Title: Broken and Bruised
Author: an-alternate-world
Rating: T
Characters/Pairings: Eventual Klaine
Word count: (This part) 1,405; (Total) 8,228
Summary: A brutal attack on Kurt leaves him in the hospital and as his body heals, Blaine finally comes to the realisation that he has feelings for the taller boy.
Warnings/Spoilers: Violence, homophobic slurs. Set post-Christmas and ignores Valentine's Day/Silly Love Songs episode.
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Glee, FOX, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the Glee universe.

He had only gone into Westerville to do a spot of shopping. Blaine's birthday was coming up (he had asked Wes and David because heaven knows the curly-headed boy wouldn't tell him!) and he needed to find the perfect gift. He wasn't quite sure what it was though. The search had been rather fruitless but he had to at least wander and try and gather some ideas. And he had found some lovely shirts that he could wear when he was having some down-time and no one was around to know it wasn't designer.

As he headed out from the mall, he noticed how dark it had gotten and checked the time on his phone and was surprised it was only just past six. Although it was still February so he supposed that it still got dark early. The parking lot was deserted except for a handful of cars that belonged to the remaining workers inside and Kurt felt just a small flicker of unease, moving a little faster towards his car.

"Hey!" a voice shouted and he kept moving, hoping it wasn't meant to be for him. "Hey, kid!"

He sighed and bit at his bottom lip, turning slowly. And froze. What the hell was Azimio doing here?

"Well well, if it isn't McKinley's former ladyboy. We've missed you, Dave and I. There hasn't been anyone else to have…fun with, since you left," Azimio was getting closer to Kurt, his step filled with confidence and bravado while Kurt started shaking. "What's wrong, fag? Cat got your tongue? You never had a problem with that when you were in that stupid Glee club."

"Leave me alone!" he shrieked, stepping backwards and stumbling as Azimio got closer. He knew Karofsky wasn't a threat to him anymore, not really. He knew things about him and that knowledge would keep him safe. But Azimio…

The dark-skinned jock laughed. "Leave you alone? Do you know how hard it was to find you? I'll have to thank Brittany for letting it slip you had switched to a school where you sang with birds. It took me a while but then I realised it was The Warblers. Honestly, didn't you learn?" Azimio sneered. "Glee clubs are filled with homo's. And then you go and join an all-boys school? Are they all filthy like you?"

Kurt trembled as Azimio stood right in front of him, backing him up against the side of his car.

"Do you all shower together? Do you get off on that? Do you do some sort of communal sex riot?" He paused and then cringed. "Actually, that's a disgusting image. You'd better not. Although it's a fag school so what do you expect. You probably fit right in there. Met lots of fags, have you?"

Kurt shook his head, his pulse racing. He thought he might vomit up his heart in a minute.

"Huh, it's funny how silent you are. Maybe I need to loosen your mouth a little…" Azimio drawled, before hitting Kurt across his jaw. Kurt cried out as his body fell, clutching at his mouth and tasting the blood which turned his stomach. And now that he was down, he was at his most vulnerable and Azimio knew it. He received several kicks to his stomach and chest and felt the crack of several ribs as Azimio laughed.

"Fuck, I've missed you," Azimio chuckled, admiring his handiwork. "Don't forget us, homo."

He departed with a final kick to Kurt's stomach as Kurt curled up carefully, the tears running down his face and feeling the swelling of his jaw and struggling to breathe and everything hurt. Through the waves of agony, he realised he needed to call someone. Anyone. Blaine. Wes. David. It didn't matter. He fumbled around in his pocket and cringed at the shattered screen which barely responded to his touch and held it to his ear, trying to stop his panic.

"Hey Kurt! Where are you? We were just about to go down to dinner!" he heard Wes say, and he could hear voices in the background.

"Wes…" he gasped. It was like his chest was on fire. "Wes, I…I'm at the mall. I need…I need help."

"Kurt?" Wes said, sounding alarmed and the voices in the background quietened. "Kurt, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Y-yes. I…please. It hurts, Wes."

"Okay, okay, it's okay Kurt. David and Blaine and I…we're coming. Just…just stay where you are. You went to the Westerville mall, right?"

Kurt whimpered and Wes took that as a yes. "Okay, we'll be there in like. Ten minutes. No, five. Speed limits be damned. Okay?"

Kurt nodded and realised his head was throbbing with pain. "'Kay Wes. I…I'll see you soon."

The call ended in his ear and he gingerly laid the iPhone down in front of him. He wasn't even sure if the screen was repairable but it didn't matter. He was in pain. He knew there was more broken than just the shattered screen of his cell.

It didn't seem like five minutes later but Kurt's head was swimming and he drifted in and out as the pain made him nauseous. He could still taste the blood in his mouth but he couldn't spit it out. But he could hear Blaine's car and see the headlights and the shouts and car doors opening and he tried to open his eyes but everything just hurt.

"Kurt?" It was Blaine and he tried to say something but he couldn't move his mouth anymore. "Jesus. David, call 911. I don't think it's safe to move him."

He felt a small, smooth hand tuck into his and he knew it was Wes' because Blaine's were always dry in the winter months and he tried to make him use moisturiser but Blaine would laugh and tell him that he was fine. "Kurt? Can you open your eyes for me?"

And Kurt tried. He really did. But there was just so much pain. "Okay, okay Kurt. What about my hand? Can you squeeze that for me?"

Kurt managed to feebly squeeze Wes' hand and he felt the air rush out of Wes. "He's awake. He's conscious. I think his mouth is probably too swollen. His jaw is probably broken."

He felt soft hands in his hair and tried to relax. It was getting harder and harder to breathe and it hurt so much and he could feel the breath catching in his throat and he could hear David's deep voice telling the emergency dispatch to hurry and he could feel the uncomfortable pavement beneath him and he could smell rain in the air and it was so cold. Why was it always cold?

"Shit," Blaine muttered and Kurt could hear him moving around him. "Where are his keys, goddamit?"

"His keys?" David questioned, his voice closer.

"Kurt's going into shock. We need to keep him warm and I know he always keeps a blanket in his car," Blaine replied.

Kurt painfully moved his other arm that wasn't held by Wes to point in the vague direction he thought his keys were. "Over there!" David shouted and there was a jangle and a beep and Kurt recognised the sound of his car opening and then he was wrapped in the soft, downy blanket he always carried just in case he ended up stuck somewhere and needed a blanket. He'd never been more grateful for the forethought in his entire life.

Distantly, he could hear sirens. "Hear that, Kurt?" Wes spoke softly. "They're coming. You're gonna be okay."

But even as Wes tried to reassure him that it was going to be okay, he could feel himself getting weaker and the pain was becoming too much and he knew that if he just let go, it wouldn't be painful anymore. He coughed and choked on the blood in his throat and the searing pain in his chest intensified and he was gasping for air but it just wasn't coming in anymore.

"Kurt?" Blaine sounded panicked. "Kurt, come on. Stay with us! Kurt!"

And he tried and he heard the sirens getting louder and he was starting to forget who he was and what had happened and with a choked breath, he succumbed…