In case you didn't read the summary, this is a follow-up to my fic "You Don't Know How Lovely You Are," which you can find on my profile. I mean, you don't necessarily have to read it first to understand what's going on in this fic, but it'd be nice. I'm just saying.

Oh Let's Go Back to the Start

When Kurt is released from the hospital, he doesn't want to put on his clubbing clothes again, but he doesn't really have choice. Blaine hasn't left his side even to go to the bathroom, much less to go home for a change of clothes. It's just past noon when Blaine wheels him out the front doors, so Blaine's been wearing insanely tight jeans and his sweaty, form-fitting short-sleeved button-down, the top two buttons still undone. Kurt was still unsteady on his feet when he dressed, so helping him into his own skin-tight jeans had been a challenge. Still, once he is safely settled in the back of the waiting cab, Kurt is relieved; he just wants to go home.

Blaine holds his hand the entire way. He knows what will be waiting for them back at their apartment. They share a small one-bedroom on the third floor, just down the hall from the studio that Santana and Rachel divide between them. Sam and Artie live together on the first floor, where there is wheelchair access. Having four of their closest friends in the building is normally a godsend, but the last thing Kurt wants is an interrogation as soon as he walks in the door.

Blaine pays the cabbie when he pulls in front of their building and then helps Kurt out of the car. He's never been more grateful of the elevator their landlord installed just over a year ago. Just before the doors can close behind them, Sam slips into the elevator car. "Hey, San said you guys didn't come home last night?" He spots the way Kurt is leaning into Blaine's embrace. "Is…is everything okay?"

Blaine pauses a moment, giving Kurt the chance to speak if he wants to, and then says, "Sam, can we not right now? We just need to go home."

That definitely catches the blond man's attention. "What happened? Someone go after you? Where did you go last night?"

The elevator finally opens onto their floor, and Kurt is the first to move out of it, Blaine close behind. They don't make it to their door before they have Sam, Santana, and Rachel surrounding them. "Where have you been?" Rachel demands, standing right in front of the door. "You left sixteen hours ago! Was the club you went to in Buffalo?"

"Please tell me you two just decided to shack up in some sleazy motel for the night."

"No, girls, something's wrong with Kurt."

"HEY!" Blaine shouts, shooing Rachel out of the way. "Can we get a little space here? I know we're friends, but where we go and when we get back aren't really your concerns. We're adults, too."

But they're not listening to him. All three friends are watching Kurt's face, which is quickly paling. "…Kurt?" Rachel asks softly.

Santana takes a step closer. "What happened last night?"

Kurt whispers, "Blaine," and the shorter man quickly slides his key into the lock. "Please. We just need a little space."

Blaine gets the door open and ushers Kurt inside. Their friends make to follow, but Blaine holds a hand up to stop them. "Guys, I'm not kidding. Just…let me get Kurt settled, okay? I'll be back as soon as I can."

He turns to head inside, but Sam's hand on his wrist pulls him back. "Just—just tell us. Was he attacked?"

Blaine opens his mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. Instead, he shakes his head and closes the door behind him. Once inside, he walks to Kurt, who is waiting in the tiny foyer. "I know you slept a lot already, but do you want to head back to bed?"

"I think I just want to sit on the couch and not think for a while."

"That sounds like a great plan. Let's just get out of these clothes, huh? Not exactly cuddling gear." They walk hand-in-hand to the bedroom, where Blaine picks some pajamas for each of them and lays them on the bed. They change clothes, and when Blaine finishes throwing their clubbing outfits into the dirty hamper, he turns to find Kurt also snuggled into his old Dalton sweatshirt. The sight makes him smile a bit. "C'mon. There's a Sex and the City marathon with our name on it."

Once Kurt is laying on the couch, throw pillow clutched to his chest, Blaine starts to head for the kitchen. "Do you want anything to eat, drink? I can make some tea for you."

"Blaine, you don't have wait on me. Nothing happened."

Blaine drops to his knees in front of his boyfriend. "Kurt, something did happen. Someone drugged you, with the intent…with the intent to have sex with you. Just because the second part didn't happen, doesn't mean the first part isn't still important. You were violated, and feeling like shit because of it is absolutely allowed. Expected, really. I just want you to feel comfortable. We've always made sure that we find a safe space in each other, and I don't want that to change."

Kurt smiles softly. "I always feel safe with you."

Blaine's eyes immediately drop to the ground. "I should have done a better job of keeping you safe tonight. I can't believe I let you go to the bar alone, and I can't believe I didn't notice you starting to lose it before you passed out."

"Hey, no." Kurt reached a hand out to cup Blaine's face. "Don't do this to yourself. You wouldn't let me say, 'I should have seen the guy slip something into my drink,' would you?"

"Of course not!"

"Then you don't get to say it either."

Blaine returns Kurt's smile and kisses him tenderly. "The offer for tea still stands."

"I'm actually thinking this is a hot cocoa situation."

"Of course. I think we still have some packets in the cupboard. I'll be right back." When he stands and turns for the kitchen, he spots the front door, and his face falls. "Um, Kurt…all of our friends—except maybe Artie, though who knows at this point—are kind of waiting outside. They were really freaked out when we didn't come home. What…what do you want me to tell them?"

Kurt didn't answer for a moment. "I…I guess you can tell them the truth. Even though you're right, being drugged was a violation, I wasn't actually assaulted, so…yeah, I guess letting them know is okay."

"You sure? I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you.

"No, really. Just…you have to do it. I don't think I'm ready yet."

"Of course. I'll go get your hot cocoa, you just think about which season you want to start with."

Blaine sets a pot of water on the stove to boil and then slips out the front door. Sure enough, their three friends, now joined by Artie, are all waiting in the hall, ignoring Mrs. Abernathy's annoyed glances from her doorway down the hall. "Okay, I've got about three minutes and then I've got to get back inside."

"What happened?" Rachel hisses. "He looked like he just found out his father was d—oh god, don't tell me something happened to Burt."

"No, god, no, Burt is fine. It's just—" Blaine lets out a frustrated sigh. "Last night, at the club, Kurt went to get us drinks, and…someone slipped a roofie into his." The other four gasp in shock. "He collapsed on the dance floor just minutes later. We spent all night in the hospital."

"Did you talk to the police?"

"Did they catch the bastard?"

"Did someone take advantage of him?"

"Why didn't you call us?"

"Is he okay?"

"Hey!" Blaine snapped, careful to keep his voice down. "Kurt has decided that he doesn't want to press charges." Santana opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "No. It's his decision, and you will respect it. He's very shaken up; you know how terrified he is of every being out of control. But he wasn't hurt, and other than a few minutes of memory loss that may eventually return, he's made a full recovery. He just needs time and space to process what happened."

"How're you, man?" Sam asks gently, placing a hand on Blaine shoulder.

Truth be told, Blaine looks like a mess. The rings under his eyes are enormous and he hasn't eaten in nearly a day. The curls that had been just slightly gelled before going to the club now flew in every direction after being pulled and pulled all night long. Blaine certainly appeared as though he had been under a great deal of stress in a very short time.

"I don't matter. Making sure Kurt feels comfortable is what matters, and right now, that means making him cocoa, so if you'll excuse me, I have to go back inside. Just…look, I'll tell you more as soon as I can, okay? I'm sure he'll be up for a visit in no time, just—just give him a little bit."

All four friend nod solemnly and leave slowly for their respective apartments as Blaine heads back inside. The water on the stove is boiling, so Blaine quickly finishes preparing two mugs of hot cocoa and brings them into the living room. Kurt is curled under a quilt on the couch, so Blaine sets the mugs down on the coffee table and lifts the opposite end of the quilt to slide under, but Kurt stops him. "Um, can you…would you mind cuddling with me on this end?"

"Not at all," Blaine replies with a soft smile. "Cuddling with you is my favorite thing ever. Little spoon, I assume?"

"Of course."

Blaine slides behind Kurt on the couch and wraps his arms around his chest after smoothing the quilt over their tangled bodies. He then presses play on the remote and the first episode of Sex and the City begins. They lie together through two whole episodes, sipping their cocoas occasionally and breathing together. They allow themselves to fall into a state of calm, with nothing on their mind but the noise of the television and the feel of the other's bodies against their own.

Then the phone rings. Blaine presses pause and sits up. "I've got it." He rushes to the kitchen to answer the phone before the fifth and final ring. "Hello?"

"Blaine?"

"Burt?"

"Yeah, you wanna tell me what's going on?"

Blaine's throat closes up. "I—how did you—"

"Rachel called." Blaine is going to kill her. "She said something about Kurt being assaulted at a club and him being in the hospital, what is going on—"

"Burt, please!" Blaine shoots a look back at the couch, making sure that Kurt is still settled. "Something…something happened last night, Kurt is fine, just…a little shaken up. He's lying down right now and he should be left alone."

"Blaine, put Kurt on the phone."

"Burt—"

"Now."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"Burt, I'm not kidding. He just needs time to himself right now. He'll call as soon as he's ready, just—"

"Blaine." Blaine turns around to see Kurt leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen. "Let me talk to him."

"Are you sure?"

Kurt nods, and Blaine reluctantly hands over the phone. "Hey Dad."

"Kurt, what is going on?"

"It's really not a big deal, Dad. I…Blaine and I went clubbing, and some jerk slipped Rohypnol into my drink." His father makes a choked noise. "I passed out on the dance floor, but Blaine got me to the hospital really fast. Don't worry, I'm going to be fine."

"Fine, god, Kurt, what if you had been by yourself, this dick could have—"

"I know what he could have done, Dad!" Kurt interrupts almost shrilly, and Blaine quickly gathers him into his arms. "I am fully aware of what his intent was when he did it. That's why I'm a little freaked out right now, but you have to believe me when I say I'm going to be okay. I've got Blaine, and I'm safe, and that's all that matters."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Blaine can't help but smile into the back of Kurt's neck.

"Do you want to come home for a few days? I can get you tickets right now—"

"Dad, please," Kurt begs. "I just need some space, like Blaine told you. I'm going to be just fine."

Burt sighs. "Alright, fine. But I want you to call me tomorrow, you hear? Just to talk. And next time something big like this happens, I don't want to have to hear it from Rachel. That was a terrifying phone call to receive, and not just because talking to her tends to give me a headache."

"Don't worry, Dad, I'll make sure she's appropriately punished for her obscenely large mouth."

Burt lets out a laugh. "Okay, I'll let you go, bud. Just…take care of yourself, you know?"

"I know, Dad," Kurt responds with a smile.

"And take care of Blaine, too. The boy seems like he's got the taking care of you part down pretty well."

"Yeah," Kurt breathes, turning a little to smile at his boyfriend, "he does, doesn't he?"

Kurt says his final goodbyes to his father and then allows Blaine to usher him back toward the couch. They return to their previous cuddling position as they resume the third Sex and the City episode. Blaine presses a few kisses to the back of Kurt's neck, and before long, the two are asleep, locked in a tight embrace and never letting go.

Okay, now I am officially done with this first. For real.

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