When Kurt wakes up later in the morning, he is alone in the bed. The apartment is dead quiet. He sits up on the bed slowly, wincing at the pain in his head. He feels nauseous, his head is pounding, and it feels like someone has put a nail in the back of his head.

He lifts his hand to rub it over his face, but pulls it away quickly as it makes contact with his broken nose. He winces in pain, and when he pulls the hand back his fingers are sticky with blood. He swears under his breath and swings his legs over the side of the bed. He sits on the edge of the bed for a while, trying to remember what happened last night. But he fails to recall anything that happened Simon tossed him on the bed, after that it is only bits and flashes.

He remembers Simon screaming at him. Simon biting and sucking on his neck.

Searing pain as Simon thrusts into him.

Then nothing but numbness as he wakes up the first time, Simons strong arms lifting him. Simon bathing him, cleaning the blood away from his bruised body. Then his fiancés strong arms pulling him close, holding him as he sleeps.

Kurt stands up, and winces at the pain in his left side as he moves. He slowly walks to the bathroom, taking his T-shirt off on the way there, not even caring about where it lands as he drops it on the floor.

As he gets into the bathroom he opens the medicine cabinet. He picks up the Tylenol bottle, and swallows two pills dry. He then walks out of the bathroom, down the hallway towards the big mirror by the front door.

Kurt can barely keep himself from gasping when he sees his own reflection in the mirror. He is covered in black and blue bruises.

His chest and ribcage are covered by them, stretching from his right hipbone, up towards his right shoulder. Black bruises, in the shape of fingers, lingers on his hips. A memory of the event the day before.

The whole left side of his face is dark blue, almost black, his eye is almost swollen shut and his lip split. His nose is broken, there is no doubt about it. It is swollen, and he has bruises underneath both of his eyes.

As he turns around, he sees that even his back is bruised. It isnt as bad as his chest, but he has a huge black bruise on his right shoulder, and he remembers slamming into the coffee table the night before.

His back is filled with small scratches, some of them having reopened since he woke up. He recalls the beer bottle smashing into the wall above him, had he fallen on the broken glass? He couldn´t remember it.

His neck though, is the worst. Black bruises is covering it, like shadows of Simons fingers lingering on Kurts pale skin. On the side of his neck he has a bite mark, dried blood is smeared out around it.

They scare him a little, the bruises on his skin. This is the most violent Simon has ever been. The other times he has always only struck Kurt once, or maybe twice, never to the point of Kurt passing out.

But at the same time, this time he really deserved it. The other times Kurt didnt always know what he had done to make Simon angry. This time he knew, Simon had forbidden him from leaving the apartment without his permission, and he had done it anyway. Adding that to the fact that he had already angered Simon once that day, it wasnt weird that Simon lashed out like that. Like he said, he had been drunk, and had become worried when Kurt wasnt home.

Kurt walks into the kitchen, it is empty to Kurts surprise. He had expected Simon to be there.

On the kitchen table there is a vase, with a bouquet of flowers in it. White and red roses. It has a note attached to it. Kurt picks it up, he recognises Simons writing on the back.

Im sorry, my love

xxx

-Simon

On the fridge Kurt finds an envelope, with another note in it, as well as five 100 dollar bills. Even on this note Kurt recognises Simons writing.

Good morning, my love. I hope you slept well.

I am so sorry for not being here this morning, especially with what happened yesterday.

I got a call from work this morning. They wanted me to go on a business trip, in France. I couldnt say no, this is a big opportunity for me.

I wont be gone for long, a week at the very most.

I left my credit card in your wallet, as well as some money in this envelope. Please use them for whatever you like.

See you soon, I love you.

With all my love

- Simon

Kurt feels disappointed, if Simon is gone for a week, it will mean that he will be gone for Christmas, which will mean that Kurt will have to celebrate it alone. Its the 20th of December today, so Simon might be coming home in time, but somehow, Kurt doubts it. It is very rare for Simons trips to last any shorter than a week.

He slowly walked around the apartment, unsure of what to do. He dressed, washed all the dishes, at least twice and cleaned the apartment. When he had done that, the clock was only 11am. So, he decided to go for a walk in Central Park, and maybe talk to Bob if he was there.

He soon arrives at "his" bench, it wasnt really his, but he and Bob always used it, and in the years he had used it, he had never really seen anyone else us it. When he thought about it, it might have to do with the fact that Bob always chased away the people that sat on the bench, it had resulted in no one sitting on it at all. They would rather find another bench, than have a 180 pounds homeless man chasing after them.

He sits down on the bench, just watching the other people in the park. All the different couples, enjoying each others pretence. He envy them, they dont know how lucky they are, to be able to take a walk in the park with their partners, to be with them on Christmas. He and Simon rarely has time to do anything outside the apartment, with Simons crazy work hours, and him going to the pub after work rather than coming home to Kurt. Maybe it is Kurts fault that Simon doesnt want to be home? Has he done something to anger Simon, to make him not wanting to be with Kurt? Kurt cant think of anything, but there has to be. Why else would Simon not want to do things with him?

He doesnt even notice that he is crying until someone is speaking to him.

"Excuse me... are you okay?" a beautiful voice above him says.

Kurt looks up, and he sees a young man standing in front of him, looking concerned. He has big, warm hazel eyes and black curly hair. He looks familiar somehow, but Kurt doesnt know where from. As Kurt looks up, the stranger smiles, and his smile is one of the most beautiful smiles Kurt has ever seen.