Blaine swallowed past the lump in his throat as he stared at the worn intercom box drilled to the wall before him. Looking over his shoulder he nodded at the chief of police who nodded back in acknowledgment. The Chief was an old friend of his dad's and, though they hadn't been on the best of terms since Blaine had come out, he was dedicated to his job. There was a small squad of about five men gathered behind the Chief, two of whom where in riot gear. None of them really knew what to expect.
Taking a deep breath Blaine faced the intercom machine again and pressed the buzzer for apartment 4 with shaking fingers. There was a beat of silence as they waited for a response in which Blaine was sure his heart was somehow both stock still and racing at the same time.
"Who's there?" Blaine's breath huffed out in a rush at the sound of that voice, a sickly cocktail of anger, relief and fear flooding his body. "Hello? What do you want?" The voice continued in a growl.
"I want you to let Kurt go." Blaine tried for calm but it wasn't easy. His stomach was twisting and adrenaline was making his limbs feel cold and heavy.
A barked laugh crackled from the intercom before Dave spoke again. "Blaine is it? Oh Kurt mentioned you. But don't worry, I shut him up before he could spill all your secrets. Now I suggest you run along if you know what's good for you."
Blaine felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see the Chief standing next to him. Letting his finger slip from the intercom button he turned to fully face him.
"I know, I know. It's not enough." Blaine ran a hand through his hair, wracking his brain for any way to get Dave to admit to something incriminating. But he was struggling to get past the pictures of Kurt lying lifeless on the floor of some cold lonely room. What had Dave meant by shut him up?
"Blaine, I believe you when you say he assaulted you, heck I've seen the bruises, but we need some kind of evidence before we can take him in. I can't legally go on your word alone."
"I know!" Blaine wanted to hit something. Kurt was so close but he just couldn't reach him. "What if I go up there? I can get him to talk, I know I can, I just need to make sure Kurt's okay. It'll clear my head and I'll be able to think straight."
"Blaine you can't-"
"Yes, I can. It's the only way we're going to get the evidence we need." He looked the Chief right in the eye, trying to convey how desperately he needed to fix this. "I'm a good lawyer, you know I am. I'll get him to talk."
"Let's say I did agree to this. How are you going to get up there? I'm pretty sure Karofsky won't just let you stroll in." The Chief raised one eyebrow, cocking his head in question.
Blaine thought hard. Holding up his finger to the Chief in the universal signal of 'give me a minute' he moved back to the intercom and pressed the button down.
"You want to know something Dave?" There was no response but Blaine was sure he was listening. "I think you're a coward. You'd rather talk to me through this crappy piece of machinery than see me face to face because you can't handle the fact that I'm a better man than you'll ever be."
"Watch yourself Blaine." David muttered into the intercom, confirming Blaine's suspicion that he would be listening. "You're playing with fire here."
"Really? Seems like a pretty weak flame." Blaine taunted, earning himself a low growl from David. "See? You're just a coward who hides behind his little intercom machine so he doesn't have to face reality."
"Say that to my face." David spat down the line.
"Let me." Blaine growled back.
The line was silent for a moment before a loud nasal buzz sounded and the front door to the block of apartments popped open.
Blaine turned to the Chief with a grim smile.
"Fine." The Chief conceded. "We'll give you five minutes to get something out of him and then we're coming up. You understand me?"
"Yes Chief." Blaine yanked open the door as the Chief reminded him 'Five minutes!', heading straight for the stairwell and taking the steps two at a time.
It seemed to take forever to reach the second floor but eventually Blaine burst out into the corridor. Glancing left and right he noticed that the door to number four was propped open, inviting him in like a lamb for slaughter.
When he reached the doorway he had to pause for a moment to get his bearings . It was pretty dark in the room on the other side, the curtains drawn across the few windows, but as his eyes adjusted, Blaine realised he was in what could almost be considered a living room. There was a tatty sofa pushed against the far wall, facing what Blaine thought was an old TV. Between the two pieces of furniture was a large cardboard box, turned on its side and topped with a few beer cans and an ash tray. The stale air made him feel a little claustrophobic but he ignored it. Sliding along the wall to his left as quietly as possible he knocked into the phone to the intercom. It slipped from its cradle but Blaine caught it before it hit the wall, letting it hang from its wire as he continued forward into the room.
He only got a couple of steps forward when he saw Kurt. Bound and gagged, he was huddled in a darkened corner of the room. His eyes were wide with fear and Blaine's stomach dropped when he saw the dark trail of blood running from somewhere near Kurt's temple down the side of his head.
Forgetting about the fact that he was trying to be quiet and not quite registering the way Kurt was shaking his head, Blaine pushed out of the shadows, letting Kurt's name slip from his lips in a strangled plea.
He realised his mistake a moment too late. The hairs on his neck stood to attention and he turned to see the shadowy figure looming out of the darkness. He tired to dodge but wasn't fast enough. Two large hands collided with his chest and he fell to the floor.
David stood over him, cracking his knuckles and grinning maliciously.
"So I'm a coward am I? We'll see just how much of a coward you think I am when I'm through with you. Not so tough now are you Blaine?" David sneered, moving slowly closer to Blaine with a hunter's tread.
Blaine knew he had no chance against this guy, that had already been established, and he wasn't after a fight any way. He needed proof. Hard evidence that would put David away for a very long time.
"I know about the bribe David." He tried to keep his voice strong. For his conviction. For his safety. For Kurt.
"What bribe?" Dave asked, impatience in his voice.
"The bribe you made with Judge Harris. No one put away for manslaughter gets probation after five weeks. You really think nobody suspected foul play?"
It may have just been a trick of the light but Blaine thought David's face got a little paler.
"I don't know what you're talking about. " He snarled, but he had stopped moving towards Blaine.
"Harris said new evidence had come to light that proved your innocence. But you know what I think?" Blaine pushed up a little so he was leaning back on his hands instead of his elbows. "I think you were in a lot of debt, and somebody was breathing down your neck, and you snapped. They said he was beaten to death. Wouldn't be hard for you, would it David? So, what? Did you get carried away? Or did you want to kill him? The dead can't speak, after all."
"I didn't kill anyone." David's eyes darted to where Kurt was huddled and staring incredulously at the hulking man.
"Did you panic? I read that the body was discovered in a dumpster. Not a very good hiding place David." Blaine continued.
"Just shut up alright." Dave swallowed harshly and surreptitiously wiped his palms on his jeans.
"What kind of man can do that? Purposefully end the life of another human. And with his own bare hands. You've got to be seriously messed up for that to not eat you up every day."
"I didn't mean to kill him!" David suddenly shouted, slumping as though the secret was the only thing keeping him inflated. "He wouldn't leave me alone about the bloody money so I just wanted to rough him up a bit, get him off my back. Then he said he was gonna go to the police. I'd already been done for drugs twice, I couldn't get caught again. So I just kept punching him. And then he wasn't breathing anymore."
Blaine felt fear spike through his body at Dave's detached tone, the way his eyes were glazed over with recalled memories, and tried to slowly inch backwards.
"Don't even think about it." Dave was suddenly back in the present, fists clenching as he took another step towards Blaine. "That may have been an accident, but this won't be. If you think you're getting out of here alive, you've got another thing coming."
Blaine dropped back onto his elbows, too close to David for comfort. Adrenaline was pumping through him, making him feel a little weak as his body screamed for him to run. But he wouldn't leave Kurt, couldn't.
"I guess this is a bad time for me to mention that the Chief of Police has been listening to our whole conversation, then?" Blaine said breathlessly, jerking his chin in the direction of the door and the intercom machine next to it. Dave's eyes zeroed in on the phone hanging from its cradle by the taut wire, his face paling in trepidation. If anyone had happened to press the button on the machine downstairs they would have heard everything, and Blaine knew that's exactly what the Chief had been doing.
Blaine could barely believe the timing. There was a beat of silence, in which Dave stared at him in disbelief, before the door was flung open, hitting the wall with a loud bang. Dave didn't even have time to react before he was being pinned to the ground by two men in riot gear, the Chief standing over him with a smug expression as he read him his rights.
Blaine pushed up from the floor, rushing over to Kurt and dropping back to his knees. Cradling Kurt's face in his hands, he looked him in the eye, just wanting to know that he was okay. Kurt's blue eyes were red-rimmed and shining from tears, but clear with relief, and it allowed Blaine to relax a little.
"I'm so sorry Kurt." He murmured as he worked to loosen the gag in Kurt's mouth. "I should have been there when he came. I promised to protect you and I wasn't there."
At last the gag slipped free, allowing Kurt to cough weakly as Blaine moved to the knots binding his wrists.
"Blaine." Kurt's voice was constricted with tears. "You came for me!"
"Of course Kurt." Blaine tugged at the fabric around Kurt's wrists. "How could I not?"
The binds fell free and Kurt reached up, fisting his hands in Blaine's shirt and pulling him close so he could bury his face in Blaine's neck.
"I want to go home." Kurt's voice was tiny, muffled into Blaine's skin, but it resounded in Blaine's head. Home. He wasn't sure if Kurt meant his home, or somewhere Blaine didn't know that Kurt thought of as home, but he had to admit, it sounded good.
"We will Kurt. We will. But first I want to get you checked out. The Chief brought an ambulance. It's waiting outside, and then I promise, I'll take you home."
Kurt nodded slightly, tightening his hold on Blaine's shirt when he tried to pull away. Wrapping his arms around Kurt's shoulders, Blaine pulled them both to their feet and tucked Kurt into his side, before steering him out of the now empty apartment and down the stairs.
By the time they reached the parking lot, Dave and the marked police cruiser were gone, leaving the Chief and two other officers to gather evidence to bundle into their discreet BMW.
The Chief approached them as the front door of the apartment building clicked shut behind them.
"We're almost wrapped up here boys." Kurt's fingers were white where they were wrapped in Blaine's t-shirt, his face pressed hard into Blaine's shoulder. "Just want to ask the neighbours a few questions and then we'll clear off."
"Thanks Chief. Is that ambulance still here?"
Blaine gave Kurt a small squeeze as the Chief directed them round the corner where the car park continued for a short way. He waited patiently as a young EMT checked Kurt's vitals but couldn't stop his feet from pacing beside the vehicle. He could just barely make out their voices as the EMT asked Kurt 'does this hurt?' and 'do you feel nauseous?' and he held his breath before every answer, praying to god that that bastard hadn't done Kurt any serious damage.
It wasn't long before Kurt appeared around the end of the ambulance, arms wrapped around himself and looking so vulnerable that Blaine took him in his arms, both of them holding the other tightly, needing the comfort of the warm body they thought they'd never see again.
The EMT followed after him, waiting for them to separate before stepping forward and holding out an ice-pack and a small box of pills.
"This is for your head Kurt." He passed Kurt the ice-pack. "And these are for any other aches and pains you both might have." He passed Blaine the pills. "A little birdie told me told me you had a run in with Karofsky yesterday, and by the looks of it, you might need those."
The EMT returned to the ambulance, packing supplies and slamming the doors shut. Kurt and Blaine watched the vehicle leave, followed shortly by the remaining officers, till it was just them and Blaine's Mercedes in the empty parking lot.
"Come here." Blaine murmured. Pulling Kurt round to face him, he took the ice-pack from his lax grip, using his free hand to cup Kurt's chin and tilt his face towards the fading light.
There was a clean white bandage on his temple and a pale bruise over his cheek bone. His black eye was still faintly yellow but it was the fresh bruises on Kurt's chin that sent spikes through Blaine's stomach.
The clear shape of Dave's fingers were pressed into Kurt's jaw, four fingers on one side, one thumb on the other, and it was clear to Blaine that Dave had forced Kurt to look at him, pressed too hard and left purple copies of his fingers on Kurt's face.
He raised his gaze to look into bright blue eyes, but at the eye contact Kurt scowled and pulled his chin from Blaine's hand, not quite quickly enough to hide the tears welling in his eyes.
"Kurt?"
"He tried to kiss me." Blaine stilled at Kurt's words. "In your bedroom. He tried to kiss me but I spat in his face so he threw me into the dresser."
Blaine didn't know what to say. How did one respond to news like this? Instead he tentatively slid his hand up to cup Kurt's cheek, gently turning his head back to face him when he didn't pull back.
"I tried to hide. But he was too fast. I was almost at the bathroom and he grabbed me and threw me on the floor. I was so scared Blaine. I thought he was going to kill me." Kurt dissolved into sobs, Blaine pressing their foreheads together and closing his eyes as he muttered soothing words.
"He's gone now Kurt. He can't hurt you anymore. I promise, he will never hurt you again." Blaine pulled back when Kurt had quieted, slipping the ice-pack between Kurt's face and his hand so the cold would soothe the worst of the bruises. He laid his other hand on the side of Kurt's neck, smiling slightly when Kurt shivered at his cold fingers on the sensitive skin.
"Come on, let's get you home." Blaine leaned in quickly to press a kiss to the thumb shaped bruise on Kurt's jaw, barely brushing the skin with his lips so it wouldn't hurt Kurt.
They were already pulling into the parking lot of Blaine's apartment building when he realised this may not have been the best idea. Kurt had just been, well, kidnapped from here. What if he found it traumatic to be back? Who was Blaine kidding? Of course it was going to be traumatic.
Blaine led them up to his apartment, keeping a tight hold on Kurt's hand and glancing at him every couple of seconds to check for signs of panic. But Kurt seemed okay, his grip on Blaine's hand constant, his breaths deep and relatively even, and Blaine marvelled at how well he coped with the stress.
However, when Blaine pushed open the door to his apartment Kurt gasped, hand clenching around Blaine's fingers as they faced the trashed room. There was still debris littering the floor, now mixed with papers and files from the cupboard Blaine had knocked open. The writing was still on the window, and it was that that Kurt headed for first.
Picking his way delicately through the clutter, Kurt moved to the window, looking to Blaine like a fawn in its first snow. Blaine followed tentatively after him, wandering where he was going with this. They stopped side by side at the window, not really seeing the street below, just those condemning red words.
"The dresser knocked me unconscious. I guess he did all this and then... took me away."
Again Blaine didn't know what to say, instead he watched in silence as Kurt reached out a hand and smeared his fingers through the words, smudging them, wiping again and again until they were unintelligible.
"Can we clean up the apartment?" Kurt asked, turning to face Blaine with hopeful eyes. Blaine thought it was an odd request but considering what Kurt had been through, he supposed something as normal as cleaning could in some way be a comfort.
Together they set to work in the fading light, sweeping the unsalvageable possessions into bin bags and setting the others aside for Blaine to repair. They reorganised all Blaine's files and tucked them back into the cabinet and Blaine taped over the TV screen while Kurt wiped the last vestiges of red pen from the window.
By the time it was properly dark, the apartment was back to something that resembled normality and Kurt seemed to be feeling a lot better. Together they fell into Blaine's bed and wrapped themselves around each other, tugging duvets and blankets and pillows around themselves to create their own little world.
In the safety of Blaine's bed and arms, Kurt was asleep within minutes, but Blaine couldn't seem to turn off his brain. He fell into a light fitful sleep, waking often. A few hours later found him lying on his back in the dark, his mind replaying all the worst parts of his day as if trying to remind him just how close he came to losing Kurt.
Blaine blinked at the ceiling to try and stop the tears from pooling in his eyes. His arms were held protectively around Kurt who was curled on his chest, still sleeping. No one would ever take him away again, Blaine wouldn't let them. But what if Kurt wanted to go? Blaine didn't know what to think of that possibility. There was no way he would ever try to hold on to Kurt. The man was like a bird, he looked so fragile but he was ready to deal with the world, he could fly. But how was Blaine supposed to go back to his old life knowing that Kurt was out there. He would never be the same again, of that he was sure, and being without Kurt seemed unfathomable to him.
Thinking back to the moment he had discovered Kurt wasn't here he couldn't stop the tears. They streaked silently down his cheeks and he buried his face into Kurt's soft hair needing the reminder that he was here, he was safe. It had been fear like nothing he had ever experienced, and he had some pretty awful memories. It had gripped his entire being and made him feel like a vice was slowly compressing his lungs and heart. Even just recalling it now, the ghost of that pressure surrounded him, causing him to take deep gasping breaths. He couldn't spend every day wandering where Kurt was, if he was safe and surviving, he had to know.
But it was more than just fear. It was a longing so deep it was in his bones. Even now with Kurt in his arms, Blaine wanted him closer. He could barely explain it to himself but he knew a mere day without Kurt would be... impossible.
Without intending to, or even realising it, he had fallen. And he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to get back up.
"I think I love you Kurt." Blaine murmured into the darkness, running a hand up Kurt's spine.
Kurt shifted slightly on his chest, sighing in satisfaction.
"Hmm, me too." Blaine stiffened at the soft exhale, not sure if he had imagined Kurt's voice or not.
"Kurt?" Kurt raised his head slightly to show Blaine half-lidded eyes.
"Yes?" His voice was barely a whisper, more a mere manipulation of his exhales.
"Did you mean that?" Blaine barely dared to hope.
"Oh yes." He breathed matter-of-factly. "Very much so."
Blaine couldn't stop his smile, grinning down at Kurt who had laid his head back on Blaine's chest.
"I thought you were asleep."
"I heard you crying." Kurt murmured, laying his hand over Blaine's heart but causing his smile to vanish. "You don't have to be sad Blaine. I'm here now. I'm safe and I'm happy so you can relax."
Blaine felt the tears return, trying his hardest to hold them in but his resistance crumbled at Kurt's gentle pressure on his chest.
"I was so scared Kurt. I thought you were dead. When I found your blood-" Blaine cut off as his throat closed. Kurt leaned up on one elbow, stroking a hand over Blaine's curls and murmuring soothing nothings. "God Kurt, you got kidnapped, you shouldn't have to comfort me. I'm sorry."
"Shh Blaine. It's okay that you were scared. It was scary. But everything is fine now, we're both healthy and unharmed." Kurt's voice was incredibly soothing and so Blaine focused on it, letting everything else fall away to leave just his voice and the pressure of his body on Blaine's chest. "I'm not going anywhere."
Those words resounded in Blaine's head. I'm not going anywhere. Kurt wasn't leaving. And if Kurt wasn't leaving then everything would be okay. More than okay.
Slowly coming back to himself Blaine dropped his gaze to Kurt. There was tears in his eyes and his hair was a little rumpled but Blaine couldn't have cared less. Slipping his hand up and behind Kurt's neck he pulled him forward, both of them keeping their eyes open as their lips brushed and pushed together.
Blaine had only intended for it to be a chaste kiss, but the noise Kurt made wiped his mind, leaving only an automatic instinct for him to pull Kurt closer, press their lips back together and deepen the kiss. Kurt whined lightly as Blaine wrapped his arms tightly around his waist, hands splayed on the warm skin of his lower back where his top had ridden up slightly.
Eventually they broke apart, gasping and out of breath but grinning like idiots, and settled back into the bed, curled together in contentment.
"Love you Blaine." Kurt whispered.
Blaine pulled Kurt tighter against his chest and put his lips by his ear.
"I love you too Kurt."