Glee-Fic: Caligo Nox Noctis, Chapter Twenty (Finn/Kurt)
Title: Caligo Nox Noctis
Author: AoiTsukikage
Rating: R overall
Characters/Pairing: Finn/Kurt overall; some minor Blaine/Kurt
Chapter: 20/?
Word Count: 2981
Spoilers: Let’s say everything to be safe :)
Summary/Warnings: (Vampire!Kurt, so completely AU) The good news about all of this is that there’s a cure. The bad news, of course, is what the cure actually is.
Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I’m done with them. :)
Caligo Nox Noctis
Chapter Twenty
“So, biting him all along would have been a good thing?” Blaine is a little shocked to hear this, but he supposes in the end that anything that can make this easier is positive.
“Seems like it. I’m still not sure how I feel about Karofsky knowing, but at this point…stop it, Finn…at this point maybe it’s good that he’s afraid of me. That’ll make him less likely to pick on me, at any rate,” he sounds relaxed, almost too relaxed, and Blaine has to know what’s going on now.
“What’s Finn doing?”
“Bugging me. Kissing my neck,” Kurt sounds half-annoyed and half-euphoric and as much as Blaine wants to hate Finn for having what he never will, the other boy makes Kurt so darn happy that he just can’t. “Have you seen Derek since the weekend?”
“Once. He asked how my night with the boyfriend was,” Blaine says smugly and Kurt chuckles on the other end of the line. He can hear Kurt say something to Finn and the taller boy’s deeper voice in response before Kurt comes back.
“He says you’d better have said good things.”
“Of course,” Blaine promises. “What else could I do?”
“Mm,” Kurt agrees vaguely, still obviously getting some sort of attention from Finn. Blaine decides that he really has to figure out a way to get over Kurt, because this is getting ridiculous. Kurt and Finn are obviously sticking this out and he’s happy for him; really he is, but where does that leave him?
Maybe he has to start looking elsewhere, but again, there really aren’t that many out teens in this part of the country. Finding Jeremiah had just been luck on his part and a keen sense of Gay-dar, but that had worked out spectacularly, hadn’t it?
When a knock comes at the door he’s not really thinking about who it could be as he goes to answer it, and he says, wondering why Kurt seems to be protesting but, again, he’s experiencing a bit of teenaged angst right now and he figures he’s justified in feeling this way. He pulls open the door and takes a step backward when he sees Derek.
“Hello, Derek,” he tries to keep his voice level but he’s scared; of course he is.
“You lied to me.”
“I what?”
“About the vampire. You said you don’t talk to him any more, but you’re talking to him right now, aren’t you?” Derek shoves past him and picks up the phone from the bed. “Hey, Hummel; it’s Derek. Just wanted to let you know that I’ll find you, and I hope you know that your little boyfriend here is going to die because he was trying to protect you. I’ll talk to you later.”
He hangs up and sets the phone down, turning back to Blaine who scrambles for the door.
“I don’t think so.”
And Blaine’s doesn’t know how Derek’s across the room in a second, but he’s finding himself pinned against the wall with a knife…and not just a stake, but a bloody knife…to his throat.
“Don’t scream. I’ll make it quick if you’re quiet,” he promises and Blaine clamps his mouth shut, hoping somebody notices that the door is open and looks in to investigate. “I like you, Anderson; you know that, but you’ve made a stupid choice helping somebody that’s only out to get us all.”
“Kurt’s not…”
“Quiet,” he shoves the knife closer and Blaine can feel the tip of it pressing into the skin of his neck. “And he is, all vampires are just vicious monsters that need to be taken care of.”
“Even your uncle?” Blaine knows he’s pushing it but he needs to get that out.
“Great-uncle, but yes. Once they’re turned they’re not human anymore, and I can’t believe anybody would willingly fall in love with that,” he sighs and lowers the knife for a half-second, something demonic and not entirely sane in his dark eyes, before raising it again. “Anyway, in my opinion anybody who would willingly aid one of them has to suffer, so I hope you’re happy with your choice, Mr. Anderson,” he moves his arm back as Blaine hears a thumping in the hall, Wes and David barrelling through the door a moment later as Derek spins around quickly.
“Oh, hello, gentlemen. Blaine and I were just having a little chat…”
Blaine wonders why his words are going fuzzy, and why he can’t see properly, and…
He coughs, blood dripping out of his mouth, before realizing that in spinning to look at the door Derek had somehow lodged the knife in his chest, and…oh, God, he doesn’t want to die here…
“Blaine!” Wes’ voice is muffled as he slumps down the wall and he barely registers Derek pulling the knife out and the other boy’s footsteps pounding away from them before he lets out a pained whimper and falls to the floor, letting the blackness overtake him.
000
“Oh, God. Oh, God; oh, God; oh, God,” Kurt’s clinging to Finn’s shoulders, sobs wracking his body, and Finn holds him as close as he can and feels tears pricking his own eyes.
“He might be okay. We don’t know…”
“Finn, shut up,” Kurt growls, his breath coming in gasps, and when the phone rings a second later he’s scrambling for it immediately. “Hello?”
“Kurt?”
“Wes?” Kurt asks fearfully. “Is…”
“We…we got there just before he…he had a knife, Kurt, and I…”
And Kurt knows something bad has happened, because he’s never heard Wes lose control like this. “What happened? Is he…”
“Derek would have killed him, I think, but…when we burst in…”
“Tell me,” Kurt pleads, feeling Finn wrap around him from behind. “Just tell me!”
“He’s not dead. Derek was going to slit his throat, but the knife ended up in his chest…right side, I don’t think it hit anything vital, but…there was so much blood, Kurt, I don’t…”
“Is he in the hospital?”
“David’s talking to the paramedics,” Wes sounds a little more in control, now. “They…I think he’ll be okay, but…”
“Where’s Derek?”
“Ran away. It’s going to be impossible to pin anything on him, though; he took the knife,” Wes sounds frustrated and Kurt can’t blame him.
“Plus, with his father being on the board, the chances of anybody believing he tried to commit murder are slim to none, right?” Kurt feels the sudden urge to hit something and Finn seems to get that and goes back to kissing his neck, the familiar action relaxing him somewhat.
“Right. Anyway, I think I’ll go to the hospital with them…you can come visit, if you want.”
“You don’t think…”
“I think Derek will lay low for a while,” Wes admits. “It’s your choice.”
“No, I…I’m coming. I need to see him,” Kurt decides, sniffling, and Wes sounds sympathetic as he replies, “We’ll see you then.”
Kurt hangs up and drops the phone before breaking down again, crying into Finn’s shoulder and knowing that he looks pathetic but…he’d told Blaine this would happen and the other boy had put himself in danger anyway, just for Kurt, and he’ll never get over the guilt of that.
“Kurt, he’ll be okay…”
“It doesn’t matter. He was hurt because of me, and I don’t…”
“When are you gonna learn that people love you enough to take that risk?” Finn whispers against his throat.
“Maybe it’s better if I give myself up…” he feels Finn’s arms tighten around him and he spins around on Finn’s lap so they’re facing each other.
“No. Never,” Finn shifts him up so he’s higher than Finn and leans his forehead against Kurt’s chest. “I’d die myself before I let you do that.”
“You’re so dramatic,” Kurt smiles through his tears and pets Finn’s hair for a moment. “We need to get to Westerville.”
“Totally,” Finn agrees, rearing up to catch Kurt’s lips and Kurt kisses him back feverishly, needing the connection to reality because this all still feels like a bizarre dream. “This sucks, man.”
“I think it’s worse than that,” Kurt smiles at Finn’s uncanny ability to downplay such a situation. “But you’re right; let’s get going.”
000
“How is he?” Kurt asks once they’ve rushed into the hospital in Westerville, and Wes stands up from where he’s seated in the waiting room and comes over to meet them. He’s still in his uniform but the front is spattered with blood and he looks haggard and ill.
“Just got out of surgery. He’s incredibly lucky that knife didn’t hit anything vital or go deep enough to pierce a lung or something,” the other boy replies. “So, he’ll have to take it easy for a while but he’ll be okay.”
Kurt heaves a sigh of relief at that, leaning into Finn when the taller teen puts an arm around him. “Has anybody told his parents?”
“I’ve tried, but his father isn’t picking up,” Wes makes a face at that, and Kurt figures that knowledge of Blaine’s father is probably widespread among the Warblers.
“And what about the police?” Finn spoke up. “They’ll want to know what happened, but we’ve got no proof, so what are we telling them?”
“Nothing. This never happened,” Wes crosses his arms and sinks back into one of the plastic chairs.
“It…”
“Look…it’s Finn, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Finn nods.
“Well, Finn, most of the families that attend Dalton are rather ridiculously wealthy or, like Derek’s, have attended for generations so the next in line basically gets a free pass. Kurt is…was…an anomaly in that he was neither, but that’s beside the point. My family is quite well known here in Westerville and it won’t come as a surprise to you to learn that money can buy silence quite effectively,” he doesn’t look proud of this fact but Kurt’s happy that he’s thought of this. The quieter they keep this, the better.
“Did they say when we can see him?” Kurt asks softly.
“Soon, I would think; the surgery was very routine and most of what they were worried about was blood loss, but I think that’s been dealt with now. Well, mostly,” he wrinkles his nose at the state of his bloodstained shirt. “I know the two of you came straight from Lima and it’s past suppertime already, so why don’t you get something to eat?”
“Good idea,” Finn admits, and Kurt can hear his stomach growling rather insistently.
“You’re always hungry. But I wouldn’t object,” he sighs as Finn turns his best pleading look on him. “Let’s get some lovely hospital food.”
000
Blaine’s been awake for a while by the time Kurt gets to his room, and he’s strangely lucid despite the no doubt incredible amount of painkillers currently coursing through his body. He can’t feel the stab wound at all, which is a good thing, but he just hopes the medicine at least will work until he’s finished talking to Kurt.
It kills him to have this conversation, but he has to, for all of their sakes.
“Blaine!” Kurt darts over to the bed, Finn lingering in the doorway and eventually muttering something about going to the bathroom that Blaine knows is just an excuse to give them some time alone. “I…”
“Don’t,” Blaine cuts him off. “No guilt, okay? I could have easily shunned you the instant you were bitten, but I didn’t, and that was my choice.”
“Okay,” Kurt smiles at his abrupt response. “At least, no guilt when you can see it.”
“Fair enough,” Blaine replies after a moment, blinking, and Kurt reaches to grasp his hand.
“How are you feeling?”
“Considering I just had a knife lodged in my chest? Not half-bad,” Blaine tries to look reassuring. “Are you sure you should be here, though? It’s safe?”
“If Derek’s going to sneak through a hospital to finish the job he’s far more deluded than I thought,” Kurt rolls his eyes. “Do you…” Kurt’s voice gets quieter and he squeezes Blaine’s hand. “Do you actually think he was going to kill you?”
“I doubt it,” Blaine shakes his head. “I’m sure he just would have threatened me until I told them where you were, but…Wes and David surprised him and he must have lost his grip on the knife. Either that or he’s got the worst aim in the world,” he says wryly and Kurt barks a short laugh before looking morose again. Well, it’s now or never. “Kurt, we need to talk.”
“Can’t I just be happy you’re not dead for tonight?” Kurt lifts Blaine’s hand up and Blaine spreads his fingers, cupping the side of Kurt’s face and feeling a wetness beneath his fingers that can’t be anything but tears.
“You can, but this needs to happen.”
“Okay,” Kurt looks afraid and Blaine rubs his thumb along the other boy’s cheekbone, meaning it to be soothing but from the way Kurt clutches at his hand and keeps it pressed to his face he’s guessing it’s anything but at the moment. “Are…”
“I’m not going to tell you I hate you and that I’m never talking to you again,” Blaine promises and Kurt gives him a tremulous smile at that. “But I am going to tell you that we need to let go of each other.”
“We…”
“You still don’t trust Finn, do you?” Blaine cuts right to the chase, not wanting to make this any longer than it has to be. “You trust him with your life, maybe, but you don’t trust him not to break your heart again no matter what you’ve told him.”
“It’s hard,” Kurt admits, although Blaine notices that he doesn’t deny it. “He’s already broken it once; it’s hard to come back and trust somebody completely after that.”
“You have to think about how this feels for him, Kurt,” Blaine stares into Kurt’s damp eyes and sighs. “If you’re suspicious that as soon as you’re cured he’ll go back to chasing Rachel and Quinn, how do you think it is for him knowing that as soon as you’re cured you could run right back to me?” he tries to keep his voice as level as he can and he sees understanding dawn in Kurt’s eyes at the words.
“God, I’m an idiot…I never even…”
“It’s not quite the same, granted, but what if he’s afraid to let himself fall completely for you because he doesn’t want his heart broken either? From what you’ve told me about Rachel and Quinn they’ve both let him down in pretty major ways, so I’m betting he’s not the most trusting person on the planet at the moment either,” he gives Kurt a thin smile.
“You’re…you’re right,” Kurt clutches at Blaine’s hand and holds it in place. “You’re completely right, and I feel horrible for not realizing that before. He’s asked about you, but…”
“So we’re cutting off anything romantic between us?” Blaine tries to keep his voice from breaking, but it’s hard because this is the last thing he wants to do at the moment.
“I think it’s best. That way Finn and I can focus completely on each other, and…”
“Right,” Blaine nods sharply, taking a deep breath and flinching at the twinge in his chest that it produces. “And if something happens between the two of you and, at some point, you realize it isn’t going to work, then we can look at where we stand. But for right now, you’ve both got to trust each other with everything,” Blaine tells him firmly and Kurt turns his head enough that he can press a kiss to the palm of the shorter boy’s hand.
“This is why I need you around, Blaine Anderson. You can always see what I don’t,” Kurt sighs.
“Hey, don’t give me that much credit. You’re about the least subtle flirt in the world and I couldn’t figure it out,” Blaine rolls his eyes.
“Okay, so you’re incredibly perceptive when it comes to other people but blind when it comes to yourself, is that better?” Kurt groans in a long-suffering way and Blaine tries to keep himself from laughing because he knows that’s going to hurt.
“Better,” Blaine agrees. “I just have one request, though.”
“You want a kiss?”
“You know me too well,” Blaine slides his hand around to the back of Kurt’s neck and Kurt leans down, pressing their lips together and yeah, this a perfectly fine goodbye kiss. Kurt’s hands are cupping his face like he’s afraid to touch anywhere else and that’s probably wise at the moment.
“Kurt, I was wondering if you…oh.”
“Oh, why now?” Kurt mutters into his mouth before pulling back and turning to Finn standing in the doorway, his eyes wide and absolutely full of heartache, and Blaine feels his own heart clench at the look.
Okay, so maybe a goodbye kiss was another one of those impulsively bad decisions.
“Finn,” Kurt stands up and Finn takes a step back.
“Nah, I get it, man. He almost dies and now you’re professing true love or something, right?” Finn’s voice is harsh and Kurt flinches, closing his eyes and drawing back into himself, and Blaine can pretty much guess why: it probably reminds Kurt of their now rather infamous basement conversation, the first time that Finn broke him into pieces, and Blaine wants to comfort his friend but he figures any gestures on his part that could be construed as romantic are probably not helpful at the moment.
“That’s not…”
“I thought we could be something, Kurt! I was willing to change everything I am because I thought…never mind. I’ll see you later,” Finn turns on his heel and storms off.
“Finn!”
“Go,” Blaine prompts him, grabbing Kurt’s hand for a moment and meeting his eyes.
Kurt gives him a short nod before rushing out of the room after his stepbrother, and Blaine lays back in the bed and wonders if he’s just ruined everything.
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Notes:
1. The idea of the kind of last emotional Klaine kiss being seen by Finn was suggested by roseredmisery so thank you for that :D (And Finn’s more jealous than mad, really; he just has to figure that out xP)
2. Yes, there is even more drama in this part. It had to happen! And I promise there’s some, ah, sexytiemz in the next chapter. I wanted there to be some sooner but plot kept getting in the way :P
Author: AoiTsukikage
Rating: R overall
Characters/Pairing: Finn/Kurt overall; some minor Blaine/Kurt
Chapter: 20/?
Word Count: 2981
Spoilers: Let’s say everything to be safe :)
Summary/Warnings: (Vampire!Kurt, so completely AU) The good news about all of this is that there’s a cure. The bad news, of course, is what the cure actually is.
Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I’m done with them. :)
Caligo Nox Noctis
Chapter Twenty
“So, biting him all along would have been a good thing?” Blaine is a little shocked to hear this, but he supposes in the end that anything that can make this easier is positive.
“Seems like it. I’m still not sure how I feel about Karofsky knowing, but at this point…stop it, Finn…at this point maybe it’s good that he’s afraid of me. That’ll make him less likely to pick on me, at any rate,” he sounds relaxed, almost too relaxed, and Blaine has to know what’s going on now.
“What’s Finn doing?”
“Bugging me. Kissing my neck,” Kurt sounds half-annoyed and half-euphoric and as much as Blaine wants to hate Finn for having what he never will, the other boy makes Kurt so darn happy that he just can’t. “Have you seen Derek since the weekend?”
“Once. He asked how my night with the boyfriend was,” Blaine says smugly and Kurt chuckles on the other end of the line. He can hear Kurt say something to Finn and the taller boy’s deeper voice in response before Kurt comes back.
“He says you’d better have said good things.”
“Of course,” Blaine promises. “What else could I do?”
“Mm,” Kurt agrees vaguely, still obviously getting some sort of attention from Finn. Blaine decides that he really has to figure out a way to get over Kurt, because this is getting ridiculous. Kurt and Finn are obviously sticking this out and he’s happy for him; really he is, but where does that leave him?
Maybe he has to start looking elsewhere, but again, there really aren’t that many out teens in this part of the country. Finding Jeremiah had just been luck on his part and a keen sense of Gay-dar, but that had worked out spectacularly, hadn’t it?
When a knock comes at the door he’s not really thinking about who it could be as he goes to answer it, and he says, wondering why Kurt seems to be protesting but, again, he’s experiencing a bit of teenaged angst right now and he figures he’s justified in feeling this way. He pulls open the door and takes a step backward when he sees Derek.
“Hello, Derek,” he tries to keep his voice level but he’s scared; of course he is.
“You lied to me.”
“I what?”
“About the vampire. You said you don’t talk to him any more, but you’re talking to him right now, aren’t you?” Derek shoves past him and picks up the phone from the bed. “Hey, Hummel; it’s Derek. Just wanted to let you know that I’ll find you, and I hope you know that your little boyfriend here is going to die because he was trying to protect you. I’ll talk to you later.”
He hangs up and sets the phone down, turning back to Blaine who scrambles for the door.
“I don’t think so.”
And Blaine’s doesn’t know how Derek’s across the room in a second, but he’s finding himself pinned against the wall with a knife…and not just a stake, but a bloody knife…to his throat.
“Don’t scream. I’ll make it quick if you’re quiet,” he promises and Blaine clamps his mouth shut, hoping somebody notices that the door is open and looks in to investigate. “I like you, Anderson; you know that, but you’ve made a stupid choice helping somebody that’s only out to get us all.”
“Kurt’s not…”
“Quiet,” he shoves the knife closer and Blaine can feel the tip of it pressing into the skin of his neck. “And he is, all vampires are just vicious monsters that need to be taken care of.”
“Even your uncle?” Blaine knows he’s pushing it but he needs to get that out.
“Great-uncle, but yes. Once they’re turned they’re not human anymore, and I can’t believe anybody would willingly fall in love with that,” he sighs and lowers the knife for a half-second, something demonic and not entirely sane in his dark eyes, before raising it again. “Anyway, in my opinion anybody who would willingly aid one of them has to suffer, so I hope you’re happy with your choice, Mr. Anderson,” he moves his arm back as Blaine hears a thumping in the hall, Wes and David barrelling through the door a moment later as Derek spins around quickly.
“Oh, hello, gentlemen. Blaine and I were just having a little chat…”
Blaine wonders why his words are going fuzzy, and why he can’t see properly, and…
He coughs, blood dripping out of his mouth, before realizing that in spinning to look at the door Derek had somehow lodged the knife in his chest, and…oh, God, he doesn’t want to die here…
“Blaine!” Wes’ voice is muffled as he slumps down the wall and he barely registers Derek pulling the knife out and the other boy’s footsteps pounding away from them before he lets out a pained whimper and falls to the floor, letting the blackness overtake him.
000
“Oh, God. Oh, God; oh, God; oh, God,” Kurt’s clinging to Finn’s shoulders, sobs wracking his body, and Finn holds him as close as he can and feels tears pricking his own eyes.
“He might be okay. We don’t know…”
“Finn, shut up,” Kurt growls, his breath coming in gasps, and when the phone rings a second later he’s scrambling for it immediately. “Hello?”
“Kurt?”
“Wes?” Kurt asks fearfully. “Is…”
“We…we got there just before he…he had a knife, Kurt, and I…”
And Kurt knows something bad has happened, because he’s never heard Wes lose control like this. “What happened? Is he…”
“Derek would have killed him, I think, but…when we burst in…”
“Tell me,” Kurt pleads, feeling Finn wrap around him from behind. “Just tell me!”
“He’s not dead. Derek was going to slit his throat, but the knife ended up in his chest…right side, I don’t think it hit anything vital, but…there was so much blood, Kurt, I don’t…”
“Is he in the hospital?”
“David’s talking to the paramedics,” Wes sounds a little more in control, now. “They…I think he’ll be okay, but…”
“Where’s Derek?”
“Ran away. It’s going to be impossible to pin anything on him, though; he took the knife,” Wes sounds frustrated and Kurt can’t blame him.
“Plus, with his father being on the board, the chances of anybody believing he tried to commit murder are slim to none, right?” Kurt feels the sudden urge to hit something and Finn seems to get that and goes back to kissing his neck, the familiar action relaxing him somewhat.
“Right. Anyway, I think I’ll go to the hospital with them…you can come visit, if you want.”
“You don’t think…”
“I think Derek will lay low for a while,” Wes admits. “It’s your choice.”
“No, I…I’m coming. I need to see him,” Kurt decides, sniffling, and Wes sounds sympathetic as he replies, “We’ll see you then.”
Kurt hangs up and drops the phone before breaking down again, crying into Finn’s shoulder and knowing that he looks pathetic but…he’d told Blaine this would happen and the other boy had put himself in danger anyway, just for Kurt, and he’ll never get over the guilt of that.
“Kurt, he’ll be okay…”
“It doesn’t matter. He was hurt because of me, and I don’t…”
“When are you gonna learn that people love you enough to take that risk?” Finn whispers against his throat.
“Maybe it’s better if I give myself up…” he feels Finn’s arms tighten around him and he spins around on Finn’s lap so they’re facing each other.
“No. Never,” Finn shifts him up so he’s higher than Finn and leans his forehead against Kurt’s chest. “I’d die myself before I let you do that.”
“You’re so dramatic,” Kurt smiles through his tears and pets Finn’s hair for a moment. “We need to get to Westerville.”
“Totally,” Finn agrees, rearing up to catch Kurt’s lips and Kurt kisses him back feverishly, needing the connection to reality because this all still feels like a bizarre dream. “This sucks, man.”
“I think it’s worse than that,” Kurt smiles at Finn’s uncanny ability to downplay such a situation. “But you’re right; let’s get going.”
000
“How is he?” Kurt asks once they’ve rushed into the hospital in Westerville, and Wes stands up from where he’s seated in the waiting room and comes over to meet them. He’s still in his uniform but the front is spattered with blood and he looks haggard and ill.
“Just got out of surgery. He’s incredibly lucky that knife didn’t hit anything vital or go deep enough to pierce a lung or something,” the other boy replies. “So, he’ll have to take it easy for a while but he’ll be okay.”
Kurt heaves a sigh of relief at that, leaning into Finn when the taller teen puts an arm around him. “Has anybody told his parents?”
“I’ve tried, but his father isn’t picking up,” Wes makes a face at that, and Kurt figures that knowledge of Blaine’s father is probably widespread among the Warblers.
“And what about the police?” Finn spoke up. “They’ll want to know what happened, but we’ve got no proof, so what are we telling them?”
“Nothing. This never happened,” Wes crosses his arms and sinks back into one of the plastic chairs.
“It…”
“Look…it’s Finn, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Finn nods.
“Well, Finn, most of the families that attend Dalton are rather ridiculously wealthy or, like Derek’s, have attended for generations so the next in line basically gets a free pass. Kurt is…was…an anomaly in that he was neither, but that’s beside the point. My family is quite well known here in Westerville and it won’t come as a surprise to you to learn that money can buy silence quite effectively,” he doesn’t look proud of this fact but Kurt’s happy that he’s thought of this. The quieter they keep this, the better.
“Did they say when we can see him?” Kurt asks softly.
“Soon, I would think; the surgery was very routine and most of what they were worried about was blood loss, but I think that’s been dealt with now. Well, mostly,” he wrinkles his nose at the state of his bloodstained shirt. “I know the two of you came straight from Lima and it’s past suppertime already, so why don’t you get something to eat?”
“Good idea,” Finn admits, and Kurt can hear his stomach growling rather insistently.
“You’re always hungry. But I wouldn’t object,” he sighs as Finn turns his best pleading look on him. “Let’s get some lovely hospital food.”
000
Blaine’s been awake for a while by the time Kurt gets to his room, and he’s strangely lucid despite the no doubt incredible amount of painkillers currently coursing through his body. He can’t feel the stab wound at all, which is a good thing, but he just hopes the medicine at least will work until he’s finished talking to Kurt.
It kills him to have this conversation, but he has to, for all of their sakes.
“Blaine!” Kurt darts over to the bed, Finn lingering in the doorway and eventually muttering something about going to the bathroom that Blaine knows is just an excuse to give them some time alone. “I…”
“Don’t,” Blaine cuts him off. “No guilt, okay? I could have easily shunned you the instant you were bitten, but I didn’t, and that was my choice.”
“Okay,” Kurt smiles at his abrupt response. “At least, no guilt when you can see it.”
“Fair enough,” Blaine replies after a moment, blinking, and Kurt reaches to grasp his hand.
“How are you feeling?”
“Considering I just had a knife lodged in my chest? Not half-bad,” Blaine tries to look reassuring. “Are you sure you should be here, though? It’s safe?”
“If Derek’s going to sneak through a hospital to finish the job he’s far more deluded than I thought,” Kurt rolls his eyes. “Do you…” Kurt’s voice gets quieter and he squeezes Blaine’s hand. “Do you actually think he was going to kill you?”
“I doubt it,” Blaine shakes his head. “I’m sure he just would have threatened me until I told them where you were, but…Wes and David surprised him and he must have lost his grip on the knife. Either that or he’s got the worst aim in the world,” he says wryly and Kurt barks a short laugh before looking morose again. Well, it’s now or never. “Kurt, we need to talk.”
“Can’t I just be happy you’re not dead for tonight?” Kurt lifts Blaine’s hand up and Blaine spreads his fingers, cupping the side of Kurt’s face and feeling a wetness beneath his fingers that can’t be anything but tears.
“You can, but this needs to happen.”
“Okay,” Kurt looks afraid and Blaine rubs his thumb along the other boy’s cheekbone, meaning it to be soothing but from the way Kurt clutches at his hand and keeps it pressed to his face he’s guessing it’s anything but at the moment. “Are…”
“I’m not going to tell you I hate you and that I’m never talking to you again,” Blaine promises and Kurt gives him a tremulous smile at that. “But I am going to tell you that we need to let go of each other.”
“We…”
“You still don’t trust Finn, do you?” Blaine cuts right to the chase, not wanting to make this any longer than it has to be. “You trust him with your life, maybe, but you don’t trust him not to break your heart again no matter what you’ve told him.”
“It’s hard,” Kurt admits, although Blaine notices that he doesn’t deny it. “He’s already broken it once; it’s hard to come back and trust somebody completely after that.”
“You have to think about how this feels for him, Kurt,” Blaine stares into Kurt’s damp eyes and sighs. “If you’re suspicious that as soon as you’re cured he’ll go back to chasing Rachel and Quinn, how do you think it is for him knowing that as soon as you’re cured you could run right back to me?” he tries to keep his voice as level as he can and he sees understanding dawn in Kurt’s eyes at the words.
“God, I’m an idiot…I never even…”
“It’s not quite the same, granted, but what if he’s afraid to let himself fall completely for you because he doesn’t want his heart broken either? From what you’ve told me about Rachel and Quinn they’ve both let him down in pretty major ways, so I’m betting he’s not the most trusting person on the planet at the moment either,” he gives Kurt a thin smile.
“You’re…you’re right,” Kurt clutches at Blaine’s hand and holds it in place. “You’re completely right, and I feel horrible for not realizing that before. He’s asked about you, but…”
“So we’re cutting off anything romantic between us?” Blaine tries to keep his voice from breaking, but it’s hard because this is the last thing he wants to do at the moment.
“I think it’s best. That way Finn and I can focus completely on each other, and…”
“Right,” Blaine nods sharply, taking a deep breath and flinching at the twinge in his chest that it produces. “And if something happens between the two of you and, at some point, you realize it isn’t going to work, then we can look at where we stand. But for right now, you’ve both got to trust each other with everything,” Blaine tells him firmly and Kurt turns his head enough that he can press a kiss to the palm of the shorter boy’s hand.
“This is why I need you around, Blaine Anderson. You can always see what I don’t,” Kurt sighs.
“Hey, don’t give me that much credit. You’re about the least subtle flirt in the world and I couldn’t figure it out,” Blaine rolls his eyes.
“Okay, so you’re incredibly perceptive when it comes to other people but blind when it comes to yourself, is that better?” Kurt groans in a long-suffering way and Blaine tries to keep himself from laughing because he knows that’s going to hurt.
“Better,” Blaine agrees. “I just have one request, though.”
“You want a kiss?”
“You know me too well,” Blaine slides his hand around to the back of Kurt’s neck and Kurt leans down, pressing their lips together and yeah, this a perfectly fine goodbye kiss. Kurt’s hands are cupping his face like he’s afraid to touch anywhere else and that’s probably wise at the moment.
“Kurt, I was wondering if you…oh.”
“Oh, why now?” Kurt mutters into his mouth before pulling back and turning to Finn standing in the doorway, his eyes wide and absolutely full of heartache, and Blaine feels his own heart clench at the look.
Okay, so maybe a goodbye kiss was another one of those impulsively bad decisions.
“Finn,” Kurt stands up and Finn takes a step back.
“Nah, I get it, man. He almost dies and now you’re professing true love or something, right?” Finn’s voice is harsh and Kurt flinches, closing his eyes and drawing back into himself, and Blaine can pretty much guess why: it probably reminds Kurt of their now rather infamous basement conversation, the first time that Finn broke him into pieces, and Blaine wants to comfort his friend but he figures any gestures on his part that could be construed as romantic are probably not helpful at the moment.
“That’s not…”
“I thought we could be something, Kurt! I was willing to change everything I am because I thought…never mind. I’ll see you later,” Finn turns on his heel and storms off.
“Finn!”
“Go,” Blaine prompts him, grabbing Kurt’s hand for a moment and meeting his eyes.
Kurt gives him a short nod before rushing out of the room after his stepbrother, and Blaine lays back in the bed and wonders if he’s just ruined everything.
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Notes:
1. The idea of the kind of last emotional Klaine kiss being seen by Finn was suggested by roseredmisery so thank you for that :D (And Finn’s more jealous than mad, really; he just has to figure that out xP)
2. Yes, there is even more drama in this part. It had to happen! And I promise there’s some, ah, sexytiemz in the next chapter. I wanted there to be some sooner but plot kept getting in the way :P