There for You: Act Three - I'll Come to You.
Series Premise: There for You is a 4 & 1 fic series with the premise of “4 times Blaine was there for Kurt and 1 time Kurt was there for Blaine.” It was written over the summer hiatus between seasons 2 and 3 before most of the spoilers were leaked, thus leading to some facts in my series getting jossed. Such is life!
Word Count: 1253
Rating: PG
Summary: Karofsky's threats have escalated, and Kurt can't deal with this alone anymore.
Part 1 / Part 2
When Blaine's phone buzzed during his study hall, the vibration startled him so badly he nearly fell from his chair. He glanced around to see if anyone had noticed his inelegant flailing before pulling his phone from his pocket, intending to quickly read the message and silence his phone.
Can we get coffee tonight? I know this is late notice, but I need your advice -K
Blaine was a bit surprised by the short notice. They typically made their plans at least two days in advance. But with his knowledge of Kurt's school situation, he was worried that the bullying had escalated.
Sure. I have practice until 5, but I can meet you in Lima afterwards. -b
Oh, no. -k
I mean, I can come to Westerville. If you can give me an address, I can meet you there at..5:30? -k
This was even more unusual. If Kurt planned to meet him at 5:30, he would be leaving immediately after school.
You don't have practice? -b
No. Any suggestions for where I can meet you? -k
Now Blaine was sure something was up. But he knew Kurt wouldn't give him an answer via text. He sent Kurt the address for a small coffee shop about 15 minutes from Dalton, then pocketed his phone and tried to focus on his homework.
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When Blaine arrived at the coffee shop, he noticed Kurt standing off to the side, shifting nervously from foot to foot and gripping the strap of his satchel tightly. Blaine strode forward, resting a hand on Kurt's shoulder as he reached him. Kurt gasped, jerking away as he whirled around.
"Oh," he said, voice a little higher than usual. "Blaine, you startled me."
Blaine studied Kurt with concern. The other boy's eyes were darting around the small building, and he rolled his lower lip between his teeth.
"Actually...can we go somewhere...private?" Kurt whispered. "I really don't want to talk about this around other people."
"Of course," Blaine responded, working hard to keep the worry out of his voice. "Do you mind coming to Dalton? My roommate won't be back for a few hours."
Kurt nodded and followed Blaine out the door. "I'll follow you...if that's alright?"
Blaine nodded, climbing into his car and driving away without another word.
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The boys walked in silence to Blaine's room. Kurt had relaxed slightly once they'd entered the building, but he still gripped the strap of his satchel tightly, and Blaine had seen him startle whenever another student spoke too loudly.
Blaine unlocked the door to his room, stepping in and holding it open as Kurt walked over the threshold. Blaine closed the door carefully before sliding the lock back into place. Kurt flinched a little at the sound. An awkward silence fell between them. Blaine sighed, crossing the room to grab his desk chair. He looked back at Kurt. "Come sit down, at least," he said, seating himself on the edge of his bed. Kurt stepped slowly across the room, avoiding Blaine's eyes as he sat on the chair and set his bag on the floor. Blaine had never observed Kurt being so...silent, and the realization only fueled his concern.
"So..." Blaine reached a hand up towards his head before putting it back on the bed, forgetting his hair was still coated in gel. "You going to tell me what happened or should I start asking questions?"
Kurt sighed, tilting his head back and rolling his eyes toward the ceiling.
"It's a bullying issue," Blaine said. Kurt nodded. "...Karofsky again?" Blaine guessed.
Kurt nodded, a tear sliding down his cheek as he finally looked at Blaine, his teeth digging into his lower lip.
"Kurt....Kurt, what did he do?" Blaine whispered, reaching out to rest his hand on Kurt's knee.
Kurt jerked away, the motion tilting the chair onto two legs before Kurt regained his balance.
Blaine drew back. "Kurt, did he...assault you again?"
Kurt remained silent for a minute before the meaning of Blaine's question hit him. He shook his head rapidly before taking a quavering breath.
"No. Not physically," Kurt whispered.
"Then...what happened?" Blaine asked softly.
Kurt inhaled shakily, tearing his gaze from Blaine's as his chin started to shake. "He...he threatened me," Kurt whispered.
Blaine felt his heart stop for a moment. His blood ran cold. He knew Kurt had been threatened before, but these had been idle comments, meant to get a rise out of him and nothing more. For Kurt to be this upset...
"Kurt...what did he say?" Blaine asked. He wasn't even sure he wanted to know at this point, but Kurt had to tell someone. Blaine knew it would eat away at him otherwise.
"He said if I told anyone...about what happened," Kurt's breathing hitched. "He said he would..." Blaine could see Kurt's lips moving, but his voice was too soft to be heard. Blaine resisted the urge to stand up and move closer to Kurt.
He reached his hand forward slowly, carefully, and gently touched Kurt's knee. "What did he say he would do, Kurt?"
Kurt took a deep breath. "He threatened to kill me if I told anyone."
The dam broke. Kurt felt tears begin to slide hot and fast down his cheeks.
Blaine remained silent.
"Blaine? You're hurting me."
Kurt's softly-spoken words jolted Blaine from his thoughts. He yanked his hand away from Kurt's knee.
“Sorry,” Blaine murmured. “That...that hit a little too close to home.”
Kurt’s brow furrowed. “Are you saying--”
“Let’s not talk about me right now,” Blaine said abruptly. “What are you going to do?” he asked.
“What am I--what do you mean ‘what are you going to do?’ I have no intention of telling anyone--”
“He knows you told me, remember?” Blaine interrupted. “What if he starts assuming you’ve told others?”
“He won--” Kurt started.
“This is a death threat, Kurt, and you need to take it seriously. You need to tell someone. I know you’re worried about your dad, but he needs to--”
“There is no way in hell I’m telling my father,” Kurt said angrily.
They glared at one another for a moment before Blaine sighed, standing and beginning to pace the small room. “You need to have a plan,” he said. “You need to decide what you’re going to do about this. Whether it’s tomorrow or in a week or more, you have to do something.”
Kurt crossed his arms over his chest, jaw clenched stubbornly.
"Kurt, I'm not telling you to go home and tell your dad everything. And I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me, but I can't help once you're back home."
Kurt still hadn't spoken. Blaine sighed, knowing he wasn’t going get a response if Kurt had set his mind on silence.
"Promise me something."
Kurt arched a brow.
"Promise me you'll tell your dad that Karofsky is bullying you."
Kurt opened his mouth to protest.
"Promise me you'll say something, Kurt. And if he asks for details, you need to tell him the truth."
Kurt pursed his lips.
"Fine," he said at last.
Blaine sighed, collapsing on the bed. "Good," he replied, his eyes falling shut for a moment.
He didn't see Kurt pull his hand from behind his back, uncrossing his fingers and clasping his hands together. It was childish, but there was no way Kurt could make the promise Blaine wanted.
He couldn't risk his father's health, not while he was still recovering.