(A/N): So a lot of you have asked for this, which surprised me. I never thought people would come to like Nick and Jeff as much as I have. Well, like promised, here is the missing Neff from Sketchy Relations.

Special thanks to ittlebitz who has taken the time to beta for me once again. If you aren't currently reading her two stories, you are really missing out. They are amazing, just go.

*Important*: If you have somehow stumbled upon this without reading Sketchy Relations first, I suggest you go and read that before this. You might be able to keep up, but I think it may be quite confusing to jump into.

Summary: Nick tells Jeff everything he has been keeping from him about Kurt. Will Jeff take it with a calm head or feel betrayed because the other has begun to keep secrets from him again?

Rating: T (Mostly for Language)

Warnings: Male/Male interaction. Nothing more than fluff (hugging and snuggling) mostly, but if the idea of two males being together upsets you in any way, DO NOT READ THIS. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I do not own glee, or any of the characters.

Bleeding Hearts

Jeff sighed softly as he pulled into the driveway of Nick's foster home. He placed his car in park before turning the engine off and sitting back in his seat to look over the familiar white stepping stones and potted plants that lined the walkway towards the porch.

As asked, he sent a quick text to his mother letting her know he had gotten through the snow safely. He quickly received an answer, and had to hold in a laugh when the woman said he couldn't come home until Nick was alright. Of course, he knew she wasn't too serious, but it was comforting to know that his own parents cared about his boyfriend almost as much as he did.

He slowly opened his car door, frowning when the snow crunched beneath his shoes as he stood. He hated winter, he really did. The only positive thing about it was that Dalton's dorm rooms tended to be drafty, so that meant that Nick snuggled even closer to him during those months. So basically, with a smile, he assumed it was sort of a love hate relationship after all.

Pulling his jacket closer around him, he softly shut his car door and locked it with the keypad hanging on his key-ring, stuffing them in his pocket afterwards. He walked towards the porch, not surprised to see the front door open, Nick's foster mother standing in the door way. She sent him a wary smile which he returned, knowing she must be worried now that she had seen him.

It was a little disheartening that the only reason he seemed to show up was when Nick needed him, which meant his foster parents knew that when he suddenly appeared at their door, something bad had happened. Through that, though, Anita, Nick's foster mother, seemed to like him alright. George, on the other hand, still didn't know what to think about him. It didn't bother Jeff that much though, it wasn't like Anita would let him keep he and Nick apart.

When Jeff was close enough Anita ushered him inside, quickly shutting the door behind him to keep out the cold air. She took his coat and hung it on the coat rack that stood beside the door. When she looked up at him, he knew Nick hadn't told her anything judging by the amount of worry that lined her face.

"What's wrong?" Anita asked hesitantly, leading Jeff towards the kitchen. She left him in the entryway, walking across the tiled floor to the cabinets.

When she turned towards him he noticed a familiar tray, and a small smile crossed his face for a moment. "He didn't say..." he trailed off when Anita's shoulders dropped, quickly giving another answer. "I'm sure he'll be fine though, it was probably just another dream." he said gently, knowing lying wasn't really his forte, but with the small look of relief that crossed the woman's face she seemed to believe it.

"Oh." Anita said, shaking her head slightly before placing the silver serving tray on the island that stood in the middle of the kitchen floor. She pulled the large cookie jar that rested on the left of it towards her and easily peeled off the top, reaching in and placing a good amount of cookies on top of the small plate she had set on the tray earlier. "I thought maybe he had..."

Jeff gave her a confused look until the raised scars on Nick's arms crossed his thoughts. "Oh, no ma'am." Jeff assured her quickly, though he had to wonder if Nick had called him because of that reason. Remembering a second later that this visit was somehow about Kurt, he felt the worry in the pit of his stomach settle.

Someone to the right of him cleared his throat, causing his head to snap in that direction. He smiled slightly when George continued to stare him down, waving slightly when the man rose an eyebrow in his direction. Jeff had to hold back a grin when the other only made a small grunt in return.

"Really, George." Anita sighed, placing two mugs with hot chocolate mix in the microwave. She pressed a few buttons then lifted her head to look towards the tall blond once again. "You are staying the night, right?" she asked, already trying to remember where she had stored the spare blanket the previous night.

"Yes, ma'am." Jeff answered politely, glancing to his right once again when George cleared his throat a second time.

"You keep that door open." he said gruffly, ignoring the disappointed look Anita sent his way.

Jeff couldn't help the grin that spread across his lips. "Yes, sir." he said, looking away when the man's jaw tensed. It wasn't like George was a mean or bad man, just slightly over protective. With the few kids he had raised, each coming from abusive homes, Jeff supposed he would be, too.

The microwave dinged loudly, pulling Jeff from his thoughts. Anita carefully pulled the mugs out with a over-sized oven mitt, it almost falling off her small hand and into one of the mugs, but she managed to catch it before it could. She added the mugs and a few napkins to the tray before picking it up and carrying it with her as she walked towards Jeff.

"Here, this ought to warm you two up." she said, letting go once she was sure Jeff had a good hold on the handles. She looked up to the taller teen, a sad smile lifting the corners of her mouth slightly. "I'll leave an extra blanket on the hallway table for you." she said, knowing from experience what walking in could do when Nick was finally explaining to someone what was going on. "Goodnight, sweetie." she said, reaching up to pat his arm before going back to the sink of dishes she had to finish.

"Goodnight." Jeff said, turning his head in George's direction. He gave a nod in return when it was all that he received from the other man, turning on his heel and walking towards the stairs. Climbing the stairs was easily enough, even with the tray in his hands. He supposed it was all the practice he'd had.

"Nick...come on."

Jeff frowned when he came upon Anna-Bell, noticing how drained her expression was. He walked up to her, smiling slightly when the shorter girl jumped in surprise once she finally noticed his presence.

"Don't do that." Anna-Bell said, holding her hand to her heart where it was still beating rapidly from the small scare. She glanced at the tray of cookies and hot chocolate before sighing. "Good, so he called you." she said, looking back at the door. "I was about to call you myself, he's been holed up in there all afternoon. He didn't even come down for dinner."

Jeff licked his lips for a moment. "Do you know what happened?" he asked, watching the girl's face closely.

Anna-Bell shook her head. "No, and I'm surprised you don't." she said, glancing to Jeff's face before stepping away from the door so he could walk in.

"I have some general idea." he said with a shrug, walking to the door. He gave her a pleading look, smiling when the girl relented with another sigh before twisting the door knob and pushing the door open for him. He gave her a small thanks before walking into the dark room, using his foot to gently push the door behind him. He made sure to leave a small crack so George wouldn't have a cow before walking across the floor, the dark not really giving him much trouble since he knew where everything was placed by now.

Jeff carefully placed the tray on the nightstand, being careful not to spill the mugs of hot cocoa. He reached out, fumbling with the light switch for a moment before he found it. He winced when the light flashed on, filling the room with a soft light. Nick still hadn't said a word to him, and to be honest, it was starting to worry him.

Turning his head he saw Nick, curled into a small ball, his head under a pillow. He watched as Nick's chest slowly rose up and down, thinking that Nick had fallen asleep until a small sniffle proved him wrong.

"Nick?" Jeff said gently, slowly sitting down on the edge of the bed. He watched Nick's shoulders tense and sighed softly, reaching down to untie his shoelaces. He kicked them across the room before stretching out on the bed and rolling towards his shorter boyfriend, wrapping his arms around him.

"I'm sorry." Nick whispered softly, pressing his back against Jeff's chest as the other's fingers intertwined with his own.

Jeff frowned, using one of his hands to pull the pillow from Nick's head, returning it after he buried his nose in the shorter male's neck. "You shouldn't be." Jeff said softly, pressing a gentle kiss to the warm skin on Nick's shoulder. "I'll always come."

Nick was silent for a moment, fingers tightening around Jeff's as he thought. "I know, but this happens too much..." he began, closing his eyes. He frowned when he felt more tears roll down his cheek. "I'm so fucking stupid." he snapped, ripping his hands from Jeff's.

Jeff held Nick tighter as he tried to scoot away from him. "No, you aren't." he said, a bit louder from the tone he had been using earlier. "Nick." he tried when he felt the shoulders pressed against his chest tense. "Please, baby." he whispered, pressing another gentle kiss behind Nick's ear. "Talk to me."

"I shouldn't." Nick said, his voice cracking slightly. His eyes were still squeezed shut when he felt Jeff's palm rest against his stomach.

"Don't do this." Jeff said softly. "Don't lock me out again." he all but begged, knowing sometimes Nick would go into the frame of mind where he didn't want his help. "Just tell me what's wrong."

Nick slowly rolled over, the tip of his nose touching Jeff's as he stared into the other's brown eyes. He felt Jeff's thumb gently rub across his cheek and beneath his eye to wipe the tears away. "It's not right for me to tell, it isn't mine." he said, licking his lips as Jeff gave him a confused look.

Jeff watched Nick's face for a moment before speaking. "Yes, it is, if it's bothering you, you have the right to talk about it." he explained quietly. "If it's a secret, you know I'll take it to the grave." he said seriously.

Nick continued to stare at him, toes curling slightly when Jeff planted a kiss to the middle of his forehead. Another please was spoken softly and he couldn't control his tongue.

"I should have never let Blaine rile me up so much." he said, instantly regretting the small outburst when a dangerous look crossed Jeff's face. "Jeff-"

"What did he do?" Jeff demanded, taking his hand from Nick's back where it had been resting to dig for his phone.

"No." Nick said quickly, reaching up to stop Jeff's hand. "Don't, it's not really...You'll just make things worse." he pleaded.

"Nick..." Jeff whispered, hand leaving his pocket to cup the shorter male's face. "What did he do?" he asked, staring at Nick's face.

Nick shook his head, pushing Jeff's hand from his face before sitting up and pulling his knees to his chest. "It was his temper." Nick began. "He just said some things...about my dad and it kind of-"

"He did what?" Jeff snapped, sitting up quickly. "I can't believe that stupid-"

"Jeff." Nick interrupted him again, quickly reaching out to grab the blond's hand. "It's kind of my fault too."

"It doesn't matter!" Jeff said, his free hand clutching the pillow beside him. "He knows he shouldn't say shit like that." he said darkly. "What did he say?"

Nick squeezed Jeff's hand slightly, giving the blond a tired look. "It's because of Kurt."

Jeff's face turned from anger to confused in just a few seconds. "What does Kurt have to do with this?" he asked, now remembering that Nick had mentioned the other junior earlier on the phone again.

"There's something I have to tell you...something I've found out." Nick began quietly, looking down at his comforter. He had half the mind just to stop there and come up with something that wouldn't reveal the truth. When he looked up again, that thought was erased instantly with the look of complete worry etched into Jeff's face.

"What is it?" Jeff asked as Nick continued to stared at him with a blank expression. "Did he say something to Kurt too?"

"No." Nick said, looking away from Jeff. He wrapped his arms around his legs, resting his chin against his knees as the he stared at the wall in front of him. "He really likes Kurt, I don't think he would ever do anything to purposely hurt him."

Jeff's head tilted to the side slightly, becoming even more confused when Nick's fingers began to dig into his legs. "Nick." he said, patiently waiting for the other to look at him.

"Remember how skittish Kurt was when he first came to Dalton?" Nick began, figuring it would be better to just to start at the beginning.

"Yeah, everyone but you thought that maybe his parents were rough with him." Jeff said, slowly scooting towards Nick again. He wrapped an arm around the other's shoulder, resting his chin on top of Nick's bowed head.

"Right." Nick said, not surprised that Jeff remembered what he had said that first night after meeting Kurt. "I was right, his parents didn't abuse him. Well, at least I'm pretty sure they didn't." Nick continued.

"Then...?" Jeff pressed, rubbing his thumb against Nick's shoulder as he waited for the other to speak again.

Nick took in a small breath, sending out a silent prayer that this wouldn't blow up in his face later on down the line. "When Kurt's friends came that night, they said a name I thought I recognized, so I decided to look it up to see if I could find any information." He paused for a moment, sitting up to lean against Jeff's arm. "It turns out the guy is in prison because he..."

Jeff frowned once Nick had stopped talking. He gave him a few minutes to collect his thoughts, his thumb still gently rubbing his shoulder. What could be so bad to make Nick so worked up?

"He raped him, Jeff." Nick finally whispered, still staring down at his knees as he waited for Jeff to respond.

Jeff's eyes widened, his mouth suddenly feeling dry as he turned his head towards Nick's turned face. "What...?" he asked at first, still not sure if he heard correctly. When he felt Nick's shoulders shake beneath his arm, it finally sank in. "Why didn't you tell me?"

'I couldn't." Nick said, looking towards Jeff's face. He saw the hurt look flash across the other's face.

"What do you mean, 'couldn't'?" Jeff asked, his arm still staying in place. He knew he should be a little more angry than he was at the moment, but the news about Kurt was still trying to settle.

"How is it right to tell someone else's secret?" Nick asked quietly.

"We are supposed to tell each other everything, Nick." Jeff said calmly. "How could you keep that from me?"

Nick's eyes narrowed for a moment. "What could you have done, Jeff?" Nick snapped. "What good would it have done for you to have known?" he said, not giving Jeff the chance to answer as he pushed the blond's arm from his shoulders. He stood up quickly, placing his hands to his side where they curled into fists.

Jeff stood as well on the other side of the bed, thinking quickly on how to approach Nick. He knew the other had a bad temper at times, sort of like Blaine's. Though Nick was a bit more violent, not towards anyone, of course, but he would throw things occasionally...and hurt him self in extreme cases. "It would have helped you." he said quietly.

"How would it have helped me?" Nick asked, looking down to the floor.

"Well, for one thing, you wouldn't have had to carry all of that on your shoulders with all the other shit you have." Jeff said in a quick snap. "Are you even sure it was Kurt?"

"I'm pretty fucking sure." Nick said in a rushed voice. He looked up to Jeff before speaking again. "Remember when that basketball player fell on top of him?"

"'Stop! GET OFF OF ME! PLEASE STOP!"

Kurt's words swam around Jeff's head, his own expression falling from a look of anger to shock. "I didn't even think..."

"Of course you didn't." Nick said, reaching to rub at his face. He looked back at Jeff, watching his expression closely.

"Who else knows? Was I the only one you kept out of the loop?" he asked, frowning when Nick glared at him.

"If I couldn't tell you, what on earth makes you think I could tell someone else?"

"Well, apparently Blaine knows since you both had a fight over him." Jeff said, his calm voice slipping slightly as he spoke.

"I haven't told anyone, and Blaine doesn't even know that his own father was Kurt's lawyer!" Nick shouted, biting his lip as his voice bounced against his bedroom walls. Hopefully his foster parents didn't hear.

"What?" Jeff asked, face falling again. "Are you serious?"

"Do you remember the Karofsky case Blaine told us about last year?" Nick asked, voice lower than before.

Jeff thought for a moment, trying to produce some memory of the name. His face fell as he finally remembered. "Not our Kurt...it can't be."

"It is." Nick said with a shake of his head. "It has to be...with his stepbrother being the way he was that night, with how quiet and wary he is all the time...Jeff, it was him." Nick said, voice cracking yet again as his throat seemed to swell.

Jeff reached up to run his hand through his hair. "That would mean...well, it would mean.."

"It happened more than once." Nick finished for Jeff, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. "Jeff...he did it to him all the time..."

Jeff sighed, thoughts racing a thousand miles per minute as he stood in his place. He looked back at Nick's pale face, knowing that his own must have been the same color. "I still don't understand why you didn't tell me."

Nick sighed again, reaching up to rub at his temples. "Pity." he whispered, still not looking up.

"What?"

"Pity, Jeff!" Nick snapped quickly. "I remember when all the Warblers found out about me, all of those stupid looks they gave me." he began, finally looking up at Jeff's face. "They treated me like a normal person until Ralph went around and told everyone."

Jeff opened his mouth slightly, the reason why Nick not telling finally making sense. "You didn't tell me because you wanted to protect him?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, doesn't seem like I did anything but expose him now, though." Nick mumbled sadly.

Jeff slowly crossed the room, fighting against Nick's arms as he tried to wrap his own around the shorter male. He finally won and held Nick against his chest once again. "I understand now."

Nick laughed slightly, licking his lips before he spoke. "Do you really?" he asked, trying to push Jeff's arms off of him. "How can you?"

Jeff frowned. "I may not understand they way you do, but I do." he said quietly. "Having to see you go through so much...and everything you have told me..." Jeff trailed off, wishing Nick would understand what he was trying to say. A few seconds later he felt Nick relax against him.

"I'm sorry." Nick said quietly. "I wanted to tell you, I really did." he continued, letting Jeff guide them back to the bed. "But I just couldn't...not with how my secret got out...I couldn't."

The room was silent for a few minutes as Jeff pulled Nick down to a laying position on the bed. He ran his hand through the other's hair, silently telling him he was there, he wasn't angry and he wasn't going to leave. Nick seemed to hear what he wasn't saying when he hid his face in Jeff's shoulder.

Nick suddenly pulled away with a start. "Jeff, you can't tell anyone, please you've got to promise me you won't, because if you d-"

"Hey." Jeff said gently, interrupting Nick's panicked string of words. "I told you, I would take our secrets to the grave."

Nick laid back down, resting his head against Jeff once again. He concentrated on the slow rhythm of the blond's chest rising and falling, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"You can't protect everyone, Nick." Jeff said, arms tightening around Nick when the other froze. "I know you really want to, and trust me I want to help Kurt just as much as you do...but we can't keep everything from happening." he whispered, relieved when Nick seemed to relax once again.

"He needs my help...our help." Nick protested quietly. "What if something horrible happens?"

"I don't mean completely abandon him, far from it." Jeff said, pressing another kiss to the top of Nick's head. "I mean...we have to let some things go their own course."

"But what if-"

"Nick, if we wrap Kurt in a security blanket, how is he supposed to learn that not all people are like.." he paused. "Like Karofsky?" he said, practically spitting the name.

Nick remained silent for a while, taking comfort in Jeff's warm body and the hand that that continued to thread through his hair. What Jeff was saying made sense to him, it did...but he just didn't think letting Blaine jump the gun now would do any good. What if he was keeping something great from happening though, should he back off?

Jeff couldn't believe what he had learned about Kurt. No wonder Nick had been acting a little off the past few weeks. Anyone would if they had something like that on their mind, though he knew it had to be a hundred times worse for Kurt, who had actually lived through it time and time again. "Are you ever going to tell me what Blaine said?"

"Does it really matter?"

"It does to me."

"He..." Nick stopped talking, trying to think of how to explain. "I really think Blaine likes Kurt, Jeff."

"Well yeah, even someone who was blind could see that." Jeff said with a small snort. He blinked before sighing. "Don't tell me you were trying to keep them apart?"

"No, not really." Nick said quietly. When Jeff squeezed him he relented. "Maybe a little, but..."

"Nick..."

"I know...I'm just worried Blaine is going to do something stupid, or say the wrong thing that will send Kurt packing..." Nick mumbled into Jeff's chest.

"Like what he said to you?" Jeff pressed, really wanting to know what the shorter senior had said.

"Nice try."

"Hm." Jeff hummed, knowing he was going to find out one way or another. If he had to track Blaine down through the halls to get it, he would. That simple.

"Do you think Blaine would be good for him?" Nick asked suddenly.

"Yes." Jeff said without a seconds though. "I do, anything that's not Thad related."

"But Kurt...what if he-"

"Nick...if we keep them apart, we may never know." Jeff said patiently. "Just think what would have happened if someone kept trying to stop me from knowing you."

Nick snorted. "Like you would listen to them, I don't know how many times I told you I wasn't interested."

"Well maybe, but if Blaine, David, or even Wes was constantly trying to keep me away, I would have noticed. Maybe I would have given up." he said, noticing the tighter grip Nick now had on the front of his shirt. "What if Blaine really is meant to be with Kurt?"

"I should back off." Nick whispered, closing his eyes as he thought. "I'm just so scared...what if he doesn't know how to say no...or can't tell Blaine how he really feels if he doesn't like him?"

"Really, have you not seen the looks he gives Blaine?" Jeff asked with a raised brow. He would need to take Nick to an optometrist if that were the case.

"No, I see...I'm just worried I guess."

Jeff sighed softly. "Look, if one of us gets a really bad feeling or sees something that isn't right, we'll interfere...but we can't stop it completely." Jeff said quietly, smiling when Nick nodded against his chest once more. "Anita sent cookies."

"I can't really eat...with everything."

"Me either. Think she'll get mad if I leave them there tonight?" Jeff asked, rolling over and standing up. When Nick gave him a confused look he grinned, pulling the comforter and sheets out from under him and covering him up.

"No." Nick answered, smiling when the sheet fell over his face. He heard the lamp click, and frowned once the room was plunged into darkness again. He waited for Jeff, holding in a laugh when the blond jumped in the bed, crawling under the covers.

Jeff returned to his place and wrapped his arms around Nick, finally realizing just how much he had missed his boyfriend when Nick curled against him just like he did in their shared dorm room at Dalton.

Both of them were quiet for the rest of the night, though they each stole sweet kisses and entwined their legs multiple times before they both finally passed out. The same thoughts and images crossed their minds though, about Kurt, about Blaine, and about the whole secret itself. They were both scared for their friends, but knew they couldn't really do anything to stop what would happen.

(A/N): Nicccccck. :C

So of course, after this Sketchy Relations will be updated again.

Also, if you liked this, you may be interested in Ketchup Hearts. It's another Neff Oneshot.

Thanks for reading!