Leave me reassurance? This felt rough.
The sound of running footsteps from behind him made Kurt freeze up in terror.
They wouldn't. Maybe they hate me for being gay, but they know they'll get expelled for beating up a blind kid - that minority status is protected, at least.
"Hey!" an unfamiliar voice yelled. The footsteps came to a stop, and the voice modulated to a more acceptable volume to ask "Can you show me where Ms. Paul's room is? I'm sorry, I'm new here."
Kurt turned around, hearing the boy let out a quiet "oh!" as he saw Kurt's dark glasses and long cane. "I really can't show you anything," he said, bitter. "But I'm headed there myself, actually, so I suppose you can just follow me."
"That would be great," the boy said. "I'm Blaine, by the way."
"Kurt."
They walked in silence for a few seconds, rounding a corner, until Blaine spoke again.
"So, uh, what are we reading this month in Paul's class?" he asked. He sounded lighthearted enough, but Kurt thought he could hear a hint of trepidation as well.
"Don't bother making small talk," Kurt said. "Once we get to her room, you won't be saddled with me anymore. You can go make some normal friends and have a great time working on the group project she just assigned."
"And how do you know I won't be in your group?" Blaine said playfully. "I'd think she'd want to put me with someone I already technically know, wouldn't you?"
"Blaine. I assume you can tell that I'm blind," Kurt said, exasperated. "And if that weren't enough, I'm also gay. No one here wants to work with me, especially when we're making posters. They're afraid I'll ruin their grade or infect them with my queerness."
"I'd want to work with you," Blaine said sincerely. "I mean, we may as well form our own little quarantined group."
"What?"
"I'm gay, too," Blaine said. "So I think it's our moral duty to keep our germs away from the fine, upstanding heterosexuals in our class, right?"
Kurt laughed, startled yet pleased.
"Perfect," Blaine said, laughing along. "I'm taking that as a yes."
"Fine," Kurt said. "I'll let you shoot yourself in the foot this time. Don't come crying to me when we get a C on this project, though."
"I'll prove you wrong, Kurt-"
"Hummel," Kurt supplied, sensing that Blaine was looking for a last name.
"Kurt Hummel," Blaine finished. "We're going to ace this project, and maybe you'll even call me your friend by the time it's done."
"Whatever you say, Blaine," Kurt said dryly. He realized that they'd gone 140 steps, meaning they should be close. "Are we outside room 160?"
"Yeah," Blaine said, just as the bell rang.. "It's just off to my right."
"Perfect. After you," Kurt said. He went toward his seat in the far back corner while Blaine started talking to Ms. Paul about catching up. As he waited for the slowest students to clear out, he couldn't help but think about the conversation he'd just had.
Don't get your hopes up, Hummel. Maybe he's willing to do this project with you, but he'll realize just how useless you are soon enough. You'll be back to your lonesome in no time.
Somehow, that thought felt more hurtful than usual.
Three weeks later, the group project was finished and Kurt had to admit - at least to himself - that he'd honestly enjoyed it. Having someone else to bounce ideas off of and talk about music with was new and exciting, and it made the days pass by quicker than ever before.
Still, his expectations were low.
Maybe now that the project's done, I'll be back to having lunch by myself, he thought, packing up the voice recorder he used to take notes. Wouldn't surprise me.
He got up and headed out of the room five minutes early as always, to avoid the swarming crowds. His usual table in the cafeteria was fifty steps from the door and then five tables in, against another corner. He pulled his lunch out of his backpack and dug in, listening as the room filled with noise once the bell rang.
"Starting without me? How rude," Blaine said from Kurt's left. "Where are your manners?"
"You came?" Kurt said stupidly.
"Uh, yes?" Blaine said, sounding confused. "What, did you think I wasn't going to eat today?"
"I just thought...the project's over," Kurt said, floundering.
"And I told you we were going to be friends," Blaine said. A clatter in front of him informed Kurt that Blaine had sat down. "Did I not ingratiate myself well enough? I can go…."
"No, please stay," Kurt said, reaching forward and bumping his fingers into Blaine's tray before finding and squeezing his hand. "I just didn't want to presume. I thought you would have found normal friends by now."
"I like you," Blaine said, squeezing back. "And not just because you're the only person who agrees with me on the objective ranking of Taylor Swift's albums."
"God, don't even get me started," Kurt said. "People just need to realize the truth!"
Their heated discussion made lunch fly by.
Months passed, and Kurt felt himself becoming more and more infatuated with Blaine. The other boy was kind, funny, and unfailingly positive, though not blindly so. He also didn't let Kurt's disability faze him, something no one else (besides his father, of course) had ever been capable of.
Thus, when Blaine asked him out for the first time, he blurted out an enthusiastic "Yes!" without thinking about the consequences for once.
That lack of insecurity didn't last long.
He's just giving you a pity date, he thought that night, rolling around in bed. He can't possibly want a blind boy - this is a good way to practice for the future, probably. Some cute boy will transfer here in the fall and he'll drop you like a hot potato.
One date turned into two, though, and they only kept coming. Blaine ended every one with a kiss to his forehead or cheeks or nose and a whisper of "I had a great time, Kurt," too, actions that Kurt tried to rationalize as practice but couldn't. He at least managed to keep Blaine from kissing him on the lips, so he could save that for a real boyfriend, but that was turning into a losing battle.
Blaine finally snapped on their seventh date.
"Kurt, I hate to ask this, but...does my breath stink?"
"What? Blaine, no, of course not," Kurt said, confused. "Why would you even ask that?"
"I'm just so lost," Blaine said, lifting Kurt's hand off the couch to hold it. "Every time we go out, you tell me you had an amazing time, but you turn away so I can't kiss you. And I would really, really like to kiss you. So tell me, do you not like me like that? Are you just not ready? Because that's absolutely okay, I just want to know for sure so I don't pressure you into anything you don't want."
"It's not - I mean-" Kurt began, searching for a decent lie and coming up with nothing. He heaved a sigh before deciding to just go with the truth. "It's not me, it's you."
"...What?"
"I don't want to take your first kiss from you, Blaine!" Kurt said. "It's bad enough that your first boyfriend is blind, I'm not taking the rest of your firsts, too. You deserve someone who can see how wonderful you are, not - not-"
"Not the person I've been falling in love with since we met?" Blaine demanded, making Kurt's breath hitch. "I can't think of anyone better to share my first kiss with, personally."
"You - falling in love?" Kurt sputtered.
"Yes, Kurt!" Blaine said, no intensity lost. "I'm falling in love with you. Hell, I love you, no falling involved."
Kurt felt his jaw drop.
"I know I can't change the way you think, but I hope you can believe me eventually," Blaine said softly. "I wouldn't have asked you out if I wasn't head over heels for you, Kurt. I'm not into pity dates."
There was a moment of silence as Kurt processed this information.
"I think...I believe you, Blaine. About loving me, at least. I still don't get why I'm the one you want, but maybe...maybe being with you will help me understand. And I...I love you, too."
Blaine inhaled sharply. "So if I were to lean in right now?"
"I'd finally, happily give in," Kurt replied.
One hand came up to frame Kurt's face, then another, guiding him forward. He wrapped his own arms around Blaine's shoulders for balance, then lost all semblance of brain function as their lips met. They kissed long and slow, only breaking apart when absolutely necessary.
"God, now I hate myself for holding out so long," Kurt breathed. "I'm an idiot."
"Better late than never," Blaine said, sounding just as overwhelmed as Kurt felt.
"Can we make up for lost time tonight?"
"Gladly."
Kurt woke up slowly, brain much foggier than usual. He couldn't remember why until-
"Oh my God," he gasped. "Oh my God!"
"Hey, hey, baby. Not so fast," Blaine said from his left. "You're still under some anesthesia."
"Did it work?" Kurt asked, squeezing Blaine's hand where it lay on his hospital bed. "Do they know?"
"They said everything went smoothly," Blaine said. "I just hit the call button, so once a doctor arrives, we'll see about unwrapping those pretty blue eyes of yours."
"I can't believe I was eligible for this," Kurt said, awestruck. "I can't believe I'm about to see my husband's face for the first time. God, I can't believe I'm about to see period for the first time in fifteen years."
"I suppose now's the time to tell you that I'm actually horribly disfigured," Blaine said. He laughed when Kurt smacked at him. "I'm kidding, I'm - oh, hi, Dr. Roberts."
"Are we ready for the great unveiling?" Dr. Roberts boomed merrily.
"More than ready," Kurt said.
"I'll get right to it, then. It might sting a little, but we've dimmed almost every light in here - we wanted to leave you enough to see your man by, but not much more."
Kurt was practically vibrating under the doctor's hands. He felt the layers of dressing around his eyes slowly loosen and pull away until the only thing between him and seeing was his own eyelids.
"Blaine?" he called, suddenly nervous.
"I'm right here. Whenever you're ready, sweetheart," Blaine said, squeezing Kurt's hand.
Kurt took a deep breath. He blinked once, twice, trying to clear the tears that sprang up from the low light. He immediately turned his head to the left, wanting Blaine to be his first clear sight.
He wasn't disappointed.
"Blaine. You're beautiful," Kurt said, feeling actual tears form in his eyes. "I mean, you're blurry as hell, but you're still stunning."
Blaine chuckled wetly, clearly crying along with Kurt. "It is so nice to see your eyes focus on me."
"Come closer," Kurt said, yanking Blaine's hand slightly. "I can't see you well enough yet."
He barely noticed Dr. Roberts say he'd give them a moment alone. He was too busy staring into Blaine's green-gold eyes, falling in love with an entirely new aspect of his already-gorgeous husband.