so..this is an Anderberry fic :P lol I just think those two make such a cute pair and it's set in the 70s, as you can see from the summary. The historical content won't be perfect so please don't give me a hard time about that since this is merely fanfiction, after all, but I will do my best to get all of my facts accurate about that time period and how it affected the gay community. The inspiration came from watching the movie "Milk". I hope you guys enjoy.

Glee does not belong to me.

"We don't notice any time pass,

we don't notice anything.

We sit side by side in every class.

Teacher thinks that I sound funny

But she likes the way you sing."

- "We're going to be friends", The White Stripes

Ohio, 1966

A shiny red dodge ball engulfed Kurt Hummel's field of vision, making him squeak as he realized that the object was in dangerous proximity to his rosy cheeks and delicately upturned nose. He hated all sports that involved getting hit and he especially detested this one, which reminded him of modern day stoning. Before Kurt could lift his hands to block the hard object's advance on, however, it was thrown off course by another pair of hands, forming a locked fist and bumping the ball away from Kurt's face.

Kurt turned and caught sight of his friend, Blaine moving beside him on the court, swiftly blocking the balls fired their way by the opposing team.

Kurt managed a tiny smile in Blaine's direction. Even though he was grateful, he was also embarrassed that Blaine was always protecting him during these physical activities where Blaine excelled and Kurt.. Well, didn't. He was sure that the other kids thought he was a "sissy" and that irritated Kurt to no end. But at the same time, he was thankful that at least, Blaine never called him that and seemed genuinely happy about coming to his rescue.

"Okay, kids, that's enough for today!" the P.E teacher, Coach Ryder shouted before blowing a whistle that hung around his thick fleshy neck. All the fourth-graders ran up to him and placed the dodge balls in a metal cart the teacher had wheeled in.

Kurt rubbed a sheen of sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm and went to find Blaine.

The boys followed the other ten-year olds as they filed out of the stinky gymnasium towards the cafeteria for lunch.

"I hate this! Look.." Kurt pouted, pulling the hem of his long-sleeved shirt and showing Blaine the sweat stain running down the front.

Blaine laughed and rumpled Kurt's chestnut hair playfully. "Why did you wear it? Today's like 98 degrees outside."

Kurt batted Blaine's hand away from his carefully coifed hair and tucked a stray strand back into place. He rolled his eyes dramatically. "This sweater was a present from my auntie who lives in Chicago. I just had to show you, Blaine."

He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. and Blaine took a second look at Kurt's outfit. He didn't care as much for clothing as his friend did but Blaine had to admit, that the sweater Kurt was wearing did bring out the blue in his eyes.

"I have something else to show you," Kurt said just before they reached the wide open doors of the cafeteria.

He stopped in the middle of the lackluster hallway and stuck a hand in the pocket of his cream-colored pants.

"What?" Blaine asked, curiously, peering at Kurt's hand as he withdrew it from his pocket. In the other boy's pale palm were two bracelets.

"I made these," Kurt declared, smiling proudly.

Blaine frowned. "Why?"

The bracelets were made of multi-colored beads, some round, others square and both had a plastic star in the center. On one bracelet, the star was green. On the other, yellow.

Kurt held out the green one to Blaine. "I thought we could wear them when we play at recess. It could be like our secret thing."

"But don't only girls make friendship bracelets?" Blaine murmured, worriedly.

Kurt looked confused, at first. Then he shrugged. "So? You're my best friend, Blaine. We don't have to show anyone else."

"Boys!"

A feminine voice interrupted Kurt and Blaine's quiet conversation and they both looked up to see their homeroom teacher standing at the entrance of the cafeteria, glaring. "It's lunchtime," she exclaimed. There was an underlying warning that in her voice that made it clear to the boys that they would be in trouble if they didn't follow her then. So Kurt and Blaine quickly turned in that direction.

Once Mrs. Sander's back was turned, Blaine reached over and wrapped his hand around Kurt's, taking the bracelet with the green star that the other boy was still holding.

Kurt glanced over at Blaine and smiled shyly.

1973

Kurt Hummel tied a lavender scarf around his neck and adjusted the collar of dark blue button down shirt.

He thought he looked spiffy but he hoped that nobody would give him too much crap for his color choices. Anything that wasn't plaid or fire-truck red in Lima wasn't considered acceptable men's wear and especially at McKinley High, it was risky for Kurt to be wearing "girl clothes" in the presence of so many jocks.

"But I'm not wearing girl clothes," Kurt sniffed, examining himself in the mirror of his bathroom. He thought it was ridiculous how people at his school labeled you something depending on what you were wearing. He had been called many things since arriving at McKinley a freshman in white pants and a V-neck powder blue shirt two years ago; statements like "sissy", "a Barry Manilow-wannabe" and "fairy" were only a few insults Kurt had been peppered with his first day of high school. And it only went downhill from there. But this year, Kurt swore he wouldn't let it get to him. Not just the name-calling and degrading sneers from football and hockey players, but also everything that consisted of his own personal hell.

This year, Kurt Hummel would not be ignored by his teachers for being smarter than them. This year, he would not be forced to be paired off with a stoner kid or dumb cheerleader during science or history projects. This year, he would not let anyone bully him into doing their work for them; student or teacher. And most importantly, this year Kurt Hummel would not be forced to the back of the choir room.

That was his main goal for the year; to be front and center during glee practice because he was sick of living in Rachel Berry's shadow.

"This year, Kurt Hummel's going to be a star," he decided in his head as he turned off the bathroom light and made his way back into his bedroom, picking up the messenger bag that lay on his bed. He walked out into the homey corridor towards his new stepbrother's room.

"Finn, you up?" Kurt asked, knocking on the closed door.

There was no answer so he knocked again and pushed the door open a crack.

His stepbrother lay face-down on his bed, entirely oblivious to the time or the fact that they would both be late for school on account of his late sleeping habits.

"Get up, Finn!" Kurt yelled, grabbing a pen from the desk near the doorway and chucking it at the lump of blankets sound asleep on the drooping mattress.

The lump made a noise that sounded like "Errrgh" and Kurt declared, "It's 7:30," in a clearly impatient voice.

He raced downstairs to the kitchen where he found his father standing at the sink, rinsing out a coffee mug.

"Dad, you didn't eat those week-old bagels, did you?" Kurt asked worriedly as he set his bag down on one of the chairs around the kitchen table. "I was going to throw those out. The doctor said you're only supposed to have whole-grains-"

"I know, Kurt," Burt Hummel said with a sigh. "You don't have to keep chastising me about my diet. He did give me a list of instructions I have to follow."

"I know," Kurt replied in a softer tone. "I'm just making sure you remember.."

Burt glanced up at his son and smiled fondly. "You're just like your mother sometimes, you know? Always worrying unnecessarily.." He paused. "But I'm grateful that you do, especially when this is your first day of school. Are you excited, Kurt?"

Kurt shrugged, not wanting to reveal how frightfully nervous he really felt. "Sure. I mean, I get to see Tina again and I really missed Mercedes this summer while she was away at her grandma's."

Burt nodded slowly. "Where's Finn?"

Kurt exhaled loudly. "I told him to get up. I swear he's going to make us both late and I'm going to-"

"I'm right here," came a voice from behind Kurt and he turned to see his dark-haired, groggy stepbrother lumbering down the stairs towards the kitchen in nothing but a pair of raggedy jeans and a plaid t-shirt.

"Of course," Kurt thought. "He just had to look like a lumberjack."

"Good morning, kiddo!" Burt called to Finn. "Want some toast and scrambled eggs?"

Finn's face lit up but before he could answer, Kurt said, "We don't have time. Finn will just have to eat an apple or a banana, since he couldn't drag himself out of bed when I called him the first time."

"Aww dude, that's not fair!" Finn whined. "I'm starving."

"Let's go!" Kurt grabbed an apple from the bowl on the countertop and gave his father a quick peck on the cheek. "Bye, Dad."

"Have a good day, son."

Burt watched as Kurt pulled his messenger bag over his slim shoulder and rushed to the front door. He repeated the farewell to Finn, even though concerns were mostly centered on his biological son, who he hoped would have an easier time making friends this year than he'd had in the past.

Not even waiting for Kurt to come to a complete stop in front of the school, Finn Hudson tore open the door of Kurt's Dodge and leapt out. Kurt sighed as he saw the group of jocks standing only a few parking spaces away, idling dumbly around a black Chevrolet Chevelle with a white stripe running down the length of the hood.

"See you later, Finn!" He called out sarcastically to which he only received a quick nod from his hulking stepbrother.

Kurt grumbled as he parked the car and turned off the engine. Grabbing his messenger bag from the backseat, he made his way out and started trudging towards the school.

The morning was bright and Kurt slid the pair of white sunglasses off the top of his head down over his eyes.

"Hey, cutie!" a cheerful feminine voice called as he was climbing up the steps towards the front double doors.

He peered over his shoulder and found his best girl-friend, Tina Cohen-Cheng. following him in a pair of white boots and a Jersey-wrap dress.

"Hi, Tina," Kurt chimed, a little more enthusiastically. He could always count on the Asian girl to understand him and try to make him feel better, which on most days, was all he could hope for. "What's up?"

"Well, I have home economics with you, Trig with Mercedes, English with you again and all my other classes are filled with the worst this school has to offer." Tina said the last part in the same cheery voice she'd used to address Kurt, which made the statement true but funny; exactly the kind of distraction Kurt needed as they filed through the school's entrance.

He sighed as he side-stepped a group of girls in tight leather mini skirts who gave them irritated glares as they brushed by. "My schedule's probably the same," Kurt muttered. "But at least, I have a plan this year."

Tina raised a thinly-shaped eyebrow. "Oh, what plan is that?"

Kurt pulled back his shoulders confidentially. "I am going to outshine Rachel Berry this year."

Tina burst out laughing. "Kurt, sweetie, no one can outshine Rachel Berry. At least, not any of us. Mr. Shue pushes everyone who isn't a Cheerio or the Berry-Andersons to the back of the choir room every time we have practice. There's no way-"

"No, see, there is," Kurt reassured her as they meandered through a sea of diversely-dressed teenagers. "Because I'm going to volunteer to be her lackey and then once I win her trust, I'll be able to convince Mr. Shuester to put me in the center. I might not get a solo right away, but my voice will be more recognizable when I'm standing beside those two phonies."

Tina, though thinking her friend's determination impressive, sighed sympathetically. "Dream on, Kurt. Dream on."

"It's not a total long-shot," Kurt said, trying not to sound defensive. "I'm the only guy in our club who can hit the high notes. Mr. Shue needs me and once he sees just how versatile my singing can be and how different and special that makes his entire team, especially when it's time for Sectionals, he'll start taking advantage of my talent."

"I guess you're right," Tina conceded quietly. "But I wouldn't call Rachel and Blaine complete phonies. Divas and attention whores, sure. But you have to admit, Rachel's voice is killer."

Kurt rolled his eyes at this

"And Blaine.. He's just.." Tina sighed, her brown eyes clouded momentarily with a starry look that made Kurt want to puke. "Blaine's just beautiful."

"Blaine!"

The dark-haired teen pulled his lips away from his partner's and turned his head, giving the owner of the shrill call a dirty glance.

"What is it, sister of mine?" He demanded with serene sarcasm.

The other boy at his side merely smiled and looped an arm around his waist.

"Do you want to get kicked out on your first day or worse, arrested?!" Rachel Anderson-Berry shrieked as she approached her stepbrother, Blaine, who was caught in a gentle yet passionate embrace with his boyfriend right under the senior staircase.

Blaine rolled his honey-colored eyes. "You're being overly dramatic, as usual."

"Yeah," Blaine's boyfriend, Eli, said beside him. "And even if someone does complain to Figgins, he won't do anything because he hates a scandal just as much as any principal and Blaine is one of his best students."

Blaine's cheeks flushed scarlet but Rachel merely pursed her lips.

"Just keep the whole queer thing down a notch," she said evenly. "I don't want to be known around school as the sister of the very promiscuous fruit!"

Blaine glared but before he could say something, Rachel turned on the heel of beige Mary Janes and flounced off to her first class.

Blaine exhaled an exasperated sigh and Eli chuckled.

"Maybe she's right, though. Maybe we should go to a more secluded spot."

"What?" Blaine asked, frustrated. "Rachel's just a selfish hag!"

"Aww, come on," Eli murmured, grabbing Blaine's arm and pulling him towards the boys' restroom on the opposite end of the hallway.

"Are you serious?"

Blaine asked as he was led inside. "This isn't much better than the staircase. Someone can come in at any time-"

"Not if we're here during class," Eli responded, ushering Blaine into one of the stalls.

"I'm not going to cut class just to hook up," Blaine said as Eli locked the door and pushed him up against the wall. "No matter how cute you are."

"Of course not. You're a little goody-two-shoes," his boyfriend replied with a hint of irritation that Blaine had never heard before. "But you can make an excuse once in awhile, can't you? Maybe at 11:15 during second period every afternoon.." He started licking Blaine's neck.

"God," Blaine sighed, leaning his head back. "This is silly. Why can't we just hold hands and kiss like normal people? Why is it such a big deal?"

"Hmm.." Eli hummed, moving his lips down Blaine's throat. "Aren't you the altruist?"

He swept his hands down Blaine's chest as Blaine covered his mouth with his warm lips.

"God, not again!"

Kurt grumbled as he rushed into the boys' restroom only a few minutes after saying goodbye to Tina in the hallway.

He had just been walking to class when a hockey player had accosted him with a slushy. Now he was covered in hideous red dye and shivering.

Kurt thought it a relief, at least. that he was wearing dark blue jeans. His scarf was ruined, however, and his button-down shirt was stained in some places.

Sulkily, he moved towards the sink.

The minute he turned on the faucet, Kurt heard a soft intake of breath from behind him but he paid it no heed. He simply continued to wet a paper towel and try to scrub off the bits of colored ice from off his shirt. The second bell rang and he knew he had to hurry up.

He didn't even raise his head when he heard the creak of one of the stall doors opening. He just figured it was some other tardy kid but then a familiar voice murmured, "I told you this was a bad idea" and Kurt glanced up to see Blaine Anderson standing behind with another boy, looking embarrassed.

Blaine and the boy Kurt didn't recognize both adjusted their clothes and backpacks and Kurt couldn't help but notice how Blaine's arms looked sinewy, poking out of the short-sleeves of his midriff tee.

His handsome face was timid as he caught Kurt staring.

"Hey," Blaine said quietly.

Kurt swallowed thickly. "How's it going?"

The last time Kurt had seen Blaine it had been a month ago at the diner in town. Blaine had been with Rachel and she had ignored Kurt completely. Now Kurt didn't know what to say for many reasons; the main one being that both in such an awkward situations, Kurt covered in with slushy residual and Blaine with his boyfriend's hand still shoved in his back pocket.

"Umm.. I'm good," Blaine replied, almost inaudibly. "How about you?"

"Yeah," Eli spoke before Kurt could answer. "What happened? Did you piss off one of the puck-heads or is it raining soda outside?" He smirked at the drops of red dye on Kurt's jeans.

"It's slushy, actually," Kurt said tersely, his eyes narrowing. "And I didn't piss off anybody. Those jocks came after me."

"Eli, let's go," Blaine said, seeing the defensive flash in Kurt's eyes and the taunting gleam in Eli's. He didn't understand why his boyfriend had suddenly turned into a bully but nonetheless, it made him feel guilty, having just emerged from a restroom stall with him. "We're going to be late," he added, tugging on Eli's hand.

The other boy gave Kurt a taunting wink. "I bet that scarf's the reason those jocks were picking on you."

Kurt glared. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's a little too gay, even for you, don't you think?" Eli sneered, making Kurt glance down at the silk scarf in his hands and Blaine mortified by the humiliated look on his old best friend's eyes. He pulled hastily on Eli's hand and they exited the restroom.

Kurt sighed, gathering up his belongings at the sound of the third bell ringing. Why couldn't he had just ignored Blaine Anderson? It wasn't like they had anything in common now that Blaine was popular and he was just.. Late for class.

"Damn it!" Kurt muttered, tearing down the hallway, his shoes squeaking on the floor.

One thing he knew for sure was that he couldn't waste time, thinking about Blaine.

I am looking for a beta, if anyone is interested, please contact me.