Blaine kept shooting Kurt concerned looks all through dinner on Sunday and again during breakfast and classes on Monday. Whenever Blaine or anyone else asked him if he was alright, Kurt would force a smile and tell them he was just feeling tired.

Kurt contributed very little to the discussion on choreography during Monday afternoon's Warbler meeting and his dancing was one of the worst in the group when they practiced some routines. Luckily, everyone seemed to except his excuse of being tired, everyone except Blaine whose worried gaze remained on him throughout the entire meeting.

"Kurt, I know you say you're just tired but you look ill, do you want me to take you to see the nurse?"

Wes had just dismissed them from the meeting and everyone else had made a beeline for the door. Kurt had hung back, hoping to avoid people's worried questions but had instead found himself alone in the room with Blaine.

"I'm fine, Blaine." Kurt tried to brush past him to the door but Blaine caught his elbow.

"You're pale, you're a lot quieter than normal, your eyes are red, and you are normally one of the best dancers out of all of us but today..." He paused. "You haven't been yourself since you came back on Sunday. Did something happen when you were at home?"

Kurt shook his head. "I'm fine, Blaine really."

Blaine looked at him sadly. "You hardly ever talk to me these days." When Kurt opened his mouth to object to this Blaine shook his head. "No, I mean talk to me about something other than school and Warbler stuff." He hesitated. "This- this hasn't got anything to do with the kiss does it?"

Kurt almost turned and ran from the room; he had been hoping to avoid this.

"I thought we were putting that behind us and just being friends."

"Why do you insist on trying to leave it at that and never discuss it? Why do you keep lying to yourself about it?"

Kurt frowned at him.

"I know you felt something when we kissed." Blaine continued. "I know that it wasn't just nothing to you and I wish you would just tell me why you are pushing me away-"

"I told you before, Blaine I just want to be friends with you, that's all – nothing more. What about that didn't you understand the first time I told you?" Kurt's voice rose in anger. "For someone so intelligent you really can be stupid sometimes. Can't you tell when someone isn't interested? If you still want me as a friend, Blaine then you better drop this. If you can't be around me without trying to force your feelings onto me then you'd better-"

Blaine narrowed his eyes. "Force my feelings onto you? Why do you keep lying to yourself, Kurt? What good is it doing?"

Kurt snatched his bag up from where it lay on the floor at his feet. "Why are you so sure I'm lying? You can't read my mind, Blaine!"

"If you felt nothing then why did you kiss me back?"

Kurt chose to avoid that question. "Can you just drop this and leave me alone?"

Blaine shook his head. "Not until you tell me what's wrong."

Kurt found himself shouting again. "Not everything can be solved by reasoned discussion, Blaine! This isn't a Warbler meeting!"

"I don't understand why you're so determined not to tell me anything!" Blaine yelled back. "I'm your best friend, Kurt and part of being a friend is sharing your problems so you can help each other! You should also tell your friends the truth, but you've been lying to me every time you say you just want to be friends! If that were the truth then you would give me a reasonable answer as to why you kissed me back instead of avoiding answering! Heck, if you just thought of me as a friend you wouldn't have kissed me back in the first place!"

Kurt felt his frustration at not being able to tell Blaine the truth and his anger at himself for causing all this reach boiling point. "I wish you would just learn when you are not wanted, Blaine!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth he regretted it. Blaine glared at him for a second, then his face crumpled, tears welling up and spilling down his face, a sob escaped his throat and Kurt's heart broke.

"Blaine-"

Blaine pushed past him and ran out the room leaving Kurt standing staring after him, hating himself.

He hated seeing Blaine in pain and what was even worse was knowing that he had caused it. He knew he had just reminded Blaine of being bullied, of being told he was worthless and that no one would ever want him; Kurt had been told the same thing at McKinley. Which put Kurt on the same level as the bullies, he wasn't much better than them.

The breaths that left him were harsh, rapid, and shallow and tears were streaking down his face. A sob escaped him as he ran across the choir room, up the beautiful staircase on which he and Blaine had met, along the corridors to the boarder's wing, and up the stairs until he skidded to a halt outside Blaine's room. He fell against the door; he could hear the sounds of Blaine crying inside the room.

"Blaine!" He hammered on the door with his fists.

"Blaine, please just let me in to talk to you. Please, Blaine please!"

Wiping his nose with the back of his hand, he leant his forehead against the door. "Please." He whispered.

The lock clicked and Kurt scrambled backwards away from the door. Blaine stood in the doorway, his face blotchy and damp; he held the door open for him.

"Thank you." Kurt told him as he passed on his way into the room.

Blaine sat down on the bed, pulled his knees up to his chest and waited for Kurt to speak.

"Blaine, I'm so sorry. I can't stand hurting you and I didn't mean what I said, but I just-" He broke off to wipe at his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. "It's dangerous for you to care about me, Blaine. Very dangerous for anyone to care about me too much, which is why I say cruel, hurtful things that I don't really mean at times, why I distance myself from people whom I'm getting too close to, why I chose to board here even though I could drive every day, why I try to avoid going home at weekends to see my Dad."

Blaine's face creased into a frown. "What exactly do you mean by dangerous?"

Kurt hesitated; he could see no way of answering Blaine's question without having to tell him about the curse. He had never told anyone about it before, not even his own Dad. It was his private, horrific secret. He didn't think he could tell anyone, if he did then his ways of trying to prevent them from loving him would fail, and then they would die, it could be after a few hours or it could be years later, but they would die. But, now he had no choice but to tell Blaine the truth.

"I'm cursed."

Blaine looked confused. "Cursed as in...?"

"Cursed as in I was stupid enough when I was thirteen years old and clearing out the attic to force open a box with strange carvings on it which caused a demon to escape and curse me."

Blaine stared at him for a while, eyes wide as he struggled to comprehend what Kurt had just told him. "A- a demon? An actual demon?"

Kurt nodded. "Yes, it was big, it stank, had a voice that still haunts my nightmares, and eyes like the sky in hell."

"My batty old history teacher is right," Blaine said to himself in shock, "demons do exist." He shook his head slightly. "What was the curse it gave you?"

Kurt closed his eyes and recited. "Death will find all who look upon you with love, it may come after moments, it may come after years, but all who love you shall perish, and I shall begin tonight."

"Kurt..."

Kurt didn't hear Blaine move but suddenly his arms were wrapped around him and since he was sitting and Blaine was standing, Kurt's face was buried in Blaine's chest and Blaine's head was resting on top of his own. Loving the feeling of being held, of being safe, neither of which he had felt in years, he wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist and breathed in the scent of him. As they held each other Kurt was able to forget everything else except Blaine and being in his arms.