Scars and Stones: Chapter 1 (Klaine)

Chapter 10

Mercedes knew that something was up with Kurt. The first indication was when she called round at Kurt's, expecting him and Blaine to either be watching Disney movies or to be baking cookies again. She was surprised to find that no one was home, which was strange. Kurt wasn't the type to go out on a Wednesday night.

She definitely knew something was up when she asked Kurt to go shopping with her at the mall, and he declined. Kurt NEVER turned down the offer of shopping. She had to confront her white boy. She could sense something was wrong, so she decided to ring him.

"Hey Kurt, I was wondering if you and Blaine wanted to come over? Sam and I are having a movie night and we wondered if you wanted to join us?" There was a whispered correspondence at the other end of the line.

"Sure Cedes, when were you thinking?" There was something off about Kurt's voice, under the forced cheerfulness. Mercedes knew her best friend, and now she knew he was hiding something from her.

"I was thinking tomorrow night?"

"Sounds great, see you then." Kurt was about to hang up on her, when Mercedes interjected.

"Kurt, is everything all right?" Mercedes could hear his shallow breathing at the end of the receiver. She could picture his blue eyes widening as he clutched the phone.

"Everything's fine." She knew he was lying.

"It's not Blaine is it? I swear, if he's pressuring you, I'm going to come over there and -"

"It's not Blaine. We're fine. I've got to go. We'll see you tomorrow!" Before she could protest, Kurt had hung up, the tone buzzing distantly in her ear.

…

"I'm worried about Kurt," Mercedes stated as she snuggled against Sam. She and Sam had been official for about a month, but no one knew about them except Kurt and Blaine. They'd figured it out straight away. Sam looked down at his gorgeous girlfriend, concerned.

"Why, what's he said?"

"It's not what he said, it's what he's not saying." Sam looked confused, trying to keep up.

"So, you think something's going on? Is it Blaine?" Sam couldn't picture Blaine doing anything to hurt Kurt. Anyone could tell that they were crazy about each other just by looking at them. Mercedes shook her head.

"That's the only thing he said. 'It's not Blaine.' He's been odd all week. He's barely replied to any of my texts, and he said no to a shopping trip." That surprised Sam.

"But he loves clothes, right? And he loves hanging out with you girls."

"Exactly, he'd never pass up a trip to the mall. It's not just me he's avoiding though. I had a text from Tina the other day asking what was up with him. I didn't know what to reply. I know he has Blaine now, but that didn't stop him hanging out with me before this week. Kurt always makes time for his friends." She sighed heavily. Sam hugged her closer.

"We could ask him later, when he can't run away. I'm sure it's nothing major." He said reassuringly.

"Yeah, I hope you're right."

…

The door bell rang as Sam and Mercedes jumped to get it. The door was flung open, revealing a tired looking Kurt and Blaine. Mercedes could tell neither of them were sleeping well. She had thought it was just Kurt, but her suspicions rose when she realised Blaine looked exhausted too.

"Hey, how are my favourite boys? Come here!" She pulled Kurt into a hug, and was surprised by how tightly he clung to her.

"Hey Cedes, thanks for having us over." He released her so she could hug Blaine, and he fist bumped Sam in greeting. Mercedes shut the door behind them and ushered them into the living room. Sam sat down next to her on one sofa, as Kurt and Blaine took their places on the other. Mercedes couldn't help but notice how closely they were sitting to one another. She knew they were joined at the hip, but the looks they were giving each other when the other looked away was a lot more intense than when she'd last seen them.

"So guys, what have you been up too?" Kurt asked, trying to start conversation. Sam launched into an in-depth explanation of all the dates and picnics the pair had shared, every now and then throwing a small smile Mercedes' way. Kurt was happy for her, she'd finally found someone worthy of her.

Mercedes sat silently, looking at her friends. While their focus was trained on Sam and they commented in all the right places, she could see that Blaine was fidgety. His fingers drummed against his knee in a fast rhythm. Without looking at him, Kurt took his hand in his, ceasing Blaine's drumming. A similar thing happened when Kurt's foot began to tap agitatedly. Blaine casually wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulder, gently massaging it. Kurt's foot stopped shaking. Neither of them seemed to realise that they were doing it.

Sam finished his tale, as Mercedes returned the question.

"What have you guys been up too?" She noticed how Blaine tensed up, and how Kurt silently tried to reassure him. What was with them?

"You know, the usual coupley stuff. Dates at the Lima Bean, the cinema, movie nights in." Kurt smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes fully. Mercedes decided to find out what the problem was.

"Aww, that sounds nice. Kurt, do you want to help me with the food?" She stood up, motioning for Kurt to follow her. He nodded.

"Sure." He got up, but not before patting Blaine on the knee. He followed her into the kitchen.

"What food have you got?" He asked. Mercedes turned around to face him, her mind clearly not on the food. She looked at him with worried eyes.

"Kurt, what's going on? You and Blaine are all jumpy. You can't seem to keep your hands off each other." Kurt's eyes widened in embarrassment, as his cheeks became flushed. Mercedes realised she'd said the wrong thing.

"I didn't mean like that. I meant, you keep touching each other in small ways. It's like you're worried that the other is going to disappear. And you look so tired. Have you not been sleeping well?" Kurt's eyes dropped to the floor, as he tried to think of something to say.

"Are we really that obvious?" Mercedes nodded, smiling a little.

"Yeah. Neither of you are great liars. So, spill." He sighed.

"Well, you were right when you said about disappearing." Mercedes reached forward, taking one of his hands in hers.

"What do you mean?" She asked confused. "You're not worried Blaine's going to leave you, are you? 'Cause the way he looks at you, I don't think that he will ever leave you." Kurt smiled at her words.

"No, that's not what I'm worried about." His smile fell. "Someone from Blaine's past turned up, and now we're concerned they might - try something on."

"Is it an ex?" Mercedes asked. Kurt shook his head.

"It's - worse than that." Her eyes widened in fear.

"You're - you're not being threatened are you?" That would explain the pair's jumpiness and need to be close to each other. Kurt looked at her sadly, as tears began to form in his eyes. He pulled her into a hug, holding on desperately. Mercedes held him, as tears began to fall down her own cheeks.

…

Kurt and Blaine made their way back to their car, as they waved back to Mercedes and Sam. Sam hugged her into his side as they stood in the doorway.

"Kurt told me everything" Mercedes told him. Sam nodded in acknowledgement.

"Blaine told me everything too." She looked up at him.

"What are we going to do?" Sam looked at her in determination.

"We're going to protect them. I won't let Kurt be hurt by bullies ever again. I need to call the guys. Kurt and Blaine are not going to be alone in this."