Work Text:
Blaine got up from his seat and went to the vending machine to buy some snacks, even though he didn't think he'd be able to eat anything.
He felt completely numb, like someone had hit him in the head with a heavy weapon and he didn't understand what was going on any more. It was only the day before that they had called him from the hospital to warn that Kurt had been attacked, but to Blaine it seemed like a thousand years had passed. It was late night now and, in the hallway of that damned place, he felt more alone than ever.
"Hey". He startled.
He turned around with a confused expression on his face and saw Mercedes, who looked just as tired and worried as him.
"Sorry I scared you. The others stayed home to eat something and try to rest a little bit, but I didn't want to. I wanna stay here with him."
Blaine knew exactly how she felt. He and Mercedes had never been the closest of friends, and when he had cheated on Kurt the year before she had almost stopped talking to him, but he really liked her and was glad that she was there with him. He bought an extra snack from the machine and gave it to her with a little smile. She took it and put it in her purse, unable to make her stomach work properly.
They sat on the chairs and stayed silent for a while, waiting for good news that never seemed to arrive.
"I can't believe that someone did this to him" whispered Mercedes, her voice shaking.
"Yeah" said Blaine with a small voice. "I wish I was there with him when it happened. I could have fought with him, or called the police, or..." began rambling Blaine, but Mercedes stopped him.
"Blaine, I don't think you could have done anything to help. There were four of them and they had a knife. If you were with him, they would have hurt you too and it would have been much worse, cause I wouldn't have survived if two of my closest friends got hurt so badly."
Blaine smiled in spite of the sadness; Mercedes calling him "one of her closest friends" made him happy. Then he told her: " I wish it would have been me. I hate the fact that I'm here talking to you and he's there laying in that fucking hospital bed, unable even to open his eyes. I want to do something to help him, but it's like I'm unable to do anything. I feel so useless" he cried.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Blaine" stated Mercedes with a sweet tone. "You're not useless. It pains me to say it, but there isn't much we can do to make things better. All we can do is stay here and pray that he wakes up soon. You've stayed here since they called you yesterday, you haven't left his side even to eat or to take a shower...you're doing so much just by being there with him".
Blaine looked her in the eyes with gratitude. "Thank you, Mercedes. I really needed your words. You know, we've never been best friends and I know that when I hurt Kurt last year you hated me but..."
"Hold up, sweetie. What? Why do you say that I hated you? Who told you that?" asked Mercedes, almost laughing with disbelief.
"Well, after Kurt and I started dating you hung out with us a lot and you and I grew close. I was happy because I've always considered you a really good person, aside from being insanely talented. But then I...I made a terrible mistake, one that I still to this day regret deeply, and you almost never talked to me again. I mean I figured that, with Kurt being your best friend, you would side with him but it still hurt me, cause I care about you a lot and I loved our friendship."
"Honey, I never hated you. Actually, when Kurt introduced you as his boyfriend I was so excited because it's been clear from day one how much you love him. I'll tell you the truth: yes, I was mad when you cheated on Kurt cause he was miserable after that. You know, he's always been my best friend; we had the same passion for singing, we both felt underrated in the glee club...and we both hated Rachel" giggled Mercedes, making Blaine laugh heartily.
"I was the first person he came out to, among the glee club members; so I've always felt like a sister to him, like I had to protect him. So it was natural for me to be angry at you when you did what you did. But deep inside me I knew that you really loved Kurt and that what happened wasn't entirely your fault. So I want to apologize to you, because I should have come to talk to you and let you explain. I didn't do it just because I thought it would upset Kurt and I didn't want to cause him any more pain. Sorry."
"Apologies accepted" said Blaine smiling widely.
"Come here sweetheart" said Mercedes, giving Blaine a big hug. He held her back as tightly as he could, feeling grateful to have her by his side.
"Look at us being best friends" he joked. "Don't jinx it, Blaine Warbler" said she in a funny tone, making him smile at the nickname. "We're best friends now, but if you hurt my baby Kurt again I won't hesitate to kick your ass."