Kurt's Dorm Room

Kurt shook his head at Blaine's apology. He forced a brave smile, though he couldn't stop the silent tears that were still rolling down his cheeks. He was still breathing much too fast, too shallow, not really getting enough air. He wanted to assure Blaine that he had absolutely no reason to be sorry--he was there much earlier than Kurt had expected, and in being so early he'd saved Kurt from a much worse fate.

"Saved me," he managed to rasp. He was still shaking as he unabashedly crawled into Blaine's lap, wanting to be held. Needing to feel safe again. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend as he buried his face against the other boy's neck.

Blaine wrapped his arms snugly around Kurt and pulled his body close to his chest, gently running a hand up and down his back as he tried to think of what to tell security when they showed up. He wanted to explain to them exactly what happened, but then what would happen if Karofsky carried through with his threat? Though, if Blaine did confess everything...Karofsky could get into serious trouble which could keep him from hurting Kurt. If he would have known that Karofsky would have left so easily, he would have only pretended to call security to trick the Neanderthal.

On the other hand, he couldn't just say that everything was fine. Security was going to walk in and see a bruised, shirtless Kurt crying in his lap. How was he supposed to tell them that nothing was wrong and that they could just carry on with their every day activities?

He sighed, hating not knowing what to do. But for now he just kept his arms wrapped around Kurt. He pressed his lips to the top of Kurt's head, then tilted his head to the side and nuzzled his cheek in Kurt's soft hair. "I love you," he whispered quietly, glad that Kurt couldn't see his eyes shining brightly with unfallen tears as he realized just how lucky he was to have shown up early. He didn't even want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't gotten there in time to save Kurt.

"Kurt," he murmured softly without moving his head. "They're going to be here soon. They're...going to want to know what happened. I think we should tell them," he added in a whisper.

Kurt clung to Blaine, his body still trembling as he tried to burrow closer. He was such a wreck. It wasn't even that Karofsky's assault had been that bad--thanks only to Blaine's timely arrival and quick thinking--but that he'd managed to get into Kurt's room. Into his *sanctuary*.

He'd been so stupid thinking he was safe here. He rarely even bothered to lock his door. He hadn't today and it had nearly cost him everything. It just never occurred to him that the jock would ever actually show up at this school, hours away from Lima. But now Karofsky had proven that he could and would show up anywhere and at any time. And that meant that nowhere was safe.

Kurt hated the idea of his father finding out about this, but ever more than that, he feared that Karofsky would just attack him again and again. He had no doubt in his mind that he'd been incredibly lucky tonight and if these attacks continued, his luck was going to run out and Karofsky *would* rape him...maybe even *kill* him. That could easily have happened tonight as Karofsky choked him first with his bare hands, then again with one of his very own beloved scarves.

So when Blaine quietly advised him that it was time to talk, he had to agree. He nodded, his heart breaking at the thought of his father finding out that even sending him here to Dalton hadn't managed to keep him safe. His body wracked with a sob. "Not...everything?" he requested, his still trembling hands once again moving to try and buckle his belt. "Know...can't let him keep...doing this," he rasped out. "But...enough that he...tried...strangle me."

Blaine glanced down at Kurt’s trembling hands and unwrapped his arms from Kurt’s body, instead placing them over Kurt’s hands, holding them gently before he removed them to slowly buckle Kurt’s belt for him. He felt his heart racing as he realized just how close Karofsky had been to…He didn’t even want to think about it. Just the thought of Karofsky or anyone for that matter hurting someone so perfect, who had never done any harm to anyone else, made Blaine sick to his stomach.

As soon as the belt was buckled again, he brought his eyes up to meet Kurt’s. He wanted Kurt to tell an adult everything, but he knew it wouldn’t be fair to force him. “You only need to tell them as much as you want to,” he assured his boyfriend, keeping his voice soft as he brought his hands up to lightly cup Kurt’s face, using a thumb to wipe a few tears off of his cheek.

He turned his head as he heard footsteps coming down the hall, then turned back to face his boyfriend. “Or…I could tell them if you’d rather have me speak to them. I promise not to tell them anymore than you want them to know.”

Kurt was torn. He wanted to be strong and refuse to be a victim. He needed to stand up for himself. But...he honestly wasn't sure that he could make himself be clear about what had happened; he was too used to playing such things close to his chest. He was used to downplaying the abuse he endured to protect those who actually did care from the frustration he felt when again and again nothing was done.

Well...that was part of it, anyway. If he were honest with himself, the other factor was that he absolutely detested being seen as weak. Even worse was if someone looked at him with pity. He also had a very legitimate fear that he'd expose his vulnerability and admit that things were worse than he'd ever let on but that even then nothing would be done. Things were bad enough when even teachers knew he was being slushied, thrown into dumpsters, shoved into lockers, harrassed, and even mortally threatened and still nothing had been done. Oh, Coach Sylvester had tried, as had his dad, Carole, and eventually even Mr. Schue to some extent, but at the end of the day it was determined that what Karofsky was doing was seen as "okay" and he'd been let off with less than a slap on the wrist. And everyone had let it drop, just like that.

That had been more devastating than he'd ever want anyone to know.

But it would be a million times worse if he admitted the extent of Karofsky's abuse and still nothing was done about it. Kurt honestly wasn't sure he could handle it if that happened, and his instincts were to hide and to continue to hold things back not for Karofsky's sake, but for his own. If he didn't let on how bad things were, it wouldn't be as shattering when nothing was done about it. But his intellect told him that he couldn't afford to hold everything back anymore. He still couldn't deal with anyone knowing about the...sexual element of Karofsky's attacks. He didn't want to see the disgust on some people's faces, or the pity on others. Plus his father would...it would kill him to know about that part of things.

Besides, much as Karofsky would deserve it, Kurt hated the idea of outing someone against their will. He also was fairly sure that an attempted murder charge would be taken far more serious than an attempted rape charge. And...truth be told, he was afraid that Karofsky wouldn't be the only one who would take note of the way he dressed, the way he refused to conform to all of society's "rules"...the way he was sometimes too pushy and too forward with his own crushes. What if they thought he deserved this? What if...what if he did deserve it just a little bit...?

"I...want to tell them," he finally decided. "But...if I...if I hold back too much, would you...?" He reached up to wipe away some of the tears that were still rolling down his cheeks. Yeah, that wouldn't make them pity him or think of him as weak. But he still couldn't stop the shaking or the crying. "And...I...I don't think I can tell my dad. But...I think he needs to know," he whispered. "Not about..." he couldn't make himself say it, "But everything else."

Blaine nodded in reply to Kurt’s question. “He does. But you don’t have to tell him alone. I can go with you,” he promised as he took one of Kurt’s hands in his own, before gently and slowly helping him up on his feet.

“This doesn’t make you weak, Kurt,” he added quickly, knowing that the security guard would be outside the door within seconds. “Please don’t think you’re weak, because…you’re a lot braver than I ever was. When I said courage...I didn't mean that you can't be afraid sometimes."

Before he could say anything else, a tall security guard was standing in the doorway, and Blaine felt rather hurt as he turned and saw the look he was getting from the guard. Sure, he could admit that it didn't look good that he was standing with Kurt who was bruised and shirtless, but the fact that someone, even someone who didn't know him, would think for a second that he hurt Kurt in anyway sort of stung.

Kurt shrank a little bit under the scruitiny of the guard's gaze. It took him a few moments for him to register the way the man was looking at Blaine like he'd done something wrong. He quickly reached up to wipe more tears from his cheek, shaking his head as he turned to the guard. He reached down to grasp Blaine's hand, both for moral support and also to make it clear that Blaine wasn't the offender here. He folded his other arm self-consciously across his chest. "I...I need to report an assault," he announced, his voice still raspy and much weaker than he would like, but he jutted his chin up proudly and did his best to look as dignified as he could considering his current state of dress and the developing bruises on his face and neck.

Blaine could have smacked himself for not thinking to give Kurt something to put on. He quickly shrugged off his jacket and draped it over Kurt's shoulders for now, before taking his hand again, giving it a light squeeze to remind Kurt that he wasn't alone.

The security guard, whose name is Jim which is much shorter to type, nodded as he took in the seriousness of the situation. He walked into the dorm, closing the door quietly behind them to keep other students from listening in on what needed to be a private conversation for now. "Reporting an assault can wait...Kurt, right?" When Blaine nodded his head to confirm that Jim had gotten the name right, Jim continued. "First off, do you need a doctor? I can have the school nurse here in minutes if you need." It was clear that the boy could stand, so he hoped that things weren't that bad, but he couldn't assume that.

Kurt smiled faintly at Blaine as he tugged his boyfriend's jacket around himself. "Yes. Kurt Hummel," he confirmed his name to Jim. He hesitated at the guard's second question. He didn't really need a doctor, and he didn't particularly like being examined like that. On the other han...he absently ran his fingers lightly over the blossoming bruises and split lip. He must look...horrible, and his throat was quite sore. Maybe he should be looked at. At the very least it would probably lend credibility to the assault charge if he at least got checked out.

"I think I'm alright," he assured, squeezing Blaine's hand. "Thanks to Blaine showing up when he did," he added softly, resisting the temptation to lean over and kiss Blaine, who truly was now his proverbial knight in shining armor. "But I should probably get this..." he ran his hand over his neck, unsure if there was physical evidence of his near strangulation, "...documented."

Blaine frowned as he looked over at his boyfriend, his eyes running over all the bruises that Karofsky had left on him. He forced a small smile when Kurt mentioned him getting there just in time, and although he knew Kurt was right, he still wished that he would have gotten there sooner.

Jim nodded, his expression softening as he really looked Kurt over and noticed just how many bruises there were. They weren’t used to attacks at Dalton. All the students were well aware of their no bullying policy so things were usually fairly calm and quiet in the school. “Right…You can have a seat if you’d like,” he suggested as he gestured to the bed. He sat down in the chair to Kurt’s desk, then pulled some papers that he had never used before out of his jacket pocket. With Dalton’s strict policy, there had never really been a need for anyone to file an assault before. Part of him figured that it’d probably be a good idea to have Blaine leave the room, but…he noticed how tightly the two were holding hands and he felt like separating them would be a bad idea. “Alright, I know it might not be easy, but I’m going to have to ask you to give me as much detail you can, okay?”

Kurt sat on the edge of his bed, pulling Blaine down beside him so he could lean on him for moral (and a little bit of physical) support. He wasn't sure where he should start...just with what happened today or with everything that happened at McKinley. He supposed only today's incident mattered unless Jim asked him to go back farther.

"I got back to my room after practice and finishing up some homework. I...I didn't lock my door because I knew Blaine was coming over in a little while and I've never...I've always felt safe here before so I didn't..." He felt the lump in his throat getting worse and had to stop for a moment. "I didn't feel like I needed to." That was a mistake he was fairly certain he would not be making again. "Anyway, I changed out of my uniform so I could start on my evening skin routine and was just washing my face when..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I didn't even hear him coming. He was just suddenly there and pressing me up against the sink with his hand over my mouth." His eyes lowered. "I tried to push him off me, but he just...wouldn't stop. And he said if I tried to call out for help or make any noise that he'd kill me. I tried to knee him in the groin to get him off of me. I missed, but it made him really angry so...he started hitting me and I fell. He...dragged me into the other room by my hair." He absently reached up to smooth his hair back into place, realizing he hadn't done that yet. He must be such a mess! He blamed it on shock; it was probably a good idea to see the doctor. "That's when Blaine knocked on the door.

"Karofsky covered my mouth again saying that if we were quiet maybe Blaine would leave." He smiled at Blaine again. "But Blaine didn't leave. He called my cellphone." His smile faded a bit. "I think that's when Dave started to kind of panic, though, and he started choking me. I think it was mostly just to keep me quiet, but...he was choking me with his hand and then he wrapped my scarf around my neck and pulled it so tight I couldn't breathe. I...I guess that's when he dragged me over to the door. We could hear Blaine calling for security. And...I don't really know what happened for a minute there. I think maybe I...I was out of it. But then Blaine was there and Dave was gone. And then you got here."

He leaned his head against Blaine's shoulder again.

Blaine kept his hands folded tightly together to keep them from trembling. It had been one thing to walk in and see his boyfriend bruised up and on the floor, shaking and crying, but to hear in detail what had happened before he got to the dorm- It made him angry…angry that he hadn’t gotten there sooner and angry that Karofsky had gotten away. Again.

But if he had anything to do with it, which he’d make sure he did, that wouldn’t happen again. He’d make sure that Karofsky got what he deserved, because Blaine was tired of letting Karofsky get away with hurting the person he cared about the most.

When Kurt finished talking and rested his head on Blaine’s shoulder, Blaine reached his hand over and rested it on top of Kurt’s knee, squeezing gently as he smiled at his boyfriend. He kept trying to remind himself that Kurt was…well, he was alive, at least. Blaine really didn’t consider his boyfriend okay at the moment. Not after what had just happened. And Blaine doubted that Kurt would protest when he told him that he’d be spending the night again, because leaving Kurt’s side, especially now, was something Blaine had no intention of doing.

When Jim finished writing down everything Kurt had told him, he looked up at the two boys. He rubbed nervously at the back of his neck as he glanced back down at the paper. Yeah, it wasn’t a good idea of the kid to leave his door unlocked, but still, he couldn’t believe a nonstudent had gotten into the dorms. He exhaled as he looked at the door. The bully who had gotten in was probably long gone by now.

“Okay, so…Karofsky,” he referenced from the paper before turning up to look at Kurt again. “I’m guessing that’s a last name? Was this the first time he attacked you or have there been previous attacks?”

Kurt let out a shaky sigh. "Yes. David Karofsky. He goes to McKinley High School in Lima. He's the reason I'm here at Dalton. He's been harassing me for years but in the last few months...it's like it's become an obsession for him. He's attacked me a few times before," he admitted. "Ususally in places where no one's around to witness. I...never imagined he'd come here."

Kurt nodded, but stayed silent at the guard's apology. He knew that it wasn't something they really could have done much since he hadn't ever put out word to be on the lookout for the Neanderthal. Another mistake he'd have to correct. His brow furrowed as Jim asked about Finn being his brother. What did that have to do with anything? "Yes...Finn is my stepbrother," he confirmed, confused by the question.

Dexter Jim furrowed his brow in concentration and glanced down at the paperwork, then back to Kurt. "Kurt," he began cautiously. "Did Finn bring you a sweater or drop one off in your room today?" he asked quietly. "Because...everything that happens here goes down in writing-- Standard procedure," he explained. "And according to the man working the front desk, 'Finn' was given a key to use to get into your dorm earlier today. I don't know about you two, but the fact that this Karofsky guy got into your dorm on the same day seems highly unlikely to just be pure coincidence. Of course, you also said that your door was unlocked...so it's hard to tell if that's actually the case or not."

The color drained from Blaine's face at the idea of Karofsky getting a key that easily from the front desk, before his cheeks flushed and he opened his mouth to speak without thinking. "Wait, are you telling me that you think someone who almost just tried to seriously hurt Kurt just walked in and got a key...just like that?" he asked, his usual dapper demeanor being replaced by a rather frustrated attitude.

Kurt swore he could feel the blood draining out of his face. Finn hadn't ever visited him. And he wasn't allowed to touch any of Kurt's sweaters (he loved Finn as a brother, but the boy had no clue how to treat delicate fabrics...) "No...Finn hasn't been here, but...Karofsky stole one of m-my sweaters before," he whispered, folding his arms around himself, suddenly cold. "Why would they...?" he echoed Blaine's question. He blinked rapidly trying to stop the fresh wave of tears that were threatening. He was supposed to be safe here! He inched closer to Blaine, feeling suddenly quite drained of the courage his boyfriend encouraged.

Blaine wrapped one arm around Kurt’s waist, holding him close as he looked over at Jim, expecting some sort of answer as to why Karofsky was given a key to Kurt’s dorm without question.

Jim sighed and brought his hand up to his forehead, massaging his temples in frustration at the stupid mistake a Dalton employee had made. “I’m sorry, boys. Kurt, I really am sorry,” he said as he looked back up and dropped his hand to his side. “I’ll be the first to admit that, yes, Dalton made a big mistake in giving a key to someone who was not a student here, and I promise you that something will be done about this. I’ll be talking to our front desk secretary personally. But right now, I think it’s safe to say that Karofsky has a key to your dorm. I doubt he’d come back to night after being so close to getting caught, but I’ll be sure to have a member from my team patrolling building tonight just in case. And someone will be here first thing tomorrow to change the lock on your door. Now…is there anything else either of you have to tell me? Anything at all? You’ve been awfully quiet, Blaine. Anything you need to add? Kurt said he was out of it as soon as you came in the room…”

Blaine opened his mouth, but hesitated, glancing at Kurt before he looked back at Jim again. “He just…told me that if we told anyone about this then next time would be worse,” he admitted quietly.

Kurt didn't even want to think about what "worse" would entail. He shuddered slightly and pressed himself even closer to Blaine.

How could it get much worse? Karofsky's physical assault had been brutal and without mercy. It was only because of Blaine’s timing that Karofsky hadn’t been able to proceed with sexual assault. With the way Karofsky had briefly strangled him, Kurt really didn’t doubt that without intervention of some sort, eventually Karofsky would end up killing him. He'd already proven, both to himself and Karofsky, that though he fought as best he could, he was physically no match for the bigger--and much heavier--boy. He'd always prided himself on being able to handle his bullies alone, but his intelligence and wit were not effective weapons against Karofsky, who was getting increasingly bold, and increasingly violent in his attacks. Kurt was just not equipped to deal with this sort of onslaught. It was times like this that he wished he was more like his dad…

Oh, God.

His dad was not going to take this well. Especially if he learned how easily Karofsky had gotten a key to his room. He was pretty upset about it himself, of course--and he fully intended to see if Blaine would mind if they spent the night in his room until the lock to Kurt's dorm could be changed--but his father would not take that part of the incident well at. He’d be at the school demanding to speak to the moron who’d given out the key. And if they were lucky, all he would do is yell a lot. But Kurt feared that his father would see that as the one thing in this whole mess that he would have any power to do anything about directly. And that didn’t bode well for Dalton Academy…or his father’s stress levels and general health.

Kurt bit his lip nervously, stopping immediately as he tasted the coppery taste of blood on his lip from when Karofsky had struck him. “Can we…not tell my dad about the key?” he asked softly, flushing with shame as he realized he was once again slipping back into cover-up mode.

Jim nodded and made a note in the paperwork regarding Blaine’s comment. He stayed silent for a moment at Kurt’s question. “Well, there’s no real proof that Karofsky does have a key to your dorm…and we’ll be changing the lock within 24 hours, so if you’d like to tell your dad about this then that’s up to you. I, however, won’t mention a word to him. But…I will be speaking to him about you filing this assault,” he warned. “Along with Karofsky and his parents, both of whom I’ll be in contact with as soon as possible.”

Blaine sighed as he rested a head on Kurt's shoulder and wrapped both arms around his boyfriend. He knew that Kurt had come to Dalton to be safe, and so far he really wasn't any safer being here and Blaine was running out of ways to protect Kurt from Karofsky.

After scribbling down something on a piece of paper, Jim gathered up all his paperwork and stood up from his seat at Kurt's desk. "Anything else you need to add?" He handed the small paper to Kurt. "That's my personal number, so don't hesitate to call if you hear anything at all about Karofsky being on campus, understand? If he ever bothers you in anyway then just give me a call." He had always been rather passionate about his job of keeping the students safe, but after seeing Kurt after his attack with Karofsky, Jim sort of had a soft spot for the kid.

When Jim offered his own number as a contact in case Karofsky resurfaced, Kurt smiled shyly at the gesture. Though he'd only met the man, other than Coach Sylvester and Schue, it was more help than any adult other than his father, had ever offered him, and the guard's offer seemed genuine. "Thank you." He tucked the paper into the pocket of Blaine's blazer.

"No problem at all." He smiled sadly at both of them as he got ready to leave the dorm and go finish the rest of the required paperwork. "Like I said, there'll be a guard in this building tonight, but I highly recommend that neither of you leave the building tonight, unless you're just going down to see the nurse. Right, so if that's all there is then I'll be seeing you both soon." He let himself out of the dorm and gently closed the door behind him, leaving it at that because after what had just happened, 'have a good night' really didn't seem appropriate.

Blaine turned his head to look at Kurt as soon as they were alone, his eyes lingering on some of the bruises before he raised them to look at his boyfriend's face. "I'll go with you to the infirmary if you want to go," he said softly as he moved his hand to intertwine his fingers with Kurt's.

Honestly, Kurt really didn't want to go to the infirmary, but again he reminded himself that it would be best if he had his injuries officially documented. He was still a bit pessimistic about there actually being something done about Karofsky, but he didn’t want it to be for lack of effort on his part this time. He nodded as he squeezed Blaine’s hand. “I’m okay,” he assured shakily, “but I should get this officially documented and prove that I’m not just exaggerating how much he scares me. “ He hadn’t had the courage to go look at himself in the mirror, but he was certain that there could be no mistaking his injuries for a simple “oops, I tripped and accidentally hit you in the face several times” incident.

He rose to his feet and made his way into his closet to find something to wear. With Karofsky’s accusation of flaunting himself wearing such tight clothing stuck in his head, he selected the ludicrously oversized t-shirt that his father had misguidedly purchased for him thinking he would find it stylish. He exchanged his form fitting slacks for the sweats he generally only wore when he felt sick and knew that no one would possibly witness him wearing them. Tonight he’d make an exception. Maybe if he was lucky if they ran into anyone in the halls no one would recognize him anyway, considering how disheveled his hair likely was, and how marred his normally flawless skin...

After changing, he replaced Blaine’s blazer, pulling it tightly closed around himself. He knew without even looking that his attire was completely ridiculous--a Dalton blazer just didn’t belong with t-shirts and god-forbid sweats. Even if it did, his own blazer hung just outside the closet. Yet he felt somehow more secure wearing Blaine’s, as though his boyfriend’s warmth and protection were somehow infused into the material.

Not wanting to have to come back to this room after visiting the infirmary, he picked up the overnight bag he kept for his weekend trips home. It already had a set of his toiletries as well as some skin essentials and a change of undergarments. He snagged his fluffy white robe from its hook and folded it over his arm. He knew he should probably take a change of clothing with him, but…he didn’t even want to think about going to class in the morning. He couldn’t imagine facing all those dapper boys who would think him severely uncouth, what with his blackened eyes and split lip.

He dabbed the fresh tears he almost hadn’t even realized he’d been crying and took a few more moments to try and pull himself together a little bit before rejoining Blaine in the main room. “I know they’re going to patrol tonight, but we should stay in your room until my lock is changed,” he announced. Then he realized he was being pushy again. “That is…if it’s okay,” he added, feeling far less sure of himself than usual. He should probably at least offer Blaine's blazer back as well, he realized, but...he didn't want to relinquish it just yet.

Blaine forced a small smile as Kurt squeezed his hand, but frowned again as soon as Kurt spoke. He nodded his head to show his understanding, then stayed on Kurt’s bed as he waited for his boyfriend to get ready. It bothered him to hear that Kurt had to go through so much just to prove that he was scared. Why would anybody lie about something like this? Or better yet, why would anyone think that someone was lying about this? Especially someone like Kurt.

He waited patiently as Kurt went into the other room, trying not to think too much about Karofsky because every time he thought about what the bully had done to Kurt, he wondered why he was sitting here and not doing more to stop it. Kurt came to Dalton to be safe and so far he hadn’t been much safer. At McKinley, Kurt had was shoved into lockers, taunted, and kissed that one time in the locker room, and now that he was at a different school it seemed like the attacks had only gotten worse.

And then there was the fact that Kurt had a boyfriend…who hadn’t done the best job of keeping him safe. Blaine sighed and rested his head in his hands, hating himself for not being able to do enough for Kurt. So far the best advice he had given was when he told Kurt to refuse to be the victim and stand up to the bullies, which Blaine knew had been hypocritical seeing as he ran away from his old school and didn’t even have the courage to tell his own parents about his boyfriend, despite the fact that Kurt had proudly introduced him to both Burt and Carole, who had accepted Blaine…just like parents were supposed to do when their child was in love with someone who loved them back just as much.

Though, he did feel lucky for getting to Kurt's dorm in time. He didn't want to even consider what could have happened if he didn't show up when he did, although he still regretted not getting there sooner.

Blaine looked up as he heard Kurt walk in, standing up and walking over to his boyfriend. He immediately noticed that Kurt had chose a different attire compared to his usual style, but Blaine really didn't blame him considering what had just happened. “That’s fine,” he answered, smiling slightly before he glanced at the bag. He really didn't want his boyfriend carrying if it was going to bother his newly acquired bruises. "Do you want me to carry that?" he asked quietly. He knew that Kurt usually liked doing things himself, but he felt wrong not asking or offering to help his boyfriend in any way that he could.

Though Blaine got up quickly, Kurt didn't miss the way Blaine had been sitting with his head in his hands. He hated that he was making Blaine worry so much. Still, when Blaine offered to carry his things he bristled just a little bit. "I'm fine," he insisted, slightly sharper than he intended. Immediately he regretted it--Blaine was only trying to be a good boyfriend, and it really was sweet. "I'm sorry," he quickly apologized. "I'm just...sore and completely fatigued," he still downplayed the way his emotions were currently wreaking havoc on his system. He looked down at his bag for a moment before handing it over to Blaine. "Thank you." He linked his now free arm with Blaine's, wanting to walk as close as possible as they made their way first to drop off his things in Blaine's room and then to the infirmary. He walked quickly, keeping his head down, not even sure if anyone noticed them as they went through the dorm hallways. If anyone spoke to them, he didn't even hear them and kept walking, just wanting to get this over with.

He hated visiting the school nurse. She was a nice enough lady and all, but it was just awkward as she asked all sorts of embarassing questions and poked and prodded at his ribs and made little tsking noises as she looked at the bruising on his face and neck. He flushed with humiliation as she clucked at the hickey that had developed on his neck.

He was vaguely aware as she was telling him about the dangers of choking injuries. She wanted him to go into the hospital or at least to spend the night in the infirmary where she could check on him frequently to make sure that there was no swelling and that he was able to breathe okay. He refused, insisting that Blaine would take good care of him and promised that at the first sign that he was having even a little bit of trouble breathing he would tell Blaine and Blaine would call for an ambulance. She wasn't happy, but she reluctantly agreed.

Having pictures taken was humiliating, but he knew it was necessary in case he pursued having Karofsky charged with assault--which he fully intended to do despite the threats. He couldn't go on like this. And he couldn't handle putting anyone else in danger. It was time to step up and force the issue through legal venues.

Once the exam was completed and the nurse had lectured him and Blaine once again about making sure not to take his injuries too lightly. He was relieved when finally she released them to go back to Blaine's room. By then, Kurt was exhausted and emotionally drained. "Thank you," he expressed his gratitude once again, wrapping his arms around one of Blaine's and leaning against his boyfriend as they made their way back to the dorms.