Sideways

Chapter 17

"I need to talk to you."

Kurt heard the panic in his voice before he had even turned around to look at him. When he did turn around, he saw that not only did Blaine sound like he was in distress, he looked it, too. His eyes were filled with worry and concern and his breathing was laboured.

"What? What is it?" Kurt asked.

"I just.." Blaine's eyes darted around the crowded halls. "Can we go some place else?"

"Blaine, class starts in—"

"Kurt," Blaine said and he reached out and placed a hand on both of Kurt's shoulders. He looked right into his eyes and spoke, voice breaking. "You said you would always be someone I could come to. I'm coming to you now. I know I don't deserve your kindness, or your friendship, or just you in general, but I need you, Kurt. Please."

Kurt studied him. He looked as if it was the end of the world, like part of him had broken.

"Okay," Kurt nodded.

***

They were in Kurt's room and Blaine was pacing back and forth. Kurt sat down on the edge of the bed and watched him. He was whispering to himself, frantically, too quietly for Kurt to be able to make out what he was saying. It didn't look as if he was blinking, either, his bright eyes wide and dilated. Kurt sighed.

"Blaine," he said. "Blaine, sit down. I didn't skip school so that you could parade back and forth looking pretty in my room."

Blaine didn't respond, he simply kept on pacing, as if Kurt hadn't even spoken. Kurt groaned and stood up. He went to Blaine and grabbed him by the shoulders, then pushed him to sit on the bed. Blaine was looking up at him, a stunned expression on his face. Kurt wondered if he should slap him, or throw water over him, but instead, he just sat down next to him.

"Okay, breathe and tell me what's wrong."

Kurt waited, while Blaine took slow, deep breaths. He kept raising his hands to his head, like the end was near. Finally, he met Kurt's eyes and opened his mouth to speak.

"Quinn's pregnant," he said, very quietly.

Kurt's heart stilled in his chest and then it seemed to plummet down to somewhere around his ankles and then back up again. He stared at Blaine for a few seconds.

"She's.. Seriously?"

Blaine nodded, just nodded.

"Well, this can't go well," Kurt muttered. He couldn't really explain what he was feeling. The only word that came to mind was shock, but that was a huge understatement, an even bigger understatement than Quinn and Puck's performance of Islands in the Stream being weird. His mind was flooded with these thoughts that said he had to face reality, that this was over, that it couldn't and wouldn't go on, that Blaine had a responsibility and he couldn't expect him to go on with their relationship and how long did he think it was going to last anyway?

"I can't.. Kurt, I can't have a baby," Blaine said, sounding dazed.

Kurt felt like pointing out that he didn't really have much of a choice, but he thought that would be a little insensitive, so he didn't. Instead, he reached out and laid a hand on Blaine's shoulder, hoping it came across as a supportive gesture.

"Does she know what she wants to do?"

Blaine looked up and shrugged, looking helpless.

"I only spoke to her for about two minutes. She told me, then when I didn't react in the way she'd expected me to, she stormed off and then I went to find you."