thats better, isnt it?"

Tears filled Kurts eyes and he shook his head, then he reached down and lifted Blaines head from the ground. He whimpered when Blaine coughed, still gagging for a breath, "Shh... Blaine, open your mouth. Take a deep breath. Y-Youre okay."

Letting his mouth fall open, Blaine gulped a few breaths, his throat opening a little more each time he swallowed. He was still so sore, but all he could think about was the bruise on Kurts cheek. He lifted a shaky hand and touched the large print, making Kurt blink, "A-Are you hurt?"

Another tear rolled down Kurts cheek, "Youre black and blue, my darling. Let me take care of you now. I need to take you home so I can nurture you better." Slowly wobbling to his knees, Kurt tried to lift Blaine, but he was too heavy for him. "Oh... put your head on me. Ill take you to the car." After Blaine nuzzled into Kurts shirt, grateful for his warmth, Kurt struggled to his feet, careful not to jerk Blaine around.

The walk to the car seemed to take hours for both of them, Blaine limping beside of Kurt and holding onto him as tightly as he could, and Kurt trying not to lose his grip on Blaine, even though he wasnt strong enough to support all of his weight. By the time they got to the car, Blaine was panting and moaning, and Kurt was more than glad to tuck him away in the passenger seat.

Blaine leaned on the back of the seat, hissing when his bruised back rubbed the cushion the wrong way. His head bobbed toward the floor, too heavy to hold up, and he stared at his red jeans, stained with dark splotches. His bloody pants rubbed against the fabric of the car seat, and before he even blinked, all he could see was red. He wasnt sure if it was just the blood that seemed to be raining from all over his body, or if he was blacking out.

The next time he lifted his head, Blaine almost yelled because of the screeching in his head, his vision fading in and out as he tried to figure out where he was. At first he thought that Karofsky was still whacking him, breaking every bone in his body, because everything in his body seemed to be shattered. His skin burned and his muscles pounded, but then a pair of blue eyes entered his vision. He calmed down just enough to focus on those blue eyes, those beautiful eyes that were swimming in tears.

"Blaine?" a sweet voice whispered his name, and he jumped at the feeling of fingers running through his hair. They scraped over his scalp, the oval nails gently brushing his reddened skin. He stopped gasping and stared up at those blue eyes, a pair of pink lips slowly appearing in his eyes. They lowered to his skin, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Blaine stared up at the little chin that was close to his eyes, the skin so pale and flawless. "Youre okay. Look at you... youre awake! This is so good. Youve been asleep for so long... I was so worried."

Blaine still didnt understand what was happening, but when that blond head turned, he caught a red mark on that perfect cheek. A low snarl ripped from his throat, surprising the pretty boy above him. "Blaine..." he peeped, pressing two small hands to the sides of his head. "Its okay... youre safe. Youre home."

Home. He was home. He wasnt home... at least, he didnt think so. His house always smelled so bland, but all he could sniff was flowers, a lovely smell that made his stomach roll. Turning his head from side to side, he realized that he was in Kurts bedroom, buried under a mound of blankets. "Im h-home." He muttered lowly, his voice weak as it fell off his sore tongue. Anxiously wrapping his arms around Kurt, Blaine groaned as his body fell apart, rejecting the sudden movement.

Kurt unwrapped his arms and laid them by his sides, his eyes becoming watery again, "Its okay. I can hold you, my dear." Looping his arms around Blaines neck, Kurt laid down by his side and curled up against his chest. He almost wasnt touching Blaine, as if he was afraid that he would break him, but Blaine wanted Kurt to lay down on his chest.

Tilting his chin so he could look at the top of Kurts head, Blaine jerked in alarm at the sight of his broken body. His eyes widened at his dark chest, the skin so discolored that he wondered if he would ever heal. Balling the blankets up in his fists, he slowly peeled them away, revealing his naked body. Hed been cleaned of all of his blood, leaving only small bumps and scabs where Karofsky had stabbed him, but his entire body was just as blue as the top of his chest. Looking away in rejection, Blaine covered himself again, this time up to his neck, which he was sure was also blue from when Karofsky had tried to strangle him with a massive fist.

Everything was quiet for a few seconds, just the sounds of their breathing, and Blaines struggle to snort in a breath. Kurts fingers traced up and down Blaines chest, tickling his raw skin and making Blaines pain less with every stroke of a fingertip. "Blaine?" Kurts little head popped up from the pillow by Blaines shoulder, and Blaine tried to raise his brows at him. "Can you ask me to homecoming? Id like to go with you."

A slow smile curved Blaines lips, despite the tenderness in his busted bottom lip, and he turned his head to rub his nose against Kurts. He couldnt say anything because his throat was in flames, but Kurt understood his silence, which he was glad about. Nothing about why Karofsky had beaten him came out of Kurt, as he seemed to know that Blaine wanted to leave it alone. No one had ever known Blaine the way Kurt did, and it did scare him, but it also thrilled him that he finally had a friend who wanted to be beside of him, even though he was ruined.