"Hey, Kurt wasn't in Maths today. What's up is he ill?"

Finn opened his mouth to speak but didn't know what to say. He was not meant to tell people what had happened to Kurt. And he wouldn't want to even if he could. He didn't want anybody gossiping about his brother or judging him for what he had done. Yeah, he didn't understand it himself, he didn't know what had happened or how it would feel for a guy to be raped but he got the feeling it must be dreadful considering what Kurt had done.

"Uh... I don't know." Finn answered.

Mercedes gave him a weird look.

"Not knowing if your own brother is ill, dude you guys have got to look after each other better."

Then there was lunch where Rachel spent the entire hour having a go at him for not getting in touch with her on Sunday and then having a go at him for being quiet and asking if anything was wrong. But even though he would like to be able to tell her he couldn't.

Then there was Glee club. He sat at the back but when Mr. Shue came in and said right time to start everybody looked around and asked where Kurt was. Mr Shue said that Kurt was ill, and then everybody turned to him and Blaine and asked what was wrong. Blaine walked out which made everybody talk about whether they had broken up. Finn wished he could close his ears in the way he could close his eyes.

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The blood was thudding in Blaine's ears. He just couldn't take it anymore, all day he had tried to hold onto his happy expression, to interact with the class in the way he usually would; to get on with his work when he really just wanted to curl up somewhere quiet. He just couldn't handle it when everybody in Glee had turned to ask him what was wrong. He was just too tired and these were the people who had become his friends, the people who cared about Kurt. Instead of answering he just walked out, down the hallway to his locker which he punched to get rid of some frustration and rested his forehead against the cool metal. It didn't help. He sighed, he decided it would just be best if he took a walk to cool off and then headed over to Kurt's. He and Finn had decided that they would take alternative days on watching Kurt and after an entire day looking after him Carole would need to be relieved. Blaine had to remind himself he was doing this so that one day hopefully soon his beautiful boyfriend would start to talk and start to get better.

On Monday Kurt did not talk, he ate some toast when prompted by Carole. Blaine felt relieved when a couple of hours later Burt came up to help Kurt to the toilet, he was not sure he could have managed that himself and still kept any module of sexual interest (not that he could think like that at the moment) in Kurt. Other than that he did not get up from the bed or turn from Blaine. Blaine talked to him softly about his day and stroked his arm. Then he played some of Kurt's favourite movies, nice innocent ones with music. He had planned to sleep their but Burt came in and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Go home tonight Kid. I want to be with him tonight."

Blaine had taken one look at Burt and nodded. He needed to be close to his son.

On Tuesday it was Finn's turn to look after Kurt after school. Still Blaine found himself going over there to sit with him for an hour and talk to him He would not know what he had said five minutes after saying it but it wouldn't have felt right to stay away. Blaine ate dinner at the Hudson Hummel house. But that night Kurt could not be told to eat, he would not respond to any demanding or pleasing it was as if he was even more absent than before.

Wednesday Blaine played Kurt's favourite songs and hummed along. He talked about the competition shows they had put on and how he had been receiving e-mails from the graduate warblers and what they were up to at college. He sung a version of teenage dreams replacing the words 'go all the way tonight' with 'we can just talk all night'. Kurt ate a little jelly which made Blaine want to cry because it's what people eat when they were sick and Kurt really was sick. His mind was sick, his soul was sick. Blaine fell asleep on the camp bed.

Thursday was bad. Blaine and Finn argued because Finn had told Rachel what had happened and Rachel had come to talk to him about it. He told Finn that he would be looking after Kurt that night and walked away. He knew he had reacted badly, but he didn't like to hear people talk about his boyfriend in hushed and sympathetic tones. He had felt completely lost and had called Wes. He didn't tell him what had happened but he told him that Kurt was very ill and they were not able to talk and Blaine felt so lonely. Wes had listened and told Blaine to hang on their because Kurt would get better and to just let Kurt know that he loved him every day even if it was just a txt. Blaine had hung up feeling even worse that before because he had not been able to talk about what had really happened.

At the end of the day Blaine had headed to his locker to pick up the book he needed to do his homework. He had frozen at the sight in front of him. Sebastian, smiling and holding a huge bouquet of white and yellow flowers. Blaine sighed, he was to tired to feel angry.

"What do you want?" He said as he opened his locker.

"Blaine, I'm sorry. Wes called earlier today and told us all that Kurt was ill. He said it sounded bad and the Warblers who were at school with him wanted to send him a get well soon cards. I wanted to bring it over myself. Is he alright?"

Blaine considered what to say and decided to go with the vague answer he had been giving the teachers. It made Kurt's illness sound bad enough to keep him out of school for quiet a while. He had given a completely different and more evasive answer to Kurt's friends. 'Don't worry you know Kurt, he'll be back in no time.'

"He can't talk very much and is confined to bed but I'm confident he'll pull through, Kurt is strong."
Yeah, listen, I'm so sorry for everything Blaine, you have to believe me. I just.. I just have a lot of fucked up stuff going on and I know I shouldn't be mean and I can't believe with what happened to Dave and now Kurt's ill, I've been so horrid to him. I just.. wish I'd have been nicer."

Blaine turned to look at Sebastian. He was trying, and they all made mistakes. They were all only human and that was forgivable.

"Hey. " Blaine touched his shoulder. " It wasn't you fault David … " His mouth dried up and he couldn't say so he just gave a false smile and shook his head and carried on. "And it's certainly not your fault Kurt's ill."

"Please forgive me Blaine. I never knew that rock salt could do that I just thought it would sting a little I'm so sorry. " Tears were falling down Sebastian's face.

Yes, Blaine had hated him for a long time but now he just looked like a lost little kid and Blaine couldn't force himself to feel anything except pity for him. Maybe he was just a mislead kid like the rest of them.
"It's alright."

"I know you probably don't want to not with everything I've done, but if you ever need somebody to talk to or to grab a coffee with, I'm here."

"Thanks for the offer." Blaine reached out to take the flowers and card. "And thanks for the flowers, Kurt will love them."

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Blaine had put the flowers in a vase the instant he got to Kurt's house. They had already started to drop slightly. Blaine rearranged them neatly in the vase and took them up with the card to Kurt. He smiled at Carol as he opened the door. She was sat in the corner reading a book. She smiled back. Blaine walked over to Kurt and bent down to kiss him on his cheek.

"Your colour is a little bit better today." Blaine said.

"He had some fruit and toast at lunch." Carol said softly smiling at him.

"Have you had a good day?" Blaine asked to Carol.

"Not so bad." She answered. "Are you okay if I leave you for a while hunny?"

Blaine nodded. It seemed weird that somebody would ask him if he was okay being close to his boyfriend.

"Call me if you need me."

"Thanks."

"Do you want a sandwich?"

"Maybe later."

Carol left and Blaine felt like he was able to take his first breath of the day because that was what he felt like at school without Kurt there, like he couldn't breathe.

He looked at Kurt as he lay unmoving, he wanted to hold him and tell him everything would be alright but since the 'incident' he had not touched Kurt other than to stroke his shoulder and kiss his cheek. Blaine didn't know how he would react if he got any closer but something had to change. Kurt couldn't carry on like this he didn't seem to be progressing or getting better in anyway. Blaine didn't know what was going on in his head and he hoped that whilst he was being quiet he was working things out and mending scars and not just repeating what had happened in his mind. He feared that the most, that whilst they were all sat there leaving him be he was reliving his painful experience over and over again. Whenever Blaine lay down to sleep he saw Kurt alone and crying and in pain. Every time he was away from him he had this niggling fear that Kurt would die. That he would just stop living or that he had just been imagining everything since he had found Kurt in the bathroom and that he was actually dead and he would go to his house to find he was gone.

Blaine needed to hold him. His chest was hurting and there were tears in his eyes. He really wanted to hold Kurt's warm body against him and be surrounded by that Kurt smell and remember all the times they had lain together in the past. Feeling scared because he did not know whether he would frighten Kurt but too desperate to let that stop him lifted up the covers of Kurt's bed and climbed in. He laid chest to chest with Kurt not touching for a moment until he built up enough confidence to move forwards and wrap his arms around Kurt's waist and up along his back. He rested his head on his chest and listened to the beating of his heart .After a moment Kurt moved jumping backwards as if having received an electric shock. Blaine looked up quickly fear running through him, he had done something wrong after all.

Kurt was blinking and looking up at him his eyes clear and focused; focused entirely on Blaine. Blaine found himself sighing in relief as he saw a small sparkle in those eyes, a shred of recognition or life. Not just the dull deadness he had been seeing the last few days.

"Blaine." He whispered his voice sounding unsure and raspy through disuse.

"Oh Baby." Blaine said feeling the tears start to run down his cheek. "I've missed you."

Kurt threw himself into his arms and snuggled his nose into Blaine jumper. Blaine cried even more at the glorious feeling of Kurt's weight and warmth in his arms once more. It was such a relief to see any kind of reaction from him, crying was much better than the dull unmoving state he had been in. He ran his fingers through his hair and made small soothing sounds and Kurt wept against him. After what seemed like an infinite amount of time the tears seemed to run out and Kurt tried to pull away. Blaine just held him closer though.

"Why are you holding me?" Kurt whispered.

"Because I love you and I've missed you and I just want to make everything alright again." Blaine said through his tears as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You want to be with me?" Kurt said pulling away and looking up at him with those beautiful watery blue eyes. He looked so innocent and vulnerable in that moment. Blaine wanted to cry harder at the fact that he had to ask. What had been going through his mind all these hours, had Blaine not let him know he loved him in everyway possible? He took a deep breath and wiped his eyes clear and held Kurt's face in his hands. So Kurt would look straight in his eyes and know how sincere he was.

"Oh, of course I do. Kurt you are everything to me. I'm here for you however and whenever you want. You call the shots here Kurt."

"He said that you wouldn't want me. He said that I wouldn't want you anymore and you wouldn't want me."

Blaine felt a shot of pain worse than anything he had ever felt before in his life. He almost doubled over with hit and had to gasp for breathe. Finally he was able to answer.

"Who did? Who did this Kurt?"

Kurt went quiet and kept his head buried in Blaine's jumper. Blaine decided to let it go for now and ask another important question that was in his mind.

"You still want me don't you?"

"I don't know." Kurt muttered quietly. Blaine tried to stop the pain that spread through him again.

"I don't want anybody touching me."

"I can live with that." Blaine said feeling slight relief and hope that there would still be a chance to be with Kurt again one day. "Just let me stay with you for now and let me be your friend and we can talk later." Blaine kissed the top of Kurt's head. "When you feel better."

"What if I never do?" Kurt whispered.

"Shush."

Kurt pulled away and this time Blaine let him. He looked around the spare room as if confused to find himself there despite having spent the last few days there. He looked down at his arms then and his eyes widened at the thick white bandages around his wrists. Blaine was surprised as his lover started shivering.

"Kurt?" He said softly running his fingers through his hair.

"It really happened." Kurt whispered tears streaming down his face again.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I.. I'm sorry."

"Shush." Blaine said again grabbing him and pulling him against his chest.

"It's okay. You were in pain. It's okay Kurt."

Blaine could hear the footsteps coming down the hallway. He knew their alone together was almost over and for an instant he hated the owner of those footsteps. Then he turned and fiercely whispered in Kurt's ear.

"I'll love you no matter what."

Burt appeared at the door a second later.

"Everything alright..." He stopped speaking when he saw Kurt crying against Blaine. He crossed the room in two long strides and placed his hands on Kurt's back. His eyes were wide with glad shock.

"Kurt.."

"Dad." Kurt cried immediately moving away from Blaine and throwing himself at his father.

"I'm sorry I'm so sorry, I'm sorry , I'm sorry."

"Hey shush kid." Burt said running his hands up and down his sons back. "It's going to be okay everything is going to be alright. "

"I didn't mean to dad."

"I know you didn't. Kurt, if you ever feel that much pain again you come to me, or to Carol or to Finn or to Blaine. You just never hurt yourself again. Okay?"

Kurt nodded numbly.

Blaine and Burt shared a look over the mess of Kurt's hair. It was a look of pure relief that the boy they loved was back.