When Kurt first saw Blaine, he was fourteen years old.
Having lived in Lima, Ohio his entire life, any news was a huge deal for the small town and Kurt was always itching for something to happen. Quiet, suburban life wasn’t something he found enchanting in the least, so he often times found himself bored to tears with his life.
Not on this day, however. It was dreary out, put most everyone in a miserable mood, but Kurt revelled in it. There would be no playing outside, which meant he was perfectly safe to hide in his room and avoid the bullies that plagued his existence. He could curl up in his window seat, looking out into the quiet street, with a book or a sketch pad and just be.
That’s when it happened. He saw the moving truck out of the corner of his eye, looking up just in time to watch it pull into the driveway next door. He set his book down, moving out of the way so he could open the window and stick his head out, intrigued by the idea of new neighbours. He honestly couldn’t recall the last residents that lived there; the house hadn’t been touched in that long.
He leaned against the window sill, the roof jutting out far enough from the house to provide him coverage from the drizzle that was coming down. The driver of the van stepped out first; an average man with dark hair and boring clothes. Nothing stood out about him at all.
What did intrigue Kurt was the boy that got out of the passenger seat. He was small, definitely shorter than Kurt, and had dark curls on his head that looks a little frizzy in the humid air.
There was something about him that Kurt took too immediately. He didn’t stand out, looking more like someone who would try to blend in with the crowd, but Kurt got the feeling there was something more. There was something about this boy and Kurt wanted to know why he had a strange, but not unpleasant, feeling in the pit of his stomach.
At that moment, the boy looked up toward his window, dark eyes finding Kurt immediately. Kurt froze, staring back. He wanted to look away. He wanted to duck back into his room and slam the window shut. He wanted to hide.
But he couldn’t something had practically paralyzed him to the spot and he watched as the boy, still holding his gaze, walked around the car and took a few steps toward his house.
“Blaine!” the man said, forcing him to break eye contact.
Kurt didn’t stick around, nearly falling off of his seat as he rushed to move away from the window and shut it. He even locked it, for good measure. The feeling inside remained all night, tormenting his thoughts and keeping him awake for the majority of the night.
There was something special about the boy next door, and he had a feeling that whether he wanted to or not, he was going to find out what it was.
X
The gravel of the driveway crunched under Kurt’s feet as he tried to sneak down to the park as stealthily as possible. He did this so many times in the last few months, but he never stopped feeling petrified of being caught. He didn’t even want to think of what his father would do to him if he found him out here, in the dead of night, heading away from their house. It’d be a nightmare come to life.
The nervous edge waned as he approached the park. There was always a nagging in the back of his mind that maybe his dad would get up and check on him while he was gone, but it was easily ignored.
As he approached his swing, eyes on the ground, he heard a soft voice ahead. He lifted his eyes and froze on the spot, seeing a body already in his swing. A rather small body, at that. He took a few steps forward and realized this was definitely the boy that had moved in next door.
And he was singing. The concept shouldn’t have been so strange, but the setting made Kurt mildly uncomfortable. Still, he unconsciously found himself moving toward the swing set and taking a seat next to this mysterious boy.
Kurt didn’t know the song, but he noted that this boy’s voice was lovely. He could have listened to him forever, actually. When the song ended, he finally looked over at him.
“That was very good.” he said quietly, hoping it wouldn’t upset him that Kurt listened.
A moment of absolute silence and then…
“Thank you.”
His voice was soft, like a whisper, but Kurt knew what he had heard and he smiled. “Can I ask what it was?” he continued. He felt a compulsion to speak to him, regardless of how nervous it was making him.
The boy looked at him, biting his lip. “It’s something my mother used to sing to me.” he said finally, his dark eyes examining Kurt as he spoke.
“Would you teach it to me?” Kurt asked in return, making the boy’s eyes widen. “I mean, you don’t have to, but it was just very lovely and I’d like to remember it-“
“No, I can.” he replied immediately, cutting Kurt off mid-sentence. “I’m Blaine.” he said after a short silence.
“Kurt,” Came the response. They exchanged smiles and Kurt’s tension eased. Blaine was just a normal boy like him. There was no reason for him to be so afraid. He was just being silly.
Kurt looked down at the ground, which was a bad habit of his, and noticed that Blaine wasn’t wearing any shoes.
“Aren’t your feet cold?” he asked without thinking. It was edging on winter now, and he couldn’t even go outside without a jacket.
Blaine visibly tensed before shrugging stiffly. “I’m fine. It’s not cold.” he said quietly, his voice giving finality to the subject. “Do you really want to learn the song?” he asked.
Kurt nodded, not wanting to say anything in fear of upsetting Blaine again.
Blaine nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. A white puff appeared as he exhaled, furthering Kurt’s concern for how cold he must have been.
Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping
Hill and vale in slumber sleeping,
I my loving vigil keeping
All through the night.
Kurt watched him sing, almost captivated. Blaine broke down the song, singing clearly and sweetly then listened to Kurt repeat it one verse at a time. It only took a few minutes for them to get through it.
“Sing it with me.” Blaine said then, smiling at Kurt softly. Kurt nodded, glad Blaine seemed to be enjoying this as much as he was.
Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping
Hill and vale in slumber sleeping,
I my loving vigil keeping
All through the night.
While the moon her watch is keeping
All through the night
While the weary world is sleeping
All through the night
O’er they spirit gently stealing
Visions of delight revealing
Breathes a pure and holy feeling
All through the night.
Love, to thee my thoughts are turning
All through the night
All for thee my heart is yearning,
All through the night.
Though sad fate our lives may sever
Parting will not last forever,
There’s a hope that leaves me never,
All through the night.
They smiled at each other when it was done, a calm feeling prevailing the air.
“It was nice to meet you, Kurt.” Blaine said as he stood up. “I should go, but maybe I’ll see you again tomorrow?” he added, making the sentence a question.
Kurt stood as well, shrugging. “I’d like that.” he agreed and Blaine nodded before turning to head back to his house.
Kurt watched him for a while, not wanting to start for home in case Blaine thought he was following him or something. He still thought there was something strange about him, but Blaine seemed so sweet, and Kurt didn’t have a lot of friends. Maybe this would be a good thing for them both.
X
Kurt brushed a clump of dried dirt off the porch step and sat down, kicking his feet out in front of him. It was dark and Kurt considered trying to sneak down to the park again but he knew his Dad had been getting suspicious of his nightly activity. There were passing comments, “I’ll come up later and say goodnight,” or “make sure you get a good night’s sleep, you look tired.” Seemingly harmless remarks, but coming from his dad it was like a siren that he knew something was going on.
Kurt sighed and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands. He gently began to hum and it took him a moment to realize it was the song that Blaine had taught him, the corners of his mouth twitched into a tiny smile at the memory.
A rusted red pick up truck turned the corner into the street and Kurt recognised it before it could pull into the driveway. A while after the moving truck had left, someone had pulled up with this very car and the keys had been handed over to Blaine’s father; Kurt assumed it had been in holding while they moved.
Now it was the dark haired man behind the wheel and he was swinging open the driver’s side door before he was even parked, handbrake on and feet on the ground simultaneously. He reached back in to the car for a moment, stretching his arms out to the passenger seat and then pulled back out, a plastic fuel can style container in his hands.
Kurt squinted in the dark, straining his eyes trying to see what it was. The canister was full of something…from this distance Kurt couldn’t tell what, but it reminded him of car fuel or something similar; it would make sense given the container it was being held in. It was dark and it sloshed against the rim, the liquid staining the side for a few seconds before drawing back down. ‘A strange consistency,’ Kurt thought idly.
His dad was a mechanic so Kurt had worked with fuel and oils in the shop but he had never seen anything like that. He started as the man turned his head towards him. Kurt made a strange squeaking noise and waved his hand in a tiny movement, embarrassed to be caught staring. Blaine’s father said nothing, just switched the container into his other hand and reached for the front door handle, disappearing from view within seconds.
Kurt leaned back on the porch, hands out behind him as he gazed up at the blackened sky.
Curious.
Kurt shuffled down the hallway, his eyes on the floor as he tried to avoid bumping into anyone. It was much safer in the school if he just didn’t touch anything; something he had learned over time.
Something brushed by him roughly, making him lose his balance.
“Watch where you’re going, fag!” someone said, causing people around them to erupt into laughter.
Kurt looked up, meeting the eyes of a girl nearby. She wasn’t laughing or smiling but when she noticed he was looking at her, she immediately ducked her head and ran.
He shook his head, adjusting his bag on his shoulder again to continue to his next class. He had only taken a few steps when someone shoved on his back so hard he fell to the ground. He rolled instinctively onto his back, looking up at the four boys surrounding him as he propped himself up on his elbows. He didn’t know any of them well; just that they were on the hockey team.
“You can’t apologize?” one of them almost hissed, crouching so he was almost on Kurt’s level.
“I’m sorry…” he said softly, dropping his eyes to the tiled floor.
A hand slammed into his shoulder, pushing him back down to the ground. He hit his head and winced at the immediate pain he felt.
“Not good enough, faggot.” another said, pulling him up by the front of his shirt. He was unsteady on his feet when the boy let go and one of them behind him shoved him hard, sending him face first into the locker.
Another chorus of laughter followed that action, and Kurt slumped back to the floor.
“Don’t forget about this next time.” the first boy said, literally spitting at Kurt before turning to leave. The others gave him parting glares before following.
No one in the hallway looked at him or said a word and after a moment, he pulled himself to his feet. He leaned back against the locker, trying to force back tears that were threatening to emerge.
He was enough of a fag in the school’s eyes. There was no reason to make it worse and break down in the hallway.
~
On Wednesday Kurt stood before Blaine with half his face bruised and the gash over his eye swollen to double the size it had been the day before. The clotted blood had crusted to brown but he had managed to wipe away the drips that had trailed down from it.
Blaine pushed away from the bars taking strong confident steps towards the other boy. He raised a hand to the battered skin, not quite touching but being close enough for Kurt to feel the warmth.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice hard and his eyes flashing with something Kurt couldn’t place.
“Just some boys at school.”
“Why did you let them?”
“Let them? I didn’t let them. There were four of them, and they’re on the hockey team.”
“Did you hit back?”
“What? Have you seen me? Four of them, four.” Kurt responded, gesturing to his slight frame.
“Then you have to hit back harder.” Blaine said matter-of-factly, shrugging as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. A glimpse of a smile shining across his lips.
Kurt sighed and raised a hand to his forehead, rubbing the wound gingerly to alleviate the itch that has started. The crust loosened under his fingers and he winced as he felt a slow line of blood trickle down the skin.
A low groan drew his attention back to Blaine.
Kurt met Blaine’s gaze and he froze. The tiny red veins in Blaine’s eyes were creeping out to cover the white and the pupil began to shrink to a pinpoint as the hazel brown iris turned an icy, piercing blue. The skin around the eyes pinched to vine like lines, swelling and darkening until the face was totally unrecognizable as the boy he knew. Blaine was breathing heavily, his curls matted with sudden sweat as it fell across his brow.
His eyes were fixed on the trail of blood running down Kurt’s face, tongue darting out of his mouth to slowly lick his bottom lip.
Afraid, Kurt lifted a foot, making to step backwards as slowly as possible.
Suddenly Blaine’s attention drew upwards, his eyes darting quickly upwards towards the 3rd floor window where the curtain was twitching and Kurt could see the silhouetted figure of the man who Kurt assumed was Blaine’s father.
As quickly as he had changed Blaine turned back, his eyes meeting Kurt’s once again. Back to normal.
Kurt could only stare in frozen confusion and fear as the boy turned and swiftly strode back across the frozen ground and through the buildings back door.
~
It was another week before Blaine and Kurt saw each other again. Kurt had seen Blaine leave the house a couple of times during the nights with his father but he never responded to Kurts attempts at gaining his attention. He had kept his head down looking towards his dirty bare feet as if they were suddenly the most interesting things in the world. He had his hood pulled up over his head, successfully hiding the majority of his face.
Without the view of normal skin Kurt was forced to remember the terrifying image of his face from before. He had spent the whole week trying to make sense of what he had seen. It definitely hadn’t been a dream, he knew that much. It had definitely happened. So far the only explanation Kurt could come up with was that he was simply going mad. The stress of the bullying finally getting to him, completely bonkers.
But something in the back of his head screamed at him that seeing Blaine again was dangerous, a bad decision, risking his life even. But Blaine was the closest thing to a friend he had ever had, and he wasn’t going to let his sudden onset madness do anything to stop it.
Unfortunately Blaine had different ideas.
Kurt was used to coming down to the park at night to find it empty, he made sure to go there every night, just incase Blaine decided to show up, but so far there had been no luck and he had simply sat on the swingset for an hour every evening before calling it a night and heading home.
This night, however, was different.
Blaine was perched on the monkey bars as Kurt lifted the metal clasp on the gate, bare feet dangling off the edge and hands gripping the bars tightly.
Kurt hurried over, his boots dragging through the woodchip floor and hands outstretched. The second he came into contact with the metal he swung himself up and leaned over towards Blaine.
“Hi.” He said carefully, a smile on his face.
“We can’t be friends.” The smile was instantly wiped off his face.
“What?” He whispered.
“We. can’t. be. friends.”Blaine repeated slowly, as if talking to a child.
“Why not?”
“Because…” Blaine looked away, silently hoping he wouldn’t have to explain. It killed him that he had to do this to start with. Kurt’s silence wasn’t helping though. The other boy was awaiting the continuation, Blaine sighed.
“That’s just not how this works.” Kurt just stepped off the bar, now standing closer to the swing set than Blaine.
“And what is this?” Kurt asked coldly, heart hammering in his chest.
“I don’t know.” And then Blaine was off the monkey bars and was halfway across the park before Kurt could blink, just like that. The only sound coming from his bare feet on the wood chipped park floor.
Kurt stared after him, eyes boring into the retreating body. Blaines shoulders were slumped as if with defeat, sadness and something else that Kurt couldn’t name.
He blinked and then Blaine was gone, over the hill and back to his home. Kurt dug the heels of his palms into his eyes and rubbed at the prickle of tears there.
He abruptly realised he was alone in the darkness and propelled himself off the swing and across the park with a sudden fear that he couldn’t seem to place.
~
Kurt couldn’t sleep. His brain was working overtime to try to catch up with what Blaine had said. Why didn’t he want to be Kurt’s friend? What wouldn’t work that way? What the hell was Blaine’s problem? Or maybe it was something about Kurt; it wouldn’t be the first time he had been ditched. Wouldn’t be the first time he had been replaced, or left on the sidewalk alone.
He had been lying on the bed in complete silence for a while when there was suddenly a loud thump against the wall that joined the boy’s bedrooms. A smash of glass brought Kurt out of his thinking and he glanced over to the clock by his bedside. 2am. He scrambled to his knees on the bed, pressing his ear against the wall wondering what the hell could be going on over there.
There was shouting.
He couldn’t catch every sentence but he figured that Blaine and his father were arguing about something big.
Snippets of the argument were louder than the rest and Kurt could make out ‘YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO THIS FOR ME…DON’T PRETEND YOU CAN’T…I DON’T CARE…HE’S…FRIEND.” He could tell that was Blaine. The retaliations were just as vague. “I DON’T HAVE…ANYTHING…YOUR FAULT…HE’S GOING TO…KILLED.”
After that the voices drifted further away and Kurt couldn’t understand a single word. He guessed they must have left Blaine’s bedroom and this was confirmed a moment later when the resounding crash of the front door echoed through the silent night.
Kurt twisted round and all but fell from the bed, scrambling to the window as fast as he could. Just fast enough to see Blaine storming across the street, his quick footsteps kicking the light dusting of snow that had fallen out of his way. Blaine’s father followed, only getting to the end of the driveway before he danced angrily from one foot to the other as his bare feet couldn’t handle the cold. He stomped one foot onto the hard ground and threw his arms up in frustration. His mouth seemed to be working furiously to argue but Kurt couldn’t hear a word. He strode back inside, angrily slamming the door once more.
Kurt pulled his attention back to the direction which Blaine had gone but the other boy had disappeared from sight completely.
Kurt sat back on his heels with a sigh.
What the hell had just happened?
~
Blaine was furious. Not only had the man not managed to find him food, he had brough Kurt into a fight like he was something to be angry about. Like any of it was his fault.
This was totally the stupid oaf’s fault. He’d had many years to get used to this, he should know better.
Blaine stopped suddenly and punched a tree in frustration. The frozen bark chipped under his fist and a few flakes fluttered to the ground and the leaves above him shook as if with fear.
The boy could feel his blood boil, his veins itching…his heart pounding out of control and he didn’t even think as he took off in the other direction, nostrils flaring as he searched for the tell-tale signs of life nearby.
His feet worked feverishly below him as he searched out what he was looking for. Finally his nose caught the scent. Saliva filled his mouth as he sniffed the copper tang in the air. Ice blue eyes darted between the trees, his senses dulled by his hunger and stopping him from finding his prey with much more ease.
A shadow caught his gaze and he growled as he fixed on his target. A couple of teenagers, obviously having snuck out at this late hour for sexual acts that they were going to regret. They were sitting together on a log in a small opening, lips glued to each others, hands running up and down one another’s bodies.
Blaine spat, took a deep breath, twisted one dirty bare foot into the ground to find a good grip. And ran.
His footsteps near silent, the couple never saw him coming.
A scream echoed through the trees and any control Blaine had possessed was gone.
The next few minutes were filled with high pitched screams, blood splattering nearby trees and staining the ground as it pumped from torn veins. As the area fell silent Blaine sat on the ground, legs folded beneath him and hands holding the girl’s body to him as he drank down the blood gushing from her neck and chest. The boy’s body lay a couple of feet away, his chest still rising and falling slowly as his heart pumped out the last of his life onto the snow dusted ground.
Tomorrow someone would discover the mutilated victims of an unfortunate animal attack, maybe a jogger on their morning run. Maybe some kids playing cowboys and Indians in the trees. But for tonight Blaine had his meal, and his belly was filled with the warmth he needed.
~
Kurt sat by the window for what felt like hours, and quite possibly could have been. He stared out, near unblinking, waiting for the other boy to appear again.
His eyelids twitched, threatening to close and moisture prickling at the sides, daring him to close them for just a second so sleep can take hold.
Just as he was about to give in, movement caught his eye. The small, barefoot boy was standing in the middle of the road, staring up at his home, his posture sluggish like he had been running and had suddenly lost all his energy. Kurt wondered if he had. One foot lifted from the cold ground, in the direction of house, before he shook his head with one sharp twitch and headed down the hill towards the park; the boys normal meeting place. Kurt could just make out the boy slumping onto one of the swings before he jumped up, making a split second decision.
He was going to find out what the hell was going on with these guys.
He slowly turned his bedroom door handle, sticking his head out into the hall to listen for sign of life from his father. Once he was happy that the man wasn’t awake he slipped out into the hallway, creeping past the other rooms with a stealth he didn’t know he possessed.
He slipped his feet into a pair of boots by the door and turned the key in the lock, wincing as the click echoed like a gunshot in the night. He clicked the door closed again and shivered as the freezing night air hit his skin. Wrapping his arms around his body he jogged across the streets and down the grassed land leading to where the other boy sat.
As he got closer he saw something dripping on to the ground. Something dark, thick…
Blood.
He sped up his steps. Was Blaine injured? Had his dad hurt him? Or had someone else?
“Blaine?” He spoke cautiously as he approached. He was less than five feet away and he didn’t dare take another step.
Blaine head jerked up and the eyes that met Kurt’s were ones that he remembered too well. Veins pulsing and whites blood red. Perfectly blood red, in fact. As Kurt could compare the colour with the terrifying amount of blood that covered his skin and shirt. It dripped from his hands and between his lips and as Blaine opened his mouth to speak Kurt could see it covering his teeth and gums too.
“Kurt…” Blaine rasped. The blue faded, the veins pulsing around his eyes withdrew slowly and the snarl on his lips lowered until Blaine reminded him again of his old self…just saturated in blood…not his own.
Kurt knew what he wanted to ask…no, what he needed to ask.
“Are you a vampire?”
Blaine’s tongue came out from between his blood smeared lips, drawing more of the dripping red into his mouth. He didn’t seem surprised by the question, but he sighed in defeat as his secret was blown and there was no way out of it.
“I need blood to survive.” He said simply.
“Is that a yes?”
“It’s a response to your question.” Blaine gazed up with his eyes of terrifying blue, using a hand to wipe away the crusted brown remains on his forehead. “I can’t give you the answer you want.”
“And your Dad…?”
“He isn’t my Dad.” Blaine turned to look down the street, a slight wintry breeze blowing through his hair, the black locks drifting down in front of his eyes, hiding his eyes in shadows.
“His name is Marcus, He’s my handler.” At Kurt’s confused expression he continued.
“He makes sure I don’t get into too much trouble, he feeds me, keeps me safe…without him I would have been caught years ago.” One hand lifted to his forehead and he rubbed it slightly as if trying to alleviate a headache, but only succeeded in smearing more blood across it.
“So, why did you fight?”
“He didn’t succeed in bringing me food. And…he doesn’t approve of…you. He thinks you’re gonna get me killed.” Kurt took a chance and passed by the boy, choosing to sit in the swing two down from Blaine so that there was one lone swing between them.
“He may be a hard man, trying to act all indifferent and cold…but he does care about me. He always has.” Kurt could tell he had struck a chord there with the other boy. Older boy? Another question made itself known in Kurt’s brain and he couldn’t hold back asking.
“Could I just… how old are you?”
Blaine turned his gazer sideways so that he was looking Kurt dead in the eye and Kurt couldn’t describe the emotion that showed there.
“You know what? I can’t even remember. But let’s go with 14, for your benefit.” He laughed; a cold, hollow laugh that didn’t seem real at all. It died out quickly though, fading into nothing as a serious expression took over Blaine’s features.
“I should go.” He shifted his weight onto the other foot nervously and looked down to the ground, taking in the tiny red droplets that had now sunk into the snow.
“I have a lot of explaining to do.”
Kurt nodded, once again reminded of the blood running down Blaine’s chest, now congealed and turning brown in the cold night air.
~
Kurt sat on the couch, legs curled underneath him, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. His mind was racing with thought after thought, trying to process so many things at once. His revelation over Blaine, the things Blaine told him, and what he had seen. He was mad at himself for not having put it together sooner, actually. After the time Blaine lost control in front of him at the park, it shouldn’t have been so shocking.
A sharp wrap on the door brought him away from his thoughts, startling him and making him jump. He panicked for a moment before remembering that his dad was working late, so he was home alone.
He stood up slowly, dropping the blanket on the floor and headed over to the door, looking out of the peephole. He was surprised to see Blaine, just assuming that after their talk, he wouldn’t be seeing him ever again.
Pulling open the door, he looked the boy (if he could call him that now) over slowly. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly, noticing the look on Blaine’s face.
Shaking his head, Blaine tried his hardest not to go into a complete rage. This wasn’t Kurt’s fault and he had to remind himself of that. Kurt couldn’t help what his handler had just done.
“What did you do? What the hell did you do?!” Marcus roared, the moment he swung the door open. His eyes were drawn to the blood dripping down his charges chin and soaking through his clothes.
“What you couldn’t.” Blaine said simply, nudging his foot forward waiting for Marcus to tell him to come in.
“No. No you can’t come in now, not right now. No.” Marcus shook his head, backing up and closing the door in Blaines face with a soft click.
“Marcus…” Blaine said quietly, hand on the wood, smearing blood across the rough surface.
“MARCUS.” He screeched.
A soft voice came from the other side, filled with defeat and…disappointment.
“I can’t do this right now, Blaine. Go to him. See how much he cares.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” he told Kurt finally, his voice hard and giving no room for argument.
Kurt stepped aside, gesturing for Blaine to come in, but he just stood there, his eyes trained on the ground. “What?” Kurt asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.
“I have to be invited.” he whispered, fiddling with his hands as a way of not having to look up and see Kurt’s reaction to his words.
There was a moment, though very brief, where Kurt almost laughed. The shock was setting in, it seemed, and he was starting to remember that he was friends with a vampire, even if Blaine wouldn’t specifically say so.
“Come in.” he replied after he collected himself.
Blaine looked up, almost shocked, and he stepped inside. “Thank you,” he whispered, almost smiling.
Kurt merely nodded, leading the way back to the couch and grabbing his blanket. “You can come sit down.” he told him, patting the seat next to him. There was only a moment of hesitation before Blaine joined him, keeping a good amount of space between them.
There was an awkward pause, a tension in the air that neither boy was quite comfortable with. No one knew what to say or do now. They weren’t going to talk about what had happened to Blaine, and it was hanging over them like a dark cloud.
“I have to go on a school field trip with the hockey guys.” Kurt spoke finally, just to break the silence. It was the worst topic he could have chosen, all things considered, but it was all that he could think of.
Blaine’s eyes flashed to him, his mouth set in a grim line as he took in this information. “Where at?” he asked in return, picking up the conversation easily.
“The lake, on the outside of town.” Kurt consented, though he was curious as to why Blaine wanted to know that. It wasn’t as if he could go with him.
Blaine was silent for a long time, his eyes flitting around the room as he thought hard and long about this news. “Don’t let them hurt you, Kurt.” he ordered firmly.
Rolling his eyes, Kurt sighed. “I’ve told you before… They’re a lot bigger than me.”
“So you have to be tougher.” Blaine instructed, but that only managed to irritate Kurt. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.” he added quietly.
This softened Kurt a little, his anger ebbing away as he took in the words. Blaine cared, he realized. “I’ll try.” he promised, and he meant it.
~
Kurt ducked his head, listening to the teacher in the distance as she instructed the other students on where to go, often yelling for them to stick together. He kept up at a safe distance, not wanting to be too close, but sticking close enough to hear still.
He hadn’t been wrong to be scared. The boys had been a nightmare all day, pushing him down, throwing snow and sticks at him, and just being a general thorn in his side. He had tried his best to avoid them, but they would often seek him out on their own.
“Hey fag!”
He turned on instinct, flinching out of habit as he saw them headed his way. They circled around him and he turned to see that the teacher and the rest of the group were already out of sight. He felt his heart sink as he realized that he was most definitely doomed.
“Aren’t you gonna talk to us?” one of them asked, sneering at him and he walked around. He bent over, scooping up a rather large stick. In fact, it looked more like a fallen branch to Kurt and terror shook him to his core.
“Sorry…” Kurt said weakly. He had wanted to be strong, like Blaine would tell him to be, but he was too scared. Something inside of him reminded him that he could never stick up for himself and he should just get used to not being good enough and getting beat up all the time.
The branch hit him in the side while he was lost in his thoughts and he gasped in pain. It was like he had been hit with a metal baseball bat. He hadn’t dreamed that they could put that much force behind it.
Another hit followed immediately, this time to the head, making him fall back into the snow. Some survival instinct kicked in and he tried to push himself back, his hands already starting to tingle at the burn of the cold.
“Where do you think you’re going!?” they yelled, bringing a new branch into his line of vision and down across his stomach.
He groaned, trying to grab at the weapon. His fingers found purchase and he tugged, but the boy was stronger, yanking it from his hand. He felt the skin of his palm tear and he looked down to see blood trickling into the snow and onto his jacket.
“Now look what you did! Your mom isn’t going to like that.” the leader called, making the others laugh.
Kurt ignored the jab, still trying furiously to escape. He felt the ground underneath him grow colder and looked down to see ice. He was on the lake.
He recalled his teacher’s warning earlier in the day to avoid stepping on the ice, because they didn’t know how strong it was going to be. The boys were approaching and he felt his breathing pick up as he realized what was going to happen.
“Stop! Please!” he called, but that only seemed to make them laugh harder.
“I think you need a bath. Gotta clean off that coat.” came the reply, and they all nodded in agreement. Taking ginger, careful steps, they moved onto the edge of the ice. They stayed a safe distance from Kurt, however, before they started pounding on the ice with their branches.
Kurt was paralyzed. He couldn’t get past them and he was afraid of going farther into the middle of the lake. When the ice cracked underneath him, he sucked in a deep breath, but even he knew nothing could really prepare him for the cold he was about to feel. A thought occurred to him and as much as he tried to forget it, it was there as the ice finally broke and freezing water overtook him.
Kurt was going to die here.
His lungs were burning and he couldn’t feel his limbs as he tried to propel himself to the surface. His arms were numb and his legs were refusing to do anything he wanted them to.
His lungs filled with icy water as the shock of what was happening hit him. He flailed helplessly in the water, only succeeding in dragging himself further away from the original hole in the surface, effectively trapping him in a watery tomb.
Suddenly a loud thump came from above him and a shadow passed over Kurt's head as he gasped. It was an action he immediately regretted as his lungs filled with even more of the freezing water. A shuddering crack and a rush of water appeared to his left and something large and dark drifted past him, trailing bright red behind it. Kurt flapped an arm helplessly at the ice above him.
He could feel his vision darkening and his body giving up.
Just as he was sure he was about to die, a shadow passed over the ice. A couple of light footsteps, and then the ice above him was shattering, tiny sharp slivers cutting into his shoulders as someone hurled him up out of the frozen depths and up onto the hard lake surface.
Kurt shivered violently and what felt like gallons of water were forced from his lungs as he chocked. His clothes were saturated and clinging to him, making him even colder. He could still feel the darkness closing in on him, and he was helpless to stop it.
A pair of dirty bare feet stood by his head and lingered for a moment before the person above him leapt to the other side of Kurt's body. He knew it was Blaine. How could he not?
There was the sound of a struggle and a strangled sound of fear and then there was warmth spreading over Kurt's torso. Not like a blanket had been placed over him…no this was too warm, too velvety. He could feel whatever it was dripping down his arms.
Kurt tilted his head down, the single tiny motion taking away any strength he still possessed. From this angle he could only see the top side of his forearm but that was all it took to identify where the warmth had come from.
Deep, crimson red was spreading across the ice, dripping down his skin, the cold air drying it out where the smaller patches lay. As soon he figured it out, the smell assaulted him. The coppery tang that he had smelt before. Too many times.
Blood.
Kurt was lying on the ice drenched in someone else’s blood.
It was only a few seconds after that Kurt was being lifted from his position on the ice and strong arms were holding him against a warm body. This time the warmth that was dragged over him was actually a blanket of some sort. It was scratchy and woolen and, normally, Kurt would have complained but he was too numb to care. He could see his feet turning a frightening blueish purple from where he was now.
“Kurt, are you okay?” The voice above him was panicked and he wished he had the energy to console him.
“Kurt, talk to me, please, are you okay?” Another movement and Kurt was face to face with the other boy. His eyes that terrifying ice blue once more, and blood soaked through every inch of clothing he had on.
“Mmmm,” Kurt felt bad that a pathetic noise was the only thing he was able to come up with. His body was shaking horribly and he coughed when more water filled his throat. Blaine leaned him forward and rubbed the harsh material against Kurt's skin as water flowed from his mouth. The warmth was coming back to him now and the energy was building up inside him. Finally he was able to raise his head and he was both shocked and unsurprised by the sight around him.
Blood splattered the ice, covering every inch with the crimson substance. There was a trail from the edge of the water to a hole in the ice and the water below was mottled with a pinkish tinge.
A few feet from him, he could make out an arm, torn muscle and splintered bone sticking out of the end like something out of a horror movie. A mutilated torso lay a few feet from that and then, just before the original hole that Kurt had been tossed through, there was the head of one David Karofsky. Skull caved in and unseeing eyes fixed on Kurt's very position.
It was unnerving and Kurt had to look away.
“Blaine.” He croaked out, head tilting upwards to meet the other boys.
“They were killing you.” Was his only semblance of an explanation.
“Thank you.” Was all he could manage before he curled up tighter, pulling the blanket higher around his shoulders.
“Blaine!”
Blaine wiped around, startled and wide-eyed, still breathing heavily from exertion.
“What have you done?” Marcus snapped, advancing on him. “You foolish, idiotic boy, how did you expect to get out of this one, eh?”
“I couldn’t let him die." Blaine said quietly, fighting back his instinct to flee.
“Why? Why does this boy mean so much to you?” Marcus asked, his anger only seeming to grow stronger as the conversation ran on.
Blaine could feel his patience with his handler slipping away and he knew he couldn't hold onto it much longer.
“Tell me, Blaine, why would you risk everything for him?”
“BECAUSE HE’S BEEN A BETTER FRIEND THAN YOU’LL EVER BE!” Blaine finally snapped, his voice echoing around the room in the silence that followed his words.
After a long beat, Marcus finally opened his mouth to speak again. “I’m not helping you anymore.”
“What?” Blaine asked in shock, his eyes going wide.
“That’s it, I’m done, it’s over.”
"You can't just leave!" Blaine yelled now, terrified. He wasn't capable of doing what had to be done to both eat and protect himself. That's what Marcus was for! Without him... Blaine didn't know what he would do.
“Yes I can. Obviously I didn’t know what I was getting myself into with you.”
“Obviously… But why wait until now? Why not years ago. Why now?”
“Before now you didn’t have him.”
“Wait a minute…You’re jealous. Of Kurt”
“I’m not jealous. I’m disappointed. In you, Blaine. You’ve always been able to stay free of friendship.” He spat out the word like it was poison on his tongue.
“That’s what drew us together, remember? All those years ago. We were loners, you needed someone to protect you, someone you didn’t have to care about. Just use. And I went along with it. Every step of the way because I thought, hey that’s just how he is. It’s just his genetics. But apparently not, ey Blaine? Apparently you had the ability to care about someone all this time. Just not about me.”
"You can't just leave!" Blaine yelled now, terrified. He wasn't capable of doing what had to be done to both eat and protect himself. That's what Marcus was for! Without him... Blaine didn't know what he would do.
“Yes I can. Obviously I didn’t know what I was getting myself into with you.” Marcus retaliated, making Blaine flinch.
“Obviously… But why wait until now? Why not years ago. Why now?” he bit back, growing more scared and angry as the conversation ran on.
“Before now you didn’t have him.” Marcus replied quietly, lowering his eyes to the ground.
“Wait a minute…" Blaine said softly, something clicking inside of his head. "You’re jealous. Of Kurt.”
“I’m not jealous. I’m disappointed. In you, Blaine. You’ve always been able to stay free of friendship.” He spat out the word like it was poison on his tongue.
“That’s what drew us together, remember? All those years ago. We were loners. You needed someone to protect you, someone you didn’t have to care about. Just use. And I went along with it. Every step of the way because I thought, hey that’s just how he is. It’s just his genetics. But apparently not, ey Blaine? Apparently you had the ability to care about someone all this time. Just not about me.”
Blaine flinched at the accusation, shaking his head. "That's not true..." he whispered, though he knew he was in denial. It was all true. He had never cared for anyone. He always refused to let emotions take over in any situation. But with Kurt...
"Blaine, do us both a favor and stop the lying." Marcus said, a dark humor in his voice.
This made Blaine angry and he hands balled into fists, his whole demeanor shifting. Who did Marcus think he was, telling Blaine what to do?
“NOBODY LEAVES ME!” Blaine roared, gripping the ice with his feet as he tore across the ice towards his handler. He reached out his hands, ready to tear skin the moment it got close, baring his teeth ready to attack.
But Marcus was ready. He wasn’t going to die this way, not after all this thing had put him through. Pulling him away from his family, from his home, from his life. It may not have been great but it was better than what he had now. He reached down to the ground where a cold steel axe lay, the remnants of a failed rescue weeks ago after a child lost his footing on the ice.
He didn’t want to end it like this, but he had no choice. As Blaine got closer he pulled his hand back…
And swung.
“BLAINE!” Kurt screeched, hands groping forward helplessly as he watched the axe swing through the air, the force of the blow knocking Blaine of his feet and his head off his shoulders. The body crumpled to the ground as Kurt cried out again, drawing his hands to his face, covering his mouth as he let out a pained sob.
Marcus let out a hard breath and the axe fell from his limp fingers as he fell to his knees in front of the decapitated body of his former charge.
Everything was silent for a moment, besides ragged breaths from the last two living beings on the ice.
Kurt was whimpering, small tiny squeaks behind his hands, afraid to blink in fear of what Marcus might do to him next.
But the man across the ice just laughed.
A hollow, harrowing laugh that struck Kurt deep in his soul.
The man picked up the axe again and Kurt held his breath, terrified that the next swing would be aimed at him.
But instead, with a cry akin to one of a wounded animal, Marcus swung the axe down at his own body, wedging the slightly dulled blade into his chest. He cried out again, pain, despair, sadness and anger all rolled into one final sound of the Vampires handler.
Kurt collapsed sideways, all his remaining energy escaping him now that the adrenaline caused by the fear had faded away.
Soon there would be Cops all over this place, soon he would have to explain. But for now he just lay there, shivering against the ice as his exhausted brain tried to piece together the events of the last few days.