Scars and Stones: Chapter 1 (Klaine)

Chapter 29

Blaine's sobs eventually reduced, as he attempted to sit up. With a heavy heart, he looked across at Kurt and felt the strong urge to cry again. He looked so broken, not like the strong, sarcastic boy Blaine knew and loved. He crawled closer to Kurt, inspecting him for tissue damage. Gently, he ran his fingers over the bruises, checking for any sign of internal bleeding or broken bones. He sighed in relief when he found no internal damage that he knew of. When he'd heard the crack earlier, he'd seriously thought that Dean had broken one of his ribs. But, after checking him out now, Blaine didn't think Kurt was as worn as he looked. Of course, he would be in a lot of pain, but hopefully it wouldn't be total agony.

Satisfied with his diagnosis, Blaine felt that it was safe to pull Kurt into his lap. Kurt's back dipped into Blaine's crossed legs, while Blaine cradled his neck and head in his arms. Blaine leant over him, whispering gently in his ear.

"Baby, please wake up. They've gone now. They can't hurt you." Blaine paused his words, looking down intently at Kurt's face. Kurt however, remained unresponsive. Blaine bit down on his lip, attempting to stop the tears. Yet again, they fell freely. He closed his eyes, casting his head down onto his chest as tears leaked from his covered lids.

"I'm so sorry Kurt. I can't believe I let them get you. I should've held on tighter." Desperate sobs burst from his chest, resonating around the room. His cries echoed back to him. Suddenly, a tender hand touched his face, wiping away the tears cascading down his face. Bemused, Blaine opened his eyes, and found two weak, wet, but powerful eyes gazing back at him.

"Hi" Kurt whispered croakily. Even his voice sounded wounded, as his hand left Blaine's face, resting it by his side. Blaine was overcome as he tried so hard to fight the tears, to be strong. He pushed his head backwards, bringing two fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose. Once he was sure the tears would stop flowing, he brought his head back to resting position, looking down at Kurt. He let out a breath that seemed to be a cross between a sob and a sigh, as he reigned his emotions in.

"Hi" he replied in a small voice. Kurt's eyes anxiously darted around the room unsure at what he would find.

"It's ok Kurt, they've gone now." Blaine reassured him.

"What happened? After I blacked out?" Kurt asked nervously. Blaine swallowed, not sure how to answer.

"They - they beat you around for a bit. I tried so, so hard to get to you, but I couldn't stop them -" He broke off, choked up. Kurt's response was immediate.

"Hey, hey, it's not your fault. You fought so hard, don't beat yourself up about it." Kurt raised his hand to touch Blaine's cheek once more. Blaine nodded into his hand, but kept his gaze averted from Kurt's eyes. That's odd, why isn't he looking at me? Kurt could see that Blaine had something else to say, but he was avoiding the topic.

"Blaine, did something else happen? Something you're not telling me?" Blaine's eyes met his in an instant, startled by Kurt's perceptiveness. He sighed deeply, deciding to be honest.

"Momentarily, I managed to break free from the guys holding onto me. Dean left the gun on the floor, and I saw that as an opportunity. I grabbed it, and I managed to stop them hurting you. I bargained their lives with our freedom. We were so, so close to getting out of here. But then Nathan whipped out a knife and - and - threatened you with it. I had to hand the gun over, as well as our freedom. I'm so, so sorry Kurt." Kurt blinked, eyes wide, trying to process the new information. Blaine had broken free, why didn't he take the opportunity to escape?

"You - you managed to break free?" He said, a little shaken.

"Yes. I'm so sorry I couldn't get us out -"