Blaine's muscles ached more than he could ever remember, but there was no pain in the world that could compare to the one in his chest. It was a strange, hollow feeling of a hopeful, loving heart that was ripped out and shredded into a billion pieces. There was no possible way for him not to lose; the game was already lost. The only question that remained was whether he would lose Kurt or his family. Neither was a better option.

He ran after Josh, who sped up as soon as he heard his little brother was chasing him. Blaine's pleading for Joshua to stop and not tell anyone were dismissed by a couple of jeering snorts. Everything was done, Blaine's life was over.

It took Kurt a moment to decide what to do. For all he knew, the whole situation was his fault. He was the one who started it. He could've kept his hands and his words to himself, instead of luring Blaine into this inevitable trap. Sweet, innocent, kind Blaine, who should never be hurt, who never deserved to be hurt. But eventually Kurt stood up, brushed the hay off his clothes and set out in a quick pace towards the Anderson farm. As he was passing by his own family house, Miriam emerged from the front door, her eyes turned to suspicious slits.

'What's going on?,' she asked.

'Mind your own business,' he snapped at her without stopping.

'Did something happen? Blaine just went by and he was saying something-'

Kurt swirled around to face her.

'MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!,' he yelled, before turning back and running on at full speed.
He was still some fifty feet from the house of the Andersons when he heard the screams, and he stopped dead.

'What do you mean, he was with Kurt Hershberger?,' the bishop's voice boomed, sending chills down Kurt's spine. 'Have I raised you to be a deviant, boy?!'

Even though he could see nothing through the windows, Kurt could easily imagine the bishop looming over a hunched Blaine. And the next second, quieter than the yelling, but still loud and clear, came the sound of an open palm of a hand hitting the plane of somebody's cheek. Kurt didn't need to see it to know who was on the receiving end of the slap.

'But-, ' a whimper sounded, weak and fearful, but still recognisable as Blaine's. 'But Father- It's not like that- You don't understand- I- I love Kurt.'

Hearing that in the defeated little voice was like getting stabbed in the heart with a filleting knife. Kurt winced, leaning his head on the cool surface of the front door.

'That is not love, that's an abomination and I shall not allow for that in my house!,' the bishop said with disgust. 'You don't even know what love is, boy!'

A moment passed in a charged silence and Kurt regretted he couldn't see inside.

'And you do?,' Blaine said, his voice bitter and still on the verge of breaking.

'I want you out of the house. Immediately,' Blaine's father said coldly, as if he was talking to a stranger. 'You have five minutes to take your things and go.'

A muffled sob came from inside the house and Kurt guessed it belonged to Mrs Anderson. Nobody else said any more. There were just shuffling footsteps and silence. Slowly and cautiously, Kurt backed out from the porch and into the shadow of a tree opposite the front door. He'd rather not be seen by anyone in the house at that moment. Mere minutes later, a dark figure opened the door and stepped out with his head down and a small suitcase in one of his hands. And being noticed didn't matter anymore.

Kurt ran up to Blaine, catching him in his arms. His whole frame was shaking from held back tears and he slumped against his boyfriend helplessly.

'I'm so sorry, I never wanted for something like this to happen, I'm so, so terribly sorry,' Kurt murmured in Blaine's ear. 'I'm so sorry I got you into this.'

'It's not your fault,' Blaine choked out. 'I could have never kissed you back. I got myself into this.'

They stood there, Kurt's arms helping Blaine stay upright, for a long, silent moment. Everything around them was still, as if the whole world was afraid to make a move or let out a sound. Even the house that a few minutes ago was bursting with angry screams and miserable whimpers was completely quiet, and it broke Blaine's heart; it seemed like he had been the only disruption in the peaceful and pious life of the Anderson family.

'What am I supposed to do now?,' Blaine asked weakly.

'Go get my stuff with me?,' Kurt said, biting his lip shyly. 'If you still want to leave with me.'

The answer was hardly audible despite the surrounding silence, but Blaine was capable of nothing more. 'Yes.'

Taking the boy's hand gently into his, Kurt started slowly back to the Hershberger farm. The walk felt a thousand times longer than ever before, their destination terrifying. Kurt didn't really care how many slurs were going to be directed at him, he only hoped he could shield Blaine from them. But there was no way of keeping him from hearing anything that Kurt's family could say as long as he was clinging to Kurt's hand for dear life, barely holding it together.

Finally, they stopped in front of the house, hesitant and wary to take another step in its direction.

'Do you wanna stay here? Or do you wanna come in?,' Kurt asked, squeezing Blaine's fingers gently in reassurance.

'I think I'll wait here. I don't- I don't think they would want to have me in there.'

Kurt nodded minutely, leant in to brush his lips against Blaine's cheek, and went up the tiny steps of the porch and into the house.

'Kurt!,' Ruth's voice called out as soon as the front door opened, and his adoptive mother emerged from the kitchen. 'Finally! Hurry up, the dinner's going to run completely cold!'

'Don't bother, I'm not eating.'

Miriam snuck out from behind her mother, her piggy eyes watching him with limitless curiosity.

'Are you feeling alright?,' Mrs Hershberger asked in her sugar-coated voice, reaching her hand out to check if he wasn't running a fever, but he slapped it away to her horror. 'Abraham! Come and tell this rude boy to behave himself!'

Taking advantage of the moment when Ruth was looking the other way, Kurt began making his way upstairs to his bedroom, but Abraham's voice stopped him in his tracks.

'What's going on here, Kurt?'

The stern, but somehow sympathetic voice compelled him to stop and turn around. His face was a perfect façade of composed superiority, but he could feel it was about to crumble.

'I'm leaving,' he said, using all his remaining strength just to keep his voice from breaking. 'I'm going to look for my biological father.'

A short amused chuckle escaped Ruth's mouth.

'But he didn't want you then, why would he want you know? You're better off here, not out there in that Godless world!'

'The whole world is godless,' Kurt spat back at her. 'I don't buy any of your crap. And I don't know if he wouldn't want me, but I'd rather find out the truth than spend my life stuck here, not knowing.'

'Is Blaine leaving with you?,' Abraham asked calmly, throwing Kurt off guard.

'Wha- Why are you asking me that?' The high pitch of his voice sufficed for a confirmation; he couldn't hide the nervousness that came from his attempt to leave Blaine out of this.

But Abraham didn't answer. He just kept his wise, caring eyes steady on his son's face, watching the mask slowly crack and fall away, the tears building up despite Kurt's will.

The silence was finally broken by Miriam's shrill, mocking voice.

''Cause you're a filthy little pervert that's been trying to corrupt the bishop's son all spring, that's why.'

Kurt's heart dropped. If he had been terrified before, he had no idea what this feeling that came over him was.

'I am not a pervert,' he said through clenched teeth.

He ran upstairs, without looking back for even a split second. No one tried to stop him this time. No one spoke. No one yelled. No one followed him. He closed the door behind him and inhaled deeply. Now there was nothing left, except him, Blaine and the outside world waiting for them. It was going to be fine. They would go to Lima, find his father, get jobs to keep themselves afloat. They would go to sleep and wake up next to each other every morning. They were going to be fine.

He had to keep telling himself that, otherwise he was afraid he'd start believing in all the dark thoughts that tried to force their way into his brain.

Gathering everything he needed didn't take more than a few minutes, for which he was grateful; he didn't want to have any reason to stay there – and away from Blaine – for any longer than was absolutely necessary. When he reached the lower flight of the stairs, all of the inhabitants of the farm were gathered in the tiny hall.

'Do you care to explain any of this?,' Ruth asked him, her usual sweetness replaced with rage.

'Um- No. I don't think I need to explain anything to you,' Kurt managed to reply in a steady voice and looked down at her with as good a poker face as he could muster at the moment. 'And thanks for making leaving so damn easy, mom.' He glanced at his brother's bewildered expression. 'Joe, don't let Rebecca get a way, she's a keeper. And you Miriam- I honestly hope one day you'll realise that honouring your mother and father doesn't mean following either of them blindly and indiscriminately. Dad- I'm sorry I disappointed you.'

Without waiting for anyone to respond, he stepped outside. A tear fell on one of his cheeks, as finally he was left with the only person he wasn't ashamed to cry in front of. Blaine gave him the weakest of teary smiles, but even that faded away when the door behind Kurt opened once more.

'Kurt, son, wait,' Abraham said.

Kurt twirled around in shock, holding his breath, half sure he was going to be slapped, but instead he was caught in a tight embrace.

'I wish I could do anything about this, but you know I can't,' Abraham said quietly, not letting him go. 'You know your mother- You know Ruth. You know the people. I just wish I didn't have to say goodbye to you forever. Maybe one day- Maybe one day you could come visit? Just for a moment? So I can see you're alright?'

He pushed Kurt out of his arms, his hands firmly on the boy's shoulders, to see him nod in bewilderment.

'But- why? I mean- Why would you want that? You heard what Miriam said, I never denied any of that. I can't deny it. It's all true, dad.' By now, tears were streaming down Kurt's face and he didn't even bother to control them.

'I know, son, I know. And I don't mind. I know what love looks like, and what I've seen ever since you started to disappear with Blaine was nothing but pure love. And I know it's been tough for you here.' He paused for a second and dipped his head just a little to look straight into Kurt's eyes. 'And all I've ever wanted for you to find happiness. This is what being a parent is, after all. Pushing your child in the direction that's right for them, no matter how much it hurts.'

'Thank you- for everything,' Kurt choked out, embracing his adoptive father one last time.

'You don't have to thank me for anything. And Blaine? I'm sorry I can't do anything for you. Just make sure you're both safe, okay? Good luck.'

And with that, he slipped back into the house, leaving the two boys alone with their small suitcases and the open road to anywhere.