Ramblings and Wanderings

Yet again, I’m late.  So very, very late.  Sadly, I’ve never been a fast writer.

Quick review: this is for the Super!Klaine AU Friday, inspired by the fabulous art by baldfer.

Warnings, because I forgot in the first part: references to canon Kurt being bullied storyline and scenes of violence.  Also, this one’s got angst too.  I really tried to keep it lighter, but alas, I’m just not wired that way.

It has grown past my planned two parts, and I promise there will be some fun times ahead.

Part 1 can be found here.

—————

Title: Unseen (part 2/?)

Getting rid of a blank spell, as Kurt had come to call them, always took time.  When it occurred at home, he would eventually fall asleep and awake restored.  At school, he hid in the darkened choir room or in his car for a period or two where he would inevitably rest his eyes only to awaken an hour or so later back to normal.  It seemed that the energy causing his invisibility would eventually run out, and he was left exhausted for a brief time.  Luckily, a nap was enough for a full recovery.  Unluckily, he had no more control over ending the spell as starting it, so often found himself invisible for several hours.

One particularly disastrous instance, Kurt had been so upset and in a hurry to get away from school, he had gotten into his car and driven out of the parking lot.  Stopping at a light, a woman in the car to his left had screamed at the unattended car and caused a fender bender when she distractedly let go of the brake pedal.  The drivers got out of their cars to assess the damage, giving a stunned Kurt enough time to change lanes and turn when the light turned green.

After that, he had been much more careful about not running into people while invisible, staying as still as possible in the hallways until the bell rang, and ducking into the backseat of his car only after scanning the parking lot for several minutes.

Despite all of his expectations and practiced precaution, nothing prepared him for this boy—Blaine.  For as soon as he said his name and held out his hand, Kurt felt the energy flickering out of his body, felt the tingling heaviness leave his muscles.  He had never been conscious for this before, and the slow waning of energy and the new awareness of his limbs startled him.  His mind felt sluggish though, and his thoughts flitted in and out before they completed themselves—as if his brain was searching for something but forgetting things all at once.

Kurt shifted his legs, sliding them underneath him to stand.  So preoccupied with this new feeling, he missed Blaine’s movement.  He missed the warm hand on his elbow as he staggered upright, tilting against what he thought were cold hard lockers but instead was warm soft fabric.  Kurt’s head shot up, his eyes again meeting hazel—still kind and now a little amused.

“Hi,” Blaine said breathlessly.

Kurt stepped back, eyes wide.  Blaine’s hand dropped from Kurt’s arm and gripped his shoulder bag.

“Thanks,” Kurt said awkwardly.  He straightened his clothes.

“Are you going to tell me your name?” Blaine asked with a small smile.

“Oh,” Kurt exclaimed softly.  “Of course.  Kurt.  It’s Kurt,” he repeated, mind still discombobulated.

“Nice.  Like Bond.  James Bond,” Blaine teased with a British accent.

“Except not really,” Kurt retorted wryly, though his lips twitched with a smirk.  Blaine caught it.

“So ‘it’s Kurt,’ what did you mean when you said I could see you?”

Kurt’s breath caught and he swallowed roughly.  He had never told anyone about his blank spells, a small part of his brain still believing that he was making it all up.  For the first time since Karofsky let go of him, Kurt looked around the now empty hallway.  He should be in Glee.

“I have practice,” Kurt said absently as he located his locker and spun the dial on his lock quickly.  “Thanks again for your help,” he added.   He yanked the door open and grabbed his bag, slamming the locker in haste when he was done.  He turned to walk toward the choir room when a hand held him back.

“Kurt?”

Kurt looked down at Blaine’s hand, thoughts flying through his head.  His usual instinct was to retreat, to flee from unknown contact; but this touch was firm yet unrestricting, and gentle and warm.  It reminded him of his father.  His eyes again traveled up the arm and to Blaine’s warm eyes.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Kurt swallowed again, still feeling strangely grounded to this boy that he had just met.

When Kurt remained silent, Blaine went on shyly, “I’ve only been here for two days, but I just—.”  He fumbled with his words, eyes darting away nervously.  Blaine sighed and looked back at Kurt.  “I see you.  And I would really like to know you better.”

Blaine stared at Kurt, his expression hopeful and earnest.  Kurt could not resist relaxing under the warmth he saw and felt.

“Creepy,” Kurt joked quietly.  Blaine looked away chagrined, but his attention snapped back when Kurt leaned closer.  “Thank you, Blaine, really,” Kurt said sincerely, settling his hand carefully over Blaine’s.

Blaine’s smile lit up his entire face and Kurt was surprised to hear his own laugh.

“Can I walk you somewhere?” Blaine asked happily.  Kurt moved down the hallway, Blaine falling into step beside him.

“I’m late for Glee.  You don’t by any chance sing, do you?”

The look Blaine gave Kurt—one of absolute joy and eagerness—had Kurt laughing again.

“I love to sing.  I sang at my old school!  Are you good?  What kind of music do you sing?”

Blaine’s exuberant questions lasted all the way to the choir room.

…..

Blaine auditioned for New Directions that afternoon and gained immediate acceptance.  Kurt pointedly ignored everyone’s curious glances when Blaine bounded over to sit next to him.  And when Puck whistled, the glare he shot the mohawked boy was enough to silence him and everyone else.

Blaine managed to fit himself into Kurt’s everyday life, finding him between classes as often as he could and joining the New Directions at lunch.  Kurt, in the meantime, slowly let himself relax around the boy, laughing and smiling more than he had in a long while.  The other members of glee wisely stayed quiet about the change, having seen Kurt grow withdrawn and the fire lighting his eyes dim in recent weeks.  Kurt found Mercedes smiling softly at him and Blaine more than once.

Kurt did steer any conversation with Blaine clear of what had happened in the hallway. He avoided Blaine when he was invisible.  In fact, whenever Karofsky or the other football players confronted him and he felt the tell-tale tingling spread over his body afterwards, instead of simply staying as still as possible until he could slip through doors unnoticed, he hid himself as quickly as possible.  It lasted two weeks.

…..

“Hey!” Blaine yelled down the crowded hallway, effectively gaining everyone’s attention.  He strode down the hall past hunched teenagers whispering and glancing fearfully between him and the two boys he was determined to reach.  Kurt’s eyes found his, flashing with both panic and relief.  Karofsky looked around before zeroing in on Blaine, his sneer faltering only for a second.  He let go of Kurt’s arm.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Karofsky barked out.

“Leave Kurt alone,” Blaine stated firmly, stopping a step away and fisting his hands to stop their shaking.

“Oh, really?” Karofsky scoffed as his eyes flicked to Blaine’s fists.  “And if I don’t?”

“You really don’t want to find out,” Blaine answered stonily.  Karofsky laughed.

“Why don’t you cool it?  I’ll get to you as soon as I’m done with Hummel here.”  With that, Karofsky turned back to Kurt, only to see nothing but the lockers in front of him.  Karofsky stepped back in confusion, twisting his torso back and forth looking for the absent boy.  He rounded on Blaine and towered over him.  “Where the hell did he go?” Karofsky spat out furiously.

Blaine could not see past the hulking teenager, but he was sure Kurt still stood plastered against the lockers.  Kurt’s fear was palpable, crackling through the air around him as soon as Karofsky had let go of his arm.  Blaine had felt it just as he had the first day he approached the boy.

He did not have time to wonder what Karofsky meant because in his silence, the tall teenager had made a grab at Blaine.  Blaine ducked sideways out of reach, tossing his bag aside and his hands coming up protectively in a well-practiced movement.

Karofsky stalked closer again, backing Blaine further down the hall.  And when Blaine yet again ducked away from his outstretched arm, he growled his frustration and lunged.  Blaine sidestepped him and stuck his foot out, causing Karofsky to stumble.  Blaine turned to watch Karofsky’s momentum take him a few steps past, but his eyes lingered a moment too long on Kurt standing frozen against the lockers.  Blue eyes widened and Blaine instinctively crouched and spun around, just barely registering the open palm before it connected with his temple.  Blaine regained his senses quickly and evaded a punch before aiming a jab at Karofsky’s gut, eliciting a startled cry from the larger teenager.

With renewed anger, Karofsky lunged and tackled Blaine.  They landed hard on the floor, Blaine’s head hitting the linoleum sharply and Karofsky’s weight leaving him heaving for breath.  Karofsky pinned his legs with his own and punched Blaine in the stomach once, twice, three times before he pushed hard against the smaller boy’s chest and stood.

“Not so tough anymore, huh?” Karofsky spat out.  Blaine coughed and rolled to his side, pulling his knees up defensively.  When Blaine moaned weakly and did not get up, Karofsky looked around wildly, eyes darting from shocked face to shocked face.  Fury melted into panic and he backed away until he stumbled.  Turning, he ran down the corridor.

…..

The students slowly came back to life but as Kurt stood still and watched on silently, no one stopped to check on Blaine.  They merely walked carefully past, heads turned down and away.  Kurt wanted to scream at them, wanted to scream for help, anything to get someone to pay attention.  He would even settle for scaring everyone away, so that he could traverse those few feet to Blaine’s side.  But he bit his tongue, so aware of his invisibility and that revealing himself would only cause confusion and not get Blaine help any sooner.

Kurt turned his attention back to Blaine, still lying curled up on his side.  Kurt held his breath for Blaine, who had confronted Karofsky in a misguided but valiant attempt to protect him.  The other boy was breathing, though he whimpered quietly with every intake.  His eyes were closed tight and his face was tense.  When legs momentarily obscured his view, Kurt heard Blaine’s particularly painful moan.  Throwing all rationale out of his mind and with heart pounding, Kurt quickly slipped past a pair of girls and dropped down next to Blaine.  His hands hovered over Blaine’s face, wanting so much to touch but afraid he might hurt the battered boy.  With a nervous glance at the lingering teenagers, he leaned close to Blaine’s ear.

“Blaine?” Kurt whispered urgently.  Kurt watched as Blaine’s eyelids struggled open.  The eyes that greeted him were pained and unfocused.

“Kurt?” Blaine rasped out.  Kurt risked placing a finger against Blaine’s lips.

“Shhh.  Don’t talk,” Kurt soothed desperately.  “I’m going to get help okay?”  Kurt glanced around the hallway, sighing when he found it finally deserted.  He crawled over to his bag.

“Are you okay?”  Blaine’s question startled Kurt, and he retrieved his school bag before answering.

“You’re the one that got beat up,” Kurt replied as he returned to Blaine.  “Why are you asking about me?”

Blaine’s eyes flickered over Kurt’s chest before returning to his face.

“You’re still so scared,” Blaine explained weakly, wincing when he tried to get his arm under him.  “Is he gone?”

Kurt laid a firm hand on Blaine’s shoulder, instructing, “Don’t get up.  I’m calling 911.”

“I’m fine,” Blaine grunted out though he did not try to get up again.  Instead, he settled his hand awkwardly atop Kurt’s and closed his eyes.  Kurt ignored the tug and shift of the pulsing under his skin at the other boy’s touch.  “Don’t be scared,” Blaine mumbled.  “It’s not so bad.”

Instead of responding to Blaine’s jumbled words, Kurt pulled out his phone and dialed the number.  When a dispatcher answered, Kurt tried his best to remain calm as she asked question after question.  But frustration seeped into his tone, only to recede when Blaine’s fingers flexed weakly against his.  The call ended with a promise that an ambulance was 10 minutes out, and Kurt slipped his cell back into his bag.

His hand still pressed between Blaine’s shoulder and hand, Kurt shifted to lie down.  He mirrored Blaine, settling onto his side as much as he could on the cold, hard floor, but making sure not to touch him anywhere else.  Blaine’s breathing wheezed slow and shallow in and out of him.  Kurt’s gaze travelled over the planes and angles of Blaine’s face, willing the pain from him.

“The ambulance will be here soon,” Kurt offered quietly.  “You have to stay awake.”

“I know,” Blaine murmured, his eyelids lifting sluggishly.  Despite still being unfocused, Kurt found the hazel eyes comforting and warm.

“Blaine, I can’t go with you to the hospital,” Kurt said sadly.  “Can I call anyone?”

Blaine blinked slowly.

“The hospital will call,” Blaine replied matter-of-factly.  Before Kurt could respond, he said, “I like you.”

Kurt’s chest tightened and his breathing hitched.  The energy surged around him.

“Why are you so scared?” Blaine mused sleepily.  His eyelids slid shut.  Kurt panicked and squeezed Blaine’s shoulder.

“Stay awake,” Kurt instructed.  “You may have a concussion.  Definitely have a concussion from the way you’re talking.”

“I’m talking fine,” Blaine murmured petulantly.  Kurt huffed in amusement at that, but quickly sobered.

“Why do you keep saying I’m scared then?” Kurt ventured, curiosity and the need to keep the other boy conscious overriding the warning flaring in his brain.

“I can feel it.  I felt it the day I met you.”

“Felt what?”

Blaine opened his eyes again.

“It feels like a wall around you.  When I touch you, it feels like I’m pushing against something until I get through, and then it’s pulling me to stay inside.  Like oobleck.”

“Oobleck?” Kurt asked doubtfully.

“Corn starch and water.  Surface tension and viscosity,” Blaine explained easily, though his words slurred and came out uneven.  “You never made it in science?”

“No,” Kurt replied with a chuckle.

“You can Google it,” Blaine joked weakly.

A siren cut through the quiet and they listened as it got louder and abruptly cut off.  Kurt’s panic resurfaced as he heard doors opening and closing.  He pulled Blaine’s hand between them; the other boy’s attention followed.

“You can’t tell anyone I’m here okay?” Kurt implored.

“Why?”

“I can’t explain right now.”  Kurt glanced over Blaine’s shoulder, hearing footfalls and radio static.

“But you will later?” Blaine asked hopefully.

Kurt took a deep breath and looked back at Blaine before answering, “Yes.”

“Why?” Blaine asked again, his voice barely audible.

“Because I like you too.”

With a last squeeze of Blaine’s hand, Kurt scurried to his feet and hastened to the other end of the hallway, setting his bag out of sight as he watched the medics round the corner, kneel around Blaine, and assess the boy’s injuries.

Kurt offered an encouraging smile when Blaine glanced his way as the medics lifted him onto the gurney.  It wasn’t until the corridor had emptied that Kurt let his legs give out and slid to the floor.  Tears slipped down his cheeks as he clawed at his arms and legs, trying with all his might to will away the energy so that he could see Blaine again.

(part 3)