In My Veins

Pain

Kurt glanced down the bus, to the back row and looked at Blaine sitting there staring vacantly out the window. Everyone else was celebrating after having won at sectionals. People were singing and laughing and drinking that awful sparkling cider that Mr Schue had bought. Blaine was sitting at the back by himself.

"Kurt, where are you going?" Mercedes asked when Kurt began to climb out of his seat.

"I thought I'd see if Blaine wanted to join us," he shrugged.

"Why?"

"Um, because he's part of this club and he's all by himself?" Kurt offered.

"So, leave him be," Mercedes waved a hand. "No one cares about Blaine Anderson anyway."

I do, Kurt thought.

"We can't just leave him there, Mercedes," Kurt shook his head. "He looks so lonely. Besides," Kurt said. "He's not so bad."

Mercedes assumed an incredulous expression, her dark eyes wide, lips parted.

"Not so ba—wait!" Mercedes' shocked expression developed into one of amusement and she grinned knowingly. "You like him, don't you?"

Kurt's eyes flashed for a split second, then he feigned surprise and acted as if it was the most ludicrous thing he had ever heard in his entire life.

"What?" he said, voice raised. "No! That's—Mercedes. That's completely ridiculous. I do not like Blaine Anderson!"

"Yes, you do!" Mercedes looked at Kurt in delight and she clapped her hands together. "Kurt has a cru-ush!" Mercedes said in a sing-song voice.

"That sparkling cider is going to your head," Kurt said, with a roll of his eyes, before sitting back and shaking his head.

Kurt's insides were still singing, after what had happened with Blaine by his locker. He knew that the happiness wouldn't last long, however, because Blaine's social status was going to be tainted and his dad was going to cause a scene and he was going to get down about it and probably mad and who knew what that would make him do? But for now, he was just happy. They had won sectionals, Blaine had done something that made him happy and in a way, Kurt felt that he had picked him over.. well, something, anyway.

He knew that it wasn't anything exclusive and that it was going to go back to Blaine stealing kisses from him while Quinn wasn't around and maybe to them doing sexual things and then Blaine freaking out and apologising.

Maybe that made him desperate. Maybe it made him a sucker. He didn't care. At least not right now. He would eventually. He would need to talk to Blaine, tell him they couldn't keep doing it like this, that he had principles, but for now he would just go with it. He would help Blaine get through this, because he knew exactly what it was like to try to deal with everything Blaine was going through and was bound to go through soon enough. He knew what it was like to be a social pariah. He knew what it was like to struggle with your sexuality. He knew what it was like to be afraid. So, for now, he would just be there for him.

"Hi."

Blaine looked around from the window and saw Kurt walking towards him, wobbling a little as the bus jerked. He sat down beside Blaine and looked at him.

"Hey," Blaine replied, eyes going to Kurt's wrist, because he liked to know he was still wearing the bracelet.

"Why are you sitting here by yourself?"

Blaine gave him a look that said 'you have to ask?' and Kurt frowned.

"Come on," he said, tugging lightly on the sleeve of Blaine's jacket. "Come sit with us. They'll be fine. You're part of this team, Blaine."