Chapter Twenty-Six:  Michael

Everyone in New Directions was excited at the prospect of performing Michael Jackson again. Kurt welcomed the distraction from what had happened two weeks ago, which continued to plague his thoughts and mind. And when Artie suggested they meet for coffee Kurt jumped at the occasion.

That afternoon, Kurt and Blaine met Artie, Rachel, and Santana for coffee. They were discussing their favorite Michael Jackson memories when Rachel said something that shocked them all.

“I have to be honest; I never really got him,” Rachel said with innocence. Seeing everyone’s reaction she tried to recover. “I think he’s an amazing performer but I never got what he was about.”

“Rachel, the man was best friends with Liza Minnelli and Liz Taylor,” Kurt said as if that was the only explanation she needed.

“What I’m trying to say is I haven’t connected with him like I have with Barbra,” Rachel cut in before anyone else could reprimand her. “But I do think it’s a good idea for regionals.”

“That might not be the best idea,” a snide voice said.

Sebastian Smythe strode up behind Rachel, clutching a coffee cup in his hand. He smiled flirtatiously at Blaine. “Hey Blaine, hello everyone else.”

Blaine looked uncomfortable and didn’t respond. But he knew in an instant that Kurt was less than unhappy with Sebastian’s appearance.

“Does he live here or something? Seriously, you are always here,” Kurt said angrily.

Sebastian ignored him.

“Why don’t you think it’s a good idea?” Artie asked.

“Because we’re doing MJ for regionals. Warblers drew first position,” Sebastian said with a sly grin. “After I heard what you plan is I changed our set list immediately.”

“I’m sorry. How did you hear?” Rachel asked, setting down her coffee.

“Blaine told me this morning,” Sebastian said, winking at Blaine.

Blaine looked away guiltily. “I may have mentioned it.”

But Kurt wasn’t focused on the fact that Blaine had told Sebastian their plans for regionals but the fact that the two were talking and Blaine never told Kurt. “How often do you two talk?”

“Oh hey, Kurt. I didn’t recognize you. You’re wearing boy clothes for once,” Sebastian said snidely.

Kurt bit back the impulse to slap the smug look off of his face. He grinned inwardly when Santana stood up. She could handle Sebastian. Kurt ignored Santana and Sebastian, continuing to look at Blaine, who wasn’t meeting his eyes. When Santana sat back down, Kurt looked up.

“I’m captain of the Warblers now and I’m tired of playing nice,” Sebastian said before he strode out of the Lima Bean.

Kurt didn’t wait to see what the others were doing. He didn’t speak one word before he stood up, grabbed his things and headed out the door to his Navigator. Blaine followed him quickly.

“Kurt, wait up!” Blaine called out. He reached Kurt right as he was stepping into the driver’s seat, pulling on his arm. “Look, I know you’re upset.”

“Oh you do, do you? Did it ever cross your mind to tell me you were speaking to Sebastian, or did you keep it from me because you knew it would bother me? How does he even have your number? After that night at Scandals, I thought we agreed to not have anything to do with him.” Kurt’s cheeks were burning with his anger. He didn’t bother to keep his voice down though he knew everyone in the parking lot was staring at them.

“Kurt, I love you. You know I do. Sebastian is nothing to me. You are my everything. And if it upsets you this much, I won’t talk to him again,” Blaine promised.

Kurt sighed, feeling his anger ebb away. “That isn’t necessary. I trust you. I just wish I hadn’t been blindsided like that. You should have told me you were talking to him.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Blaine said.

“Can we finish this discussion at home?” Kurt asked tiredly.

Blaine nodded, climbing into the car. They drove to Blaine’s house as his parents were out of town on business. They dropped their things by the door in the entrance way before continuing up to Blaine’s room.

“Are you okay?” Blaine asked softly.

Kurt sat down on Blaine’s bed, his head in his hands. Blaine pulled Kurt into his arms, kissing his shoulder. When Kurt lifted his head there were tears in his eyes.

“Baby?” Blaine asked in surprise.

“He’s trying to break us apart, Blaine. I know he is. And I can’t lose you. I couldn’t bear it if I did. I’m nothing without you. I already feel like you’re slipping away from me,” Kurt admitted. Several tears escaped and trailed down his cheeks.

Blaine cupped Kurt’s face in his hands, wiping his tears away with his thumbs. “You’re not going to lose me, Kurt. Sebastian doesn’t mean a damn thing to me. I’m not going anywhere, I promise. I love you.”

Kurt let his wall down completely, letting his tears consume him. He clutched at Blaine’s chest, crying against his neck. Blaine rocked him gently as he began to sing.

I wanted you to know that I love the way you laugh.

I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away.

I keep your photograph and I know it serves me well.

I wanna hold you high and steal your pain.

Blaine hated seeing Kurt in pain. And this time, knowing it was his fault, killed him. He never wanted to do anything that would hurt Kurt, but he had even if it was inadvertently. As Blaine sang, Kurt’s tears subsided. He was surprised at Blaine’s song choice but didn’t let it stop him from lifting his voice to take over the melody while Blaine harmonized his voice to Kurt’s.

‘Cause I’m broken when I’m lonesome.

And I don’t feel right when you’re gone away.

Blaine knew Kurt had all too often felt alone the past few years. This was part of why Kurt hurt himself. He had no one to turn to and no way to cope. It wasn’t just about strengthening himself but also making the pain go away. But Blaine knew in order for Kurt to recover he had to confront his feelings instead of hiding them away. He was proud of Kurt for telling him how he felt today. Kurt’s voice dropped off as Blaine sang the next lines.

You’re gone away.

You don’t feel me here anymore.

Blaine had been shocked when Kurt said he felt like Blaine was pulling away from him. He didn’t know what he had done to make Kurt feel that way, but he would do whatever it took to fix it. Blaine stopped singing to listen to Kurt’s beautiful voice, only harmonizing his voice with Kurt’s over a few words.

The worst is over now and we can breathe again.

I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away.

There’s so much left to learn, and no one left to fight.

I wanna hold you high and steal your pain.

Talking things out with Blaine had helped Kurt. His heart had seized up when he heard Blaine and Sebastian were talking, but now that they had discussed it he could breathe again. All he wanted was for Blaine to be happy. Kurt never wanted there to be a day where he didn’t make Blaine happy. He knew they had a lot to learn, but Kurt was done trying to fight his feelings. Kurt would open himself up to Blaine completely, even if Kurt got hurt in the process.

‘Cause I’m broken when I’m open.

And I don’t feel like I am strong enough.

‘Cause I’m broken when I’m lonesome.

And I don’t feel right when you’re gone away.

Blaine held Kurt close, breathing in his scent. No matter how hard Sebastian tried to break them apart, Blaine would never let it happen. Kurt was his entire world and no one was going to take that away from him.

‘Cause I’m broken when I’m open.

And I don’t feel like I am strong enough.

‘Cause I’m broken when I’m lonesome.

And I don’t feel right when you’re gone away.

‘Cause I’m broken when I’m lonesome.

And I don’t feel right when you’re gone away.

You’re gone away.

Kurt’s voice trailed off as he pressed his face into Blaine’s neck, inhaling deeply. Blaine’s scent was always comforting to him.

You don’t feel me here anymore.

Kurt lifted his head to kiss Blaine’s jaw. He trailed kisses up his jaw to Blaine’s mouth. He pulled away to whisper, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Blaine answered immediately.

He pulled Kurt’s lips back to his, kissing him passionately. Blaine opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, causing Kurt to whimper against his mouth. As his tongue snaked out to caress Kurt’s, he pushed him gently down on the bed. Blaine kissed down Kurt’s jaw to his neck, leaving a trail of fire against Kurt’s skin. Kurt moaned as Blaine began to kiss his collarbone. Blaine grinned, bringing his mouth up to Kurt’s ear to nip at the sensitive flesh.

Blaine whispered against Kurt’s ear, “Let me love you.”

Kurt groaned, crashing his mouth to Blaine’s. As they succumbed to the passion between them, Blaine knew they would be okay.

K/B

The entire glee club was in an uproar as they entered the choir room the next afternoon. Blaine felt guilty but he tried to heighten morale.

“I know this sucks, guys, but it’s not the end of the world. Hell, you had your set list stolen just before sectionals and you still won,” Blaine reminded them.

Artie was furious as he wheeled himself into the room. “Well they can have our Journey and our Dreamgirls but pilfering my Michael is another level not okay.”

“I’m not comfortable having this conversation with Blaine in the room,” Puck spoke up from the back row. “Clearly, once a Warbler always a Warbler.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Blaine asked, turning to face the boy.

“You told them our plans. You’re on notice as far as I’m concerned,” Puck said, crossing his arms across his chest.

“We all need to be on notice,” Finn said, sticking up for Blaine. “The Warblers are one of the best glee clubs in the state. For a lot of us, this is our last chance to win the championship. We need to stop being angry at the Warblers and focus on beating them.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself, Finn,” Will said as he walked into the room. “We need to stop focusing on the set list and get into the right mind to crush those guys. That brings us to the lesson of the week. What would Michael Jackson do?”

As Will wrote the words across the whiteboard Finn spoke up once more.

“He’d fight back. He’d say the music is our and so is regionals. They can pry it from our sequin-gloved hands.”

“I know what Michael would do,” Blaine said as he looked around the room. “He’d take it to the streets.”

K/B

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kurt asked as he pulled his Navigator into a parking space in the garage.

“I’m positive, love. Remember, a lot of these guys are still my friends. Don’t let one bad egg cloud your judgment of the rest of the guys.” Blaine leaned over to kiss Kurt chastely on the lips.

Blaine climbed out of the car without another word. With a sigh, Kurt followed him. He didn’t see this ending well.

K/B

Kurt never saw it coming. He hated that he had been right about Sebastian. Normally he loved being right, but this time it only made him more miserable. If only Blaine had listened to him. But no, this wasn’t Blaine’s fault. This was no one’s fault but Sebastian.

Kurt wasn’t the only one who felt badly about the incident. No one saw it coming, except for Blaine. Sweet, protective Blaine who pushed Kurt out of the way before the slushie could hit him. But by pushing Kurt out of the way, the slushie hit Blaine dead in the face.

Blaine fell to the floor, holding his eyes in agonizing pain. Kurt was instantly by his side, as were the rest of the New Directions. Kurt tried to pull Blaine’s hands away from his face but Blaine resisted.

“What hurts, baby?” Kurt asked in a broken voice. He hated to see Blaine in pain.

“My eyes,” Blaine said with a whimper.

“We need to take him to the hospital,” Rachel said gently. She knew Kurt was in shock over what had happened but someone had to think clearly.

Kurt, being stronger than he looked, picked Blaine up, cradling him in his arms. He walked towards his car, their friends following behind them silently. Once Kurt reached his Navigator, Finn hurried to Kurt’s side to open the back door. Kurt thanked him quietly before depositing Blaine into the back seat of the car.

“I’m going to go with you,” Finn said when Kurt had closed the back door.

“You don’t need to,” Kurt said softly as he walked to the driver’s side of the SUV.

Finn put his hand on Kurt’s shoulder, stopping him. “I know I don’t have to but I want to.”

Kurt looked up at his stepbrother, seeing the caring look in his eyes. He nodded his consent. They climbed into the car and Kurt sped to the nearest hospital. He got Blaine into the Emergency Room with Finn’s help. A nurse hurried over with a stretcher and Kurt gently put Blaine down. Blaine immediately reached for Kurt, keeping one hand over his eyes. Kurt bit his lip to stop from crying, but squeezed Blaine’s hand tightly to let him know he was still there and had no plans of leaving him.

The nurse gave Kurt some paperwork to fill out before wheeling Blaine into the back. Kurt tried to follow but the nurse said he could see Blaine after the doctor had examined him. She urged Kurt to call Blaine’s parents as she left the room with Blaine.

Kurt sank into one of the chairs in the waiting room. Finn sat beside him, not saying a word. He knew nothing he could say would make the situation any better. So he sat silently, supporting Kurt the best he could. Kurt called Blaine’s parents, explaining to them what had happened. They were in London on a business trip but assured Kurt they would take the next flight home. They thanked Kurt for taking care of Blaine before ending the call.

A lone tear rolled down Kurt’s cheek but he wiped it away quickly. He didn’t want Blaine to see him crying and he knew if he started now he wouldn’t be able to stop. The tear didn’t escape Finn’s notice though and he reached over and squeezed Kurt’s hand before dropping it again. Kurt gave him a slight smile before filling out Blaine’s paperwork.

When the paperwork was done Kurt returned it to the desk and sat again, waiting until someone came to update them on Blaine’s condition. Waiting was the worst part. There was no distraction from Kurt’s anxiety and the urge to hurt himself was slowly eating away at him. He did his best to ignore it, knowing now was definitely not the time to weaken. They had been waiting for thirty minutes when the doctor came out to speak to Kurt. When he heard someone asking who had brought in Blaine Anderson, Kurt jumped to his feet. He hurried over to the doctor with Finn close behind him.

“How is he?” Kurt asked breathlessly.

“His left eye is okay, however the cornea of his right eye is deeply scratched. He’s going to need surgery to repair the damage. We gave him some medication to help with the pain. It may make him drowsy so we gave him a half dosage for now. You can give him the other half when you get him home,” the doctor said.

“So you are releasing him?” Kurt questioned, wanting to be completely sure before he got his hopes up.

“We want to observe him for another hour but then yes, we will let him return home. Does he have someone to care for him?”

“He does,” Kurt said instantly.

Finn began to speak but Kurt stepped on his foot hard. He closed his mouth, glaring at Kurt. But Kurt didn’t pay Finn any mind. His attention was still on the doctor.

“Can I see him?” Kurt asked.

“We can allow one person to go with him,” the doctor said.

“I’ll call Mom and have her come pick me up,” Finn said before Kurt could speak.

“Are you sure? You can wait for me here and I can drop you off at home,” Kurt said, turning to face his stepbrother.

“I’m sure. Go see your boyfriend,” Finn said.

Finn was surprised when Kurt pulled him into a tight hug. “Thank you for everything.”

“No problem, bro.”

Kurt scowled. “Don’t call me that.”

Finn laughed before walking away, pulling his phone out to call Carole. Kurt turned to the doctor who motioned for Kurt to follow him behind the wide double doors. He led Kurt down the hall to a small room where Blaine was lying in a bed. Kurt bit back a gasp as he took in the bandage over Blaine’s right eye and the IV that was slowly dripping fluids into his boyfriend’s veins.

Blaine looked up as Kurt came in. He smiled, reaching out for Kurt’s hand. Kurt hurried to his side, bringing his hand up to his lips.

“How do you feel?” Kurt asked softly.

“It still hurts but its bearable now. They said I could have more pain medication once I’m home. Come here,” Blaine opened his arms.

Kurt smiled. He looked around to make sure the doctor was gone before climbing into the hospital bed beside Blaine. Blaine sighed happily, laying his head on Kurt’s chest. Kurt bit his lip, running a hand through Blaine’s loose curls.

After a while he said, “I’m so sorry.”

Blaine tilted his head up so he could see Kurt’s face. “For what?”

“That this happened,” Kurt answered. “I feel horrible. You should have just let the slushie hit me. Why did you push me out of the way?”

Blaine sat up, looking deeply into Kurt’s blue-green eyes. He answered simply, “Because I love you.”

Kurt opened his mouth to protest but Blaine shut him up with a gentle kiss. When he pulled back he took Kurt’s hand in his once more.

"Listen to me, Kurt. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone before. I don’t regret pushing you out of the way in the slightest. It’s my job to protect you, Kurt, because I do love you. Besides, if you had gotten hurt you would be the one lying here in a hospital bed and seeing you like that once was enough for an entire lifetime.”

Kurt’s eyes softened, glistening with unshed tears. One escaped, trailing down Kurt’s cheek to the corner of his mouth. Blaine kissed it away. Kurt took a sharp breath before he spoke again.

“I wish this was all just a dream,” he said sadly.

Blaine lifted a hand up to cradle Kurt’s face, running a thumb over his cheekbone. “Don’t lose any sleep over this. I’m going to be all right.”

Kurt looked at him sadly. Bringing his hand up to Blaine’s face, he began to sing.

I can’t be losing sleep over this, no, I can’t.

And now I cannot stop pacing.

Give me a few hours,

I’ll have this all sorted out.

If my mind would just stop racing.

Blaine knew Kurt was trying to hide the extent of how badly the incident had shaken him. But Blaine was an expert at reading Kurt and he knew the instant Kurt walked through the door that his anxiety had completely taken over his mind. One look at Kurt and he could tell he was having an urge to hurt himself, but if Kurt didn’t want to tell Blaine he wasn’t going to push him into talking about it.

‘Cause I cannot stand still.

I can’t be this unsturdy.

This cannot be happening.

It was hard for Kurt to believe that the Warblers had followed Sebastian’s lead in harming any of the New Directions. Especially Kurt and Blaine, who had both been Warblers though Blaine was far closer to the guys than Kurt was. He was in a state of shock but tried to push past it to concentrate on making Blaine better. He did his best to ignore his urges to self-harm. Blaine couldn’t know or else he would worry and now was not the time for Blaine to worry about Kurt.

This is over my head,

But underneath my feet.

‘Cause by tomorrow morning I’ll have this thing beat.

And everything will be back to the way that it was.

I wish that it was just that easy.

Blaine knew Kurt was talking about his cutting in part. That line was Kurt’s way of reassuring himself that he could make it through this urge. He would not succumb to his addiction. No, he would focus all of his attention on Blaine. He wished he could tap his shoes together and everything would go back to normal. But nothing in life was ever that easy, especially not for Kurt.

‘Cause I’m waiting for tonight.

Then waiting for tomorrow.

And I’m somewhere in between.

What is real and just a dream?

What is real and just a dream?

What is real and just a dream?

Kurt wanted to go back in time so he could stop Sebastian. But at the same time he wished the night was over. Kurt wanted to get Blaine home where he could relax. He wanted the entire day to be over. But life isn’t like the movies or your dreams. Time doesn’t speed up or slow down just because you want it to. Everyone was subjected to time’s cruelty.

Would you catch me if I fall out of what I fell in?

Don’t be surprised if I collapse,

Down at your feet again.

I don’t want to run away from this.

I know that I just don’t need this.

Kurt knew if he told Blaine he wanted to cut, he would help him through the temptation. But Kurt didn’t want Blaine to worry about him in the slightest, not when he was hurt himself. He knew Blaine would always be there to catch him when he fell, but this time he was determined not to fail. As much as he wanted to collapse into Blaine’s arms and cry, he resisted. He had to stay strong for Blaine. This time, instead of running away from the problem, he was meeting it head on. It scared Kurt and he wished this had never happened. Neither of them had needed this in their already stressful lives.

‘Cause I cannot stand still.

I can’t be this unsturdy.

This cannot be happening, yeah.

The fact of the matter was that Blaine had gotten hurt. Kurt couldn’t do anything to take that back. But he could take care of Blaine until he was well again. He would stay by his side until he was back up on his feet.

‘Cause I’m waiting for tonight.

Then waiting for tomorrow.

And I’m somewhere in between.

What is real and just a dream?

What is real and just a dream?

What is real and just a dream?

What is real and just a dream?

Blaine kissed Kurt gently before laying his head back down on Kurt’s chest. After a while he spoke, his voice muffled by Kurt’s shirt.

“Did anyone call my parents?”

“I did,” Kurt said as he ran his hand through Blaine’s dark locks. “They’re going to take the first flight home but even if they make the red eye it will be at least nine hours before they’re in Columbus and out of the airport.”

“The hospital’s letting me go home alone?” Blaine asked with incredulity.

“No, silly,” Kurt said playfully. “I’m taking you home. I’m going to take care of you until your parents arrive and even after they’re home.”

“You’re too good to me, Kurt,” Blaine said.

“No, I’m not. I just love you with my whole heart,” Kurt answered simply.

“Forever?”

“Always.”

K/B

Returning to school without Blaine was odd. Kurt missed the first two classes, staying with Blaine until his parents arrived. Once they were home and had thanked Kurt profusely for taking care of their son, Kurt kissed Blaine goodbye and headed to the school. It was lunchtime when Kurt arrived and none of the New Directions were in the cafeteria so he headed to the choir room. They swarmed towards Kurt the second he entered the room. He was touched by their concern for Blaine but after a while Kurt couldn’t take it anymore. He had to get out of there. Kurt left the room and went to the nearest empty classroom. Wanting to be alone, Kurt didn’t go to his next class. The doctor at the hospital had given him an excuse for the entire day and Kurt had really only gone to school to assure his friends that Blaine was fine. So Kurt sat alone in the room until Santana walked past the door and saw him.

“Hey, what’re you doing?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.

“Trying to keep the flames from shooting out of my face,” Kurt answered, looking up from the notebook he had been poring over. “I agree with Artie. I’m tired of being stepped on all the time. We take a lot of crap from a lot of people and I refuse to take it from Sebastian, the criminal chipmunk. So I’ve been sitting here for the last hour plotting our revenge.”

“Today’s your lucky day, Hummel,” Santana said with a conniving grin. “Auntie Snix just arrived on the bitch town express.”

“What he did to Blaine was despicable. At first, I really wanted to hurt him. But I can’t. I’ve fought against violence at this school and I can’t be a hypocrite. I have to take the high road.”

“I can respect that,” Santana said with a soft smile. “I want to go to college and I don’t want to jeopardize my chances. So let’s take that high road that you speak of. We won’t win by playing dirty, but we will beat him.”

Santana left without another word. Watching her go, Kurt felt slightly better. He didn’t have to use violence to extract revenge on Sebastian but he wasn’t giving up either. He would pay for what he did to Blaine, one way or another.

K/B

The next day, Kurt was sitting in Will’s Spanish class when his dad appeared at the door. After speaking with him, Will turned to Kurt.

“Kurt, your dad wants to talk to you.”

“What’s wrong? Is Blaine okay?” Kurt asked as he ran out into the hall where his dad was waiting.

“Blaine’s fine.” Burt reached into his pocket and withdrew a letter. “The mail came.”

Kurt took the letter from his father with a trembling hand. The return address was stamped with New York Academy of Dramatic Arts. Kurt led his father to several different rooms but none of them felt right. Finally, he led his dad to the choir room. After all, this is where it all began.

“Kurt, this is the fifth room we’ve been in. What’s wrong with the other four?” Burt asked, frustrated.

“None of them felt right,” Kurt said as he turned to face Burt. “This is it, Dad. Whatever’s in this letter determines my future.”

“I’m here, no matter what it says,” Burt assured him.

Kurt turned away from his father and tried to steady his hands so he could open the envelope. He pulled the letter out and read through the letter quickly. Kurt turned back to his father with tear-filled eyes.

“What does it say?” Burt asked, unable to read his son’s face.

“I’m a finalist,” Kurt said through his tears.

Burt laughed, pulling him into a bear hug. He lifted Kurt off of his feet.

“Dad, your heart,” Kurt reprimanded him.

“Screw my heart. You did it, Kurt!” Burt pulled back to look at his son. “Who’s going to tell Blaine? You have to let me do it!”

“Dad, are you crying?” Kurt asked in shock.

“You beat them all, Kurt. They threw everything they could at you. They tried to beat you down but you stood strong. You’re unstoppable, Kurt. You proved all of them wrong and I am so proud to be your dad. No matter what, no one can ever take this away from you. Right now, this moment, this day, you won.”

The bell rang and Kurt hugged his dad one last time before running through the halls to find Rachel. She was at her locker, switching books for the last class of the day.

“Rachel! Rachel!” he yelled as he approached her. “I got my NYADA letter! I’m a finalist!”

“You did?” Rachel said excitedly. “That’s so great!”

“What did yours say?” Kurt asked.

Rachel paused, answering him sadly. “I didn’t get one.” She leaned back against the lockers.

“They probably didn’t send it yet,” Kurt tried to reassure her. He felt guilty telling her he had made it when she still hadn’t heard her fate yet.

Rachel began to cry, turning to face Kurt. “All of our friends are making plans for their future. I don’t have one. All I have is my boyfriend. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Rachel broke down completely, her body wracked with tears. Kurt pulled her into his arms, resting his cheek against the top of her head. She buried her face in his chest as she cried. When the bell rang signaling the beginning of the last class, Rachel pressed a light kiss to his cheek before leaving without another word.

Kurt skipped the last class of the day, hurrying to Blaine’s house. Blaine’s mother let him in, telling him Blaine was upstairs. Kurt thanked her before sprinting up the stairs and into Blaine’s room, forgetting to knock. Blaine was sitting up in bed, leaning against his headboard. He was still in his pajamas and had a plaid blanket covering his legs. An eye patch was over his right eye.

“Kurt, what’re you doing here? School isn’t out yet.” Blaine looked up in surprise.

Kurt waved the letter at Blaine. “I did it! I’m a finalist!”

Blaine’s face lit up. “That’s great, baby! I knew you would be. Come here.”

Kurt hurried to Blaine’s side, reading the letter aloud. When he was done, Blaine took the letter from him, setting it to the side. He put a hand behind Kurt’s neck, pulling him into a passionate kiss. When they broke apart for air, Blaine was still beaming.

“I’m so proud of you,” Blaine said, still breathing heavily. “You’ve come so far in the past few months.”

Kurt knew Blaine wasn’t just talking about the letter. It had been two months since Kurt last cut himself. Blaine pulled him back in for another kiss. Kurt ended the kiss first this time, leaning his head against Blaine’s shoulder. Blaine took his hand, bringing it up to his lips.

“Did you hear from anywhere else?” Blaine asked.

Kurt froze. He answered Blaine hesitantly, not lifting his head to meet his eyes. “Just one other.”

“Which one?” Blaine asked, noting that Kurt was stalling.

“Ohio State,” Kurt said quickly.

“Wait, what?” Blaine asked in confusion. “I thought you wanted to go to New York. I only applied to New York colleges!”

“I do want to go to New York,” Kurt said, finally lifting his head to meet Blaine’s eyes. “But I needed a back-up plan.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I could have applied there too. Now I’m going to be alone with Rachel and Finn in New York,” Blaine said.

“Blaine, please listen to me. Ohio is the worst case scenario. I applied to several different schools in New York. I’m sure one of them will let me in. The only way I would ever go to Ohio is if no one in New York accepted me, okay? So please, don’t worry. We won’t be separated,” he tried to reassure his lover.

Kurt pressed his lips to Blaine’s, pouring all of his love into the kiss.

Blaine sighed when Kurt pulled back. “Okay,” he said half-heartedly.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Kurt moved to the chair next to the bed, telling whoever it was to come in. It was Finn and Rachel, coming to give Blaine some movies while he was cooped up at home.

They only stayed for twenty minutes. Blaine looked relieved when they left. He had been thinking about Kurt’s admission the entire time they were there. When they were gone, he turned to Kurt, taking his hand. He pulled Kurt back onto the bed, looking him in the eyes.

“You’re right,” Blaine said. “Life is too short to be worrying about what ifs. We shouldn’t focus on the bad things. We should be celebrating your news.”

With that, Blaine kissed Kurt passionately. Kurt smiled against his lips, whimpering as Blaine licked his way into his mouth. Kurt deepened the kiss greedily. Blaine’s hands found their way under the back of Kurt’s shirt, caressing his skin. Kurt groaned, pulling away reluctantly.

“We need to stop. If we don’t now I might not be able to,” Kurt admitted with a blush.

Blaine looked at him with lustful eyes. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

“You’re injured,” Kurt reminded him.

“So?” Blaine protested.

“So nothing. You can go a few weeks without sex. I promise it won’t kill you,” Kurt said as he pulled his shirt back down.

“I don’t know. It might,” Blaine said with a sly grin.

Kurt laughed. “You made it seventeen years without it. I’m sure you’ll be just fine.”

“Okay,” Blaine said grumpily. “At least cuddle with me.”

Kurt smiled. “Now that I can do.”

He lay down next to Blaine, sighing happily when Blaine laid his head on Kurt’s chest. His arms came up to hold Blaine tightly.

“The club agreed to focus on beating the Warblers at sectionals instead of seeking out revenge,” Kurt said after a while.

“That’s good,” Blaine said sleepily.

“We thought so. And we’re planning on inviting them to McKinley to show them just how we plan to do that.” Kurt ran a hand up and down Blaine’s back.

“Just be careful,” Blaine said before he drifted off to sleep.

“I will be,” Kurt said, pressing a kiss to the top of his love’s head.

K/B

Kurt appreciated Santana’s efforts to prove Sebastian’s guilt but in the end he didn’t want to send it to the police. Santana argued with him at first but Kurt didn’t give in. He told them he had already invited the Warblers to the school and they would be arriving at any minute. The club followed Kurt to the auditorium after he let him in on his plan.

The Warblers were filing in as the New Directions walked out onto the stage. Kurt glared at Sebastian but kept his thoughts to himself for the time being.

“Nice of you to show,” Artie said as he turned himself to face the group.

“Is this going to take long? I hate the stench of public school,” Sebastian said.

“Just sit and listen,” Quinn told him.

“We’re not doing Michael for regionals,” Artie began.

“I didn’t think you’d give in so easily,” Sebastian admitted.

“We’re tired of the fighting and backstabbing,” Kurt spoke up. “We’re show choirs. We’re supposed to support each other.”

“So we decided to take the high road,” Puck finished.

“You can sing Michael but you will never understand him,” Artie said.

“And you do?” Sebastian asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” Mercedes answered. “And we’re about to show you.”

The group took their places to sing “Black and White.” Kurt was satisfied to see Sebastian’s shocked face as one by one the Warblers joined them on the stage. Kurt knew then that the Warblers had never meant to hurt Blaine or himself. In the end, Sebastian was the only one left sitting.

“Very moving,” Sebastian said sarcastically as he clapped without emotion.

“Give it up, Sebastian,” Nick spoke from the stage.

“That attitude is why we lost regionals last year,” Sebastian said angrily.

“I could call the cops and get your arrested or call your headmaster and get you expelled for assaulting Blaine with that slushie,” Santana said as she stepped to the front of the stage.

“All of this would be terrifying if you had proof,” Sebastian said with a smirk.

“You mean like this?” Santana asked, pulling out the tape recording she had of Sebastian. “This is a recording of you admitting to it.”

Sebastian looked shocked. Santana passed the tape to Kurt.

“But you know what?” Kurt asked. “It just wouldn’t be as much fun to win regionals without you there to suffer through the agony of defeat.”

Kurt tossed the tape to Sebastian who caught it easily.

“At least now all of your teammates know exactly what type of guy you are,” Santana said smugly.

The Warblers looked at Sebastian with disapproval. The New Directions walked out of the auditorium without a look back. Kurt knew they had won this round. And they would win the next one too when they beat the Warblers at regionals.