Chapter 6:

Kurt gulped lungfuls of air into his throat as they exited the apartment block and Blaine leant against the wall, watching him.

The quivering in his legs still wouldn't seem to desist and he couldn't decide if it was caused by the aftermath of Kurt's revelation or the more recent horizontal action that had taken place on the sofa. Either way, he welcomed the stability of the bricks against his back and the time it allowed him to gather his thoughts.

 Kurt was dressed now in borrowed clothes from Blaine. He smiled as he remembered the disgust that had flitted across Kurt's face when he realised he was going to have to wear sweatpants; they were the only pants Blaine had that were long enough for the slightly taller man.

"In public Blaine? Really. Sweatpants...in public!"

Blaine had laughed, shrugging his shoulders in a resigned ‘take it or leave it' response and Kurt had finally relented. He stood there now in Blaine's NYU t-shirt, pale muscular arms almost glowing in the moonlight that bathed the sidewalk.

He really was quite beautiful Blaine thought again and then shook himself back to the present. What was wrong with him at the moment? He never normally allowed himself to get so sexually sidetracked; anyone would think he was some desperate teenager again! The wayward drifting thoughts made him clear his throat again and he shoved himself away from the wall more forcefully. Action. That's what they needed. A plan.

 "Right, so I think the first thing we need to do is go to the hospital."

He watched as Kurt's face paled even more and his eyes blew wide in fear. Blaine stepped forward and placed both hands on the tops of his arms to steady him and looked him in the eyes. "Kurt we need to do this. We need to put some things together to work out what you are. What this is."

Kurt looked like he was about to bolt but the pressure of Blaine's hazel, searching eyes trained on his made him relax his shoulders slightly in surrender. Blaine felt the muscles of Kurt's biceps flex under his hands and his heart started to thump a little faster. He nodded slightly in reassurance and reluctantly pulled his hands away.

 "Ok. Good. So that's what we'll do then. Maybe we should..? Well they might see....Do you think we should disguise you or something..?" he was muttering more to himself really but Kurt flinched at the words. He reached out to touch the wall, flicking a small bit of cement out from between the bricks and watching the dust float to the ground.

 "Umm, Blaine...." He hesitated, nervous. "Blaine, I don't think anyone else can see me." His voice was a tiny whisper again, the hesitation and embarrassment making him sound even more vulnerable. Blaine's head shot up to meet Kurt's eyes.

 "What?...How would you?...What?.." he couldn't form the thoughts he wanted to articulate into actual words. His brain whirred again until he eventually took a deep breath and settled his throbbing head. None of this made sense so he was going to just have to go with it. Just accept for now.

Kurt had watched this inner struggle rage inside of Blaine with increasing horror and reached out his fingers now to trace lightly along Blaine's arm. The movement steadied the other man and they locked eyes again.

 "I'm not sure..." Kurt continued. "I just know that no-one stopped me in the hospital. No-one really acknowledged me at all. They just walked past me; through me, as if I wasn't there."

 Of all the things Blaine wanted to say he didn't really expect "But why me?" to bubble to the surface and hang in the air between them. Kurt looked down uncomfortably.

 "I don't know." He whispered simply. The small downwards turn of Kurt's mouth made Blaine's chest tighten and he silently admonished himself for being so insensitive. It wasn't like Kurt could explain this anymore than he could. Plastering a smile on his face and ducking down to drag Kurt's eyes back up to him, Blaine pulled Kurt back into focus.

 "Right so no ridiculous disguise needed then. Good. Good. Well come on then."

Deciding the best approach was confidence and authoritative, Blaine grabbed at Kurt's hand and started a fast pace down the street. Colombus General was only a few blocks away and it was a warm and balmy night; the walk seemed wholly necessary for collecting thoughts.

It wasn't until they were striding purposefully down the neighbouring sidewalk that Blaine realised he was still holding the other man's hand. Self-consciously he relinquished his hold, separating their linked fingers. He felt the cold loss immediately.

 "So Kurt..." he paused, remembering the conversation from earlier that seemed so desperately long ago now, "You're a teacher right?" The other man smiled slightly and Blaine could see a new light jump into Kurt's eyes.

 "A music teacher at Linton Primary. Do you know it?" Blaine smiled broadly.

 "I do actually. I went there for a while before my parents sent me to private school. I loved the place. Really good memories. It was middle school that things started to go wrong."

He trailed off, realising that he had been verging on over share. He could see Kurt side-eying him but the other man didn't pry any further. There seemed to be some kind of acknowledgement in his eyes though; some form of understanding. Blaine didn't know when Kurt had come out but he guessed all school experiences were pretty tough for gay teens in Ohio.

 "Music teacher eh? That's pretty cool though. I love music. It was actually my major in college. I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet....I only just finished uni. 6 months ago and there hasn't been much call for music related jobs but, you know."

He was aware he was gabbling but the need to talk about anything normal was compelling. "I guess as long as I can keep playing my music and, you know, sing and stuff then I'll be pretty much happy. Even if I have to work in a coffee shop to keep me off the streets." He laughed nervously. Kurt was grinning at him, his interest perked. He nudged his shoulder with his own and his eyes sparkled teasingly.

 "Wow, you know Blaine I think I have people I'd consider my best friends who don't confide in me this much!" he smirked, his voice light and joking. Blaine grinned back, enjoying the slight electricity that coursed through his shoulder as their arms brushed occasionally while they walked.

 "Sorry. I tend to over share when I'm nervous" Blaine apologised, sneaking another sideways look. Kurt was still smiling.

 "Hey it's ok. I can't believe we have music in common. I mean, I'd guessed as much by the chaos of instruments decorating my bedroom, but I wasn't sure if it was just a hobby or not." 

Both men ignored the slight awkwardness of the "my room" comment and smiled again. "What's your weapon of choice" he said in a mock serious tone. Blaine joined him in the mockery,

 "Well it's usually guitars at dawn, but I am partial to the odd piano fight so be warned"

 Kurt giggled, visibly relaxing into the conversation. "I'll bare that in mind next time I find myself challenging you to a musical duel." They lapsed into companiable silence again, breathing in the stifling summer heat of the air around them.

"I play the piano a bit but I mainly sing with the kids." Kurt shared. "I guess singing was always my escape; especially at school. I suppose I just wanted to bring some of that comfort I found in singing to the kids I work with." His voice was calm and measured, like he was weighing out his words carefully before committing them to the air. Blaine was watching him steadily.

 "Was school tough for you?" he ventured. Kurt paused slightly in his step, turning to look at Blaine full on.

 "I was the only out gay kid in my school Blaine. I spent my time in dumpsters, cleaning Slushies out of my hair and covering up the bruises."

His voice was monotone, but his eyes had become dull and glazed, as if the memories were eating up the very life inside of him. For a fleeting moment his face had become very dark and then in a blink it was gone and he shrugged. "It got better though. I joined Glee club and, like I said, music kind of saved me."

 Blaine wanted to reach out to him. To tell him that he understood. That he'd also spent evenings crying, curled up on his bed. He scratched subconsciously at the scar on his forearm and pulled at his shirt sleeves, covering it. Kurt noticed the action but remained silent. Blaine smiled again, immediately relaxing the atmosphere.

 "Your voice is beautiful by the way." He said warmly. "I couldn't quite believe it when I heard that sound coming out of the bathroom, but your voice is like nothing I've ever heard before."

 A sweeping blush spread across Kurt's cheeks and he looked down at his shoes. "I used to think it was just another thing to be embarrassed about. Another thing that made me different. Something for people to laugh at. The boy who sounds like a girl..." he paused slightly and Blaine was about to interject when Kurt silenced him by taking another breath.

"but... eventually I realised it was another thing to make me unique. Special maybe...I guess I started to kind of see it as a gift." A small smile played at the edge of his mouth and Blaine's heart surged yet again. He barely knew this man but every part of him felt connected to him; like he was speaking about Blaine's own life. His fingertips brushed Kurt's once again and both men burned at the touch.

 "I was in glee club at my private school; Dalton Academy. We had an accapela group called the Warblers. I was their lead vocalist for a while." Blaine smiled at the memories. "We never got very far in the show choir competitions. Won Regionals a few times but nothing more."

 "I think we might have sung against you a couple of times in competitions." Kurt said eagerly. "I remember the name Warblers. Blue blazers Right?"

 "That's right!" Blaine exclaimed. "Stupid blue blazer was the bane of my life" he mumbled.

 "No way! You guys were super cute. Very dapper." Kurt giggled and bumped against his shoulder once again. "We were the New Directions. McKinley High. We weren't too bad actually." Kurt swelled a little, the obvious pride in his group making him stand up slightly taller. Blaine allowed a broad smile to cover his face as he turned to Kurt.

 "Yeah I know that name too. Didn't you win Nationals eventually?" Blaine said his eyes wide with admiration.

 "Yeah we did." Kurt said, pride shining out. "Senior year..... My final really good memory of that place."

 "Well I'm jealous. You guys were quite legendary around local schools." Blaine added. He was about to tease Kurt a little more when he turned towards the man beside him and watched him visibly shrink into himself, shoulders hunched and knuckles clenched white.

He looked up, startled at the change in Kurt before registering that they were stood outside the hospital. Neither said anything as the glass front doors swiped backwards and forewords in front of them.

Blaine reached instinctively for Kurt's fingers and found the other man clutching them like a lifeline, clammy and desperate. They didn't speak. Words seemed a little useless now, only squeezed each other's fingers as Blaine gently pulled him forwards into the harsh lighting of the reception.