Blaine stopped the car at the back of the parking lot, a vacant area where few students were walking around. He didnt want anyone to see him in Kurts car. Not wanting to get out and have to part ways with Kurt yet, Blaine leaned back in his seat and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. His eyes passed over the entire parking lot, from the kids rushing into the school to the boys sitting on a bench. He didnt see Karofsky anywhere, which worried him because hed expected him to be hunting for him. For a brief second, Blaine thought that Karofsky had forgiven what hed done wrong, but he knew he was just being stupid. He would always be Karofskys punching bag.

He pressed his fingertips to his stomach, feeling the raised skin where Karofsky had stabbed him over and over. The slashes had been quick, just grazing his skin, but they were enough to permanently scar him with Karofsky. Catching movement in the corner of his eye, Blaine jumped because he just knew that Karofsky had found him and was going to hit him, but then a gentle hand squeezed his knee. He turned his head so he saw Kurt, his smile very soft, his eyes shining, and Blaine breathed out very heavily. He couldnt resist that look on his face, as if Kurt knew everything he was fighting against and could fix it all, and he leaned over to kiss his lips.

The kiss wasnt forceful like many others Blaine had in the past, just soft and warm. They rubbed their mouths back and forth, and Blaines fingers and toes curled because it thrilled his entire body. Choking when he got too overwhelmed and had to fight himself on pulling Kurt into his lap, he whipped away from Kurt and slammed himself against his door. At Kurts surprised expression, he muttered in a breathless voice, "Im sorry... you do things to me."

Tilting his head as if he didnt understand, Kurt parted his lips to ask if the kiss had been bad, but he was interrupted by a buzzing sound. Blaine groaned at his phone, knowing exactly who was texting him, and he ripped it out of his pocket. As expected, Karofskys name appeared on his screen. He quickly opened the message and scanned over it, Meet me on the football field now. To anyone else, the text message might have looked like he had been late for football practice and one of his aggravated teammates wanted him to be there immediately. But Blaine knew it was much worse, and he was terrified of the pain that would come if he followed up on that message.

"Shit." He mumbled to himself, scratching his jaw until the skin tore. Searching the area around them for Karofskys dark head, he wondered if hed somehow seen their kiss, if he was hiding somewhere and was watching Blaine. He shuddered at the thought of what Karofsky would do to him for kissing another boy, and his stomach churned. Needing to keep Kurt safe, he tried to keep his face emotionless, even though he could feel the corners of his mouth pulling down. "Kurt, go to English class. Im not going to be there this period." And maybe all of them.

Kurt didnt move, though, and Blaines jaw hardened because he knew if he took too long to get to Karofsky, he would come after him and would probably hurt Kurt. "Blaine, is everything alright?" He whispered very softly, reaching over to stroke Blaines face. "Oh, dear... youre bleeding. Let me wipe your face."

Four minutes had gone by since Karofsky texted him. Blaines heart was thundering in his chest. If Kurt stayed by him any longer, he would definitely get attacked by Karofsky, and Blaine wasnt sure if he was strong enough to fight him off. Karofsky had about thirty pounds of muscle on him and lashed out without any strategy, just kicking and hitting whatever he could. Hating himself for this but knowing Kurt wouldnt leave him any other way, he jerked around to Kurt and yelled, "Stop touching me! What we did was a mistake! Your kiss doesnt mean anything to me! Im straight, okay?" His words sounded about as fake as his friendship with Karofsky, his voice shaking and weak, but Kurts eyes still filled with tears.

Blaine had to punch himself in the thigh to keep from grabbing Kurt in his arms and pulling him close when he started crying. He just had to keep telling himself that he was protecting him. "Did I do something to make you mad?"

Seven minutes. "Leave!" Blaine demanded, his teeth biting down on his cheek. He couldnt take much more of this, and he needed Kurt to get out of the car now. "I dont want to see you!"

The tears rolled down Kurts cheeks, and he stayed for just a moment longer, looking at Blaine with sad eyes as if to beg him to forgive him for what hed done wrong. But Blaine turned away from him, and he gasped when he felt Kurts hand on his wrist. "Please, Blaine... I didnt mean to upset you. Let me stay with you."

Blaines breathing got heavier. Nine minutes. He couldnt waste another one because he knew Karofskys short patience didnt last very long. Keeping his head turned, he heard Kurt gurgle with tears. He scooted away from Blaine and opened his door, running away from his car. He was holding his hands up to his face to cover the tears as they dripped off his nose and chin. Blaine could only hope that after his punishment was over, he would still be strong enough to find Kurt and hold him until he felt better.

Tearing his eyes away from Kurt, Blaine stared at the football field, the bleachers stretching so high up that he couldnt see anything past them. He took a deep breath and considered the way Karofsky would slap him as they passed each other in the hallways, just a friendly hit that he did with other football players. Then he thought about the way he would hit Blaine in private, and Blaine lifted his hand to his face, wanting to prepare himself for the violence that was coming. Slapping himself hard enough for his cheek to sting and his eyes to water, Blaine almost broke down because he wasnt strong enough to hurt himself the way Karofsky did.

He was so scared that one of these days Karofsky would hurt him so badly that he wouldnt even limp away.

He threw open his door and swung his legs out, concentrating on how they bent at his knees and his thighs pushed against his jeans. He wanted to memorize how he used his legs before he might not be able to stand on them for a few days. Staggering across the parking lot, Blaine rubbed his eyes, which were blurring with tears. He couldnt cry in front of Karofsky... He refused to give him that power.

Stomping over to the football field, Blaine almost fell onto his butt when he ran straight into Karofsky, who had been jogging out from under the bleachers. Blaine had known he would have come for him eventually. Before he had a chance to get his balance back, he found himself thrown to the side by the hardest punch to his face, and he collapsed to the ground. His head hit the pavement and he thought his jaw snapped, but he didnt want to reach up and check. Any sudden movements would throw Karofsky off, and his punishment would get much worse.

Making a low sound when a hard shoe slammed into his ass, Blaine rolled onto his back and gasped, his entire body covered in flames. Everything hurt, and Karofsky hadnt even begun. He kicked him a few more times, smashing his ass, his thighs, and his arms, before he reached down and hauled Blaine up by his collar. Staring at Karofskys wicked expression through foggy eyes, Blaine gasped for air and kicked his feet, but he couldnt get a full breath.

Karofskys giant hand squeezed his neck, cutting off all air for Blaine, and he slowly tightened it the more Blaine struggled. Black clouds filled his head, and he became very numb to the iron lock on his neck, but then Karofsky threw him down again. Kneeling beside of Blaine and forcing his knee into his back, Karofsky screamed into his ear, "What did you do with him, you piece of shit? You faggot!"

Blaine had never been called a faggot before, and it made him twitch with shock. Karofsky was extremely aware of Blaines every breath, and Blaines little movement put him off. "Dont move!" He shouted so noisily that Blaines ears started ringing, and he lifted his hands and hit Blaine again, hard whacks that Blaine knew would bruise for weeks. He chomped down on his tongue so he wouldnt scream, and almost immediately he felt a trickle of blood coat his teeth. He swung at Blaine until both of them were gasping and his knuckles were bright red, and he finally lifted his jabbing knee from the middle of Blaines back. Stumbling to his feet, he brushed himself off and glared down at Blaine, "I expect you to be at our next game. If youre not, Ill hurt you again."

Blaine moaned into the pavement, staying absolutely still until he couldnt hear Karofskys loud footsteps anymore. It wasnt that he thought Karofsky would come back to finish him off-even though that was a vague worry, but that he was afraid that if he moved, he would find his body too broken to get up. Carefully lifting his hand, he slid it over his shoulder and as far down his back as he could, hissing as his skin lit up in flames.

Pushing himself up very slowly, Blaine checked every limb, rolling his wrists and curling his fingers. He stretched his legs out and yelped when one of his ankles slid against the concrete. Quickly sitting back down, he yanked up his pant leg and growled at his swollen ankle, which was almost black. It didnt feel like it had been sprained, but maybe twisted and kicked too many times. He just had to force himself to walk on it.

He boosted himself up like a toddler would, pointing his ass up and then lifting the rest of his body. It was humiliating, but any other movement made him want to scream. Standing upright, Blaine swallowed another mouthful of blood and winced at the rusty taste, but he figured it was better than vomit, which was bubbling in his throat. Burping because his stomach was so upset, Blaine teetered forward, breathing sharply because of those few steps. He didnt know if he would make it all the way into the school.

After five hundred more steps and a hundred times of biting back screams of agony, Blaine fell against the door, and he shoved through it. There were a few freshmen girls in the hallway, and they stared at Blaine as if he was an alien, but he ignored them. Because of his blurred head, he almost walked right past the bathroom, but he twisted around and shoved into it. He had to sit in front of a toilet for a few minutes to throw up what his churning stomach couldnt hold in, and by the time he made it to the sinks to clean himself up, he was smothered in chunks of vomit. He was disgusting.

Blasting the water, he dunked his head under and flinched as water cut into his wounds. The water turned red, and Blaine didnt pull his head up until it became clear again. Blindly feeling around for the towels, Blaine panted through the water, feeling warm wetness roll down his cheeks. The new warmth burned more than the cold sink water, and he wondered if it was just because he hated being weak or the tears were salty.

He hadnt heard the bathroom door swing open over the roaring water, but now that it was off, he made out someones quiet gasp. "Oh!" The person cried out, and Blaine wanted to bark at them to get out, but he was sure he didnt look that threatening with cuts all over his face and his dripping hair falling over his forehead. "Oh, dear! Blaine!"

Blaine squinted through the water at the voice he recognized, but he couldnt open one of his eyes. His other eye was still blurred, so all he could make out was a little blur of a person scampering over to him. "Shh... Blaine. Blaine, come here. Let me pat your face." Blindly taking a step toward that soothing voice, Blaine inhaled sharply when someone stroked his hair off his cheeks and forehead. "Hush... its okay. I wont hurt you."

A soft cloth dabbed his face, very gentle around his cuts and bruises. It wiped away the remaining blood and water, and Blaine could finally see out of both of his eyes, even though one of them was still puffy. Kurt stood very close to him, his hands on his face as he took care of Blaines wounds. He lowered the piece of cloth, and Blaine realized that he had sacrificed his pretty sweater to Blaines tear and blood stains. Snorting through his stuffy nose, Blaine wobbled when he lost his balance again, and he accidentally put his bad foot down. Almost collapsing, Blaine felt Kurts arms come around him, pulling him to his chest. Blaine rested against him, more tears rolling down his cheeks as Kurt stroked and smoothed him.

"Who did this to you?" Kurt said through a weepy voice, and Blaine looked up at him, finding him wiping his teary eyes. "Who hurt you so badly, Blaine? You poor dear." When Blaine didnt say anything because he didnt want Kurt to know that Karofsky secretly did this to him, Kurt glanced down at him with huge eyes, "Did you know about this when I was in the car with you? Is this why you sent me away?"

Blaine turned his face into Kurts warm shirt, breathing him in, "I didnt mean anything I said. I just w-wanted to protect you from him. Im s-so sorry." His voice was weak and his words were jumbled together because he still had the taste of blood in his mouth.

"Oh, Blaine..." Kurt pressed his fingertips to his lips, "you could have told me. I never would have gone to school with you had I known you felt threatened. We would have stayed home... I would have kept you safe, away from whoever wanted to cause you harm. I had no idea that this..." he paused to sniffle, "I had no idea you would get hurt. Let me take you home. Ill get you bandaged... Ill look after you. You can rest."

Kurt moved one of Blaines arms around him, and he supported as much of Blaines weight as he could. Blaine stumbled when they started toward the door, but Kurt quickly snatched the back of his shirt. "I wont let you go." He soothed him, and Blaine almost cried, even though Kurt had meant it in a completely different way. Hed been waiting for so long for someone to tell him that.

The walk back outside was much easier than the walk in, holding onto Kurt and trusting him to keep him upright. He should have felt weak for having to rely on someone else, but Kurt didnt seem to think so, never mocking him for tripping over his own feet. After Kurt sat him down in the passenger seat of his car, he got in on the drivers side and started the car. He didnt pull out of the parking spot for several minutes, but instead asked very softly, "Was it Karofsky who hurt you?"

Blaine didnt reply to him because he couldnt say yes, but he also couldnt lie to Kurt, the only person who had ever been honest with him.

"Was it because of me?" Blaine slowly lifted his head and stared at Kurt, from his sad eyes to his quivering lips, and he reached over and squeezed his hand.