Summary: Starts at the Kurt/Blaine/Karofsky encounter on the stairs in NBK and goes AU from there, but not too badly. When Karofsky shoves Blaine into a fence, Blaine has a weird reaction. Why? And when Karofsky takes a special liking to Blaine, what happens? Kurt attempts a surprise date, but it goes wrong. Some unwanted groping is involved when Blaine tries the same. Which Warbler has it out for Kurt, and why doesn't Blaine want Kurt to meet his parents? Will they make it to a one-month anniversary? Blaine has nightmares; Karofsky's dad is head of the school board.
…Epic summary is epic.
Rating:
M
Genre:
Romance/Drama/Humor
Disclaimer:
I don't own Glee (though my friends and I are planning on carrying out an evil plan to steal it next Tuesday), Adam Lambert, Time for Miracles, or anything else in here that you recognize, besides my writing style. I do own my cat, though. And Hassen (jerk.), Dorma, and the random secretary. Yes.
Warnings:
Bad language, male/male relationship, non-graphic rape, unwanted groping, situations of peril, general homophobia, awkward!clueless!Burt.

I made Blaine approximately one inch taller than Kurt in this. Don't shoot me.

xxxxx

Kurt hadn't wanted Blaine to come. He had tried to convince him that he could do it on his own, confront Karofsky. But Blaine saw through his lies. And he knew about the kiss, the one Karofsky had stolen. Blaine knew how messed up Kurt was after that.

The pair turned the corner of the stairwell. There he was, framed against chain-link and dreary skies. Blaine felt his temper heat up.

"Hey! Is this your little boyfriend, Kurt?" Karofsky sneered at them.

"No use pretending. I know what you did." Blaine kept the anger out of his voice. He continued up the steps, carefully inching toward Karofsky.

"And what was that, fag?" Blaine narrowed his eyes, but Kurt butt in before he could say anything derogatory.

"You kissed me."

Karofsky glanced around, panicked. "What are you talking about?"

"There's nothing wrong with being like this, Dave. There must be someone you can talk to. Someone to help you." Blaine tried to be soothing. He was around a foot from Karofsky, now. And for some reason, he didn't expect him to turn violent. Blaine was suddenly slammed against the chain-link fence harshly.

"I don't need help, fag." That word again. Blaine held his hands up in surrender. He hoped they weren't shaking as much as he thought.

Why did he decide to walk home alone? He should've gotten a ride… It's late. What was that noise? He whirled around. Crap. Those jocks from school. His stomach fell through his feet.

"Hey, Blaine." One taunted, laughing.

"Blaine. That's such a faggy name." They all chuckled. And came closer.

"Wait, what are you guys doing? Don't get near me!" Blaine shouted.

"Shut up, homo. Speak when you're spoken to." Their leader snapped at Blaine.

Flash

Blaine couldn't understand why they were hurting him. A constant, everyday torrent of pain. Bruises he was surprised no one noticed. Hurt.

Flash

"Look, guys, it's the queer again." They laughed at him. Blaine was already miserable; he didn't need these bastards tormenting him, too. And he broke. He flew at their leader with his fists, swinging wildly, hitting the guy over and over. His cronies pulled Blaine off him, and held the helpless boy steady. A slap cracked Blaine's head to the side.

"You deserve this, homo." Another slap, a punch to his stomach. Unbearable pain. Stars. He fell, no longer supported by the other guys, to his knees, coughing, choking, needing air.

"It's your fault for being a buttmuncher."

Flash

"Hey, lady!" Blaine turned. He didn't know why, and he wished he hadn't. One guy, advancing on him. Jacob Hassen, (1) from school. The huge jock got closer, and closer, and closer. Blaine backed into unforgiving brick. Why was he even in this alley, anyway? Stupid, stupid. Hassen smirked.

"You like taking it up the butt, that's what you're gonna get." Blaine's eyes widened.

Flash

Blaine's mom signed the paperwork, and handed it to the headmaster of Dalton. "My son's been through a lot. Please take care of him." He assured her he would. Blaine hugged his mom goodbye silently, not trusting his voice.

Flash

Kurt shoved Karofsky away from Blaine, with strength he didn't know he had. Karofsky looked at him, and left. Blaine let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"A-are you alright? You seem… kind of messed up." Kurt was looking at him worriedly. Blaine forced a smile.

"I'm fine." Damn. His voice was wavering. Now Kurt would know how badly he was affected by Karofsky's shove. Kurt didn't say anything, just took Blaine's hand and led him to his car. He sat Blaine in the passenger's side seat and got in behind the wheel.

"Now, what's actually wrong?" Kurt's voice was kind. That did it. Blaine sniffed once, and started sobbing. His head fell into his hands and his body was racked with sobs.

When he had calmed enough to speak, he whispered hoarsely, "Just… memories. Brought back by that bastard. That's all."

"What-what sort of memories? Please tell me, Blaine," Kurt pushed softly.

Blaine whimpered. "Of times before-before Dalton. Sort of like what just happened… But worse."

Kurt just waited patiently for Blaine to begin.

"At my old school, a year and a half ago, I was bullied, a lot. I wasn't what you call popular. No, far from it. Freshman year was fine, great, even. And then, I came out. I had known for a while, as had my parents and brother, Darren. They were great, super accepting… Anyway, I told a close friend, whom I thought I could rely on, that I was gay. The next day, the whole school knew. I lost that friend, and all the others. I was kicked off the lacrosse team when Coach found out. He said he didn't want a 'Prettyboy' changing with his players." Blaine laughed harshly at Kurt's pained expression. "Oh, it gets worse." He looked down.

"One day, I was walking home from somewhere and I heard voices behind me. I turned, and four members of the football team were behind me. They taunted me, teased me. Thankfully, nothing more. But, after that, they got more confident. I was always covered in bruises, always. I was used to it by then.

"But once, I was alone, again, and those same four guys were there again. And I snapped. I punched one. Got in three or four good hits before his lackeys grabbed me. You know, it isn't really fair, four against one. But they didn't care. The guy I punched, their leader of sorts, slapped me twice across the face and got me in the stomach. I just remember not being able to breathe. God, that's the worst feeling. They dropped me, and left me there.

"And three weeks later, the worst came. I was at a movie, see, and someone offered me a ride. But it was so nice out, and I decided to walk. There were so many people out; I thought it would be safe. Wrong. Someone called to me, a 'Hey, Lady!'. Why the hell did I turn? It was this jock, Jacob Hassen. I thought he would just punch me and be through with it. Nope. He backed me up into an alley that was inconveniently placed nearby. He said, "Y-you like take-taking it up… up the b-butt, that's what y-you're gonna g-get." And then, he-he-he r-raped me." Blaine broke down in tears again. Kurt gasped.

"Oh, oh, Blaine. That's… Oh, I'm so, so sorry. How-how did you live through that? Oh my god."

Blaine shook his head slowly. "I almost didn't… He-he left me there, bleeding, unconscious. Someone must've called an ambulance. I didn't wake up for three days.

"No one knows. I mean, they know I was beaten, but not r-raped. You're the first to know."

Kurt scrunched up his eyebrows and pulled the broken Blaine to his own seat, wrapping his arms around him. The older boy leaned into him, and Kurt didn't even think of the tears stains on his new Marc Jacobs sweater. They both jumped at the sharp rap on the car window. Kurt placed his hand on Blaine's head and looked out the window, glaring. He was met with a smirk. Karofsky.

Kurt softly moved Blaine to the side, whispering that he would be back in a minute. He opened the door and got out, closing it behind him so Blaine wouldn't hear.

"What do you damn want, Karofsky?" Kurt noticed that there was no one else in the parking lot.

Karofsky ignored Kurt and looked past him, at Blaine, who had curled up on Kurt's seat. "Aw, did I upset your boyfriend?" He laughed.

"One, he's not my boyfriend and you shouldn't be jealous. Second, why would you even care?, and third, get the fuck away from me!" Karofsky looked stunned. Kurt never, ever used language like that.

"I'm not jealous, fag!" He slapped Kurt in the face with so much force that he fell backwards, crashing into his car and sliding to the ground. Blaine was jostled, and his head darted up. He opened the door, careful not to hit Kurt, and stepped out gingerly.

"Kurt! Kurt, are you okay?" The younger boy looked at him. He had a bloody lip and a hand-shaped red mark on his cheek that was already turning blue. He nodded. Blaine frowned and stood up from where he was squatting next to Kurt. The Warbler slowly turned toward Karofsky, and if looks could kill, the jock would be dead already. Blaine walked right up in Karofsky's face, where they were nearly nose-to-nose.

"Don't ever lay a finger on him again!" Blaine growled out.

Dave just smirked. "What are you gonna do about it, homo? Hit me with your purse?"

Blaine took a deep breath. The last time he did this… He shook his head to clear it, and without a second thought, punched Karofsky in the stomach. And was immediately pinned against Kurt's truck.

"Blaine!" Kurt cried out. Karofsky wrapped his hand around Blaine's neck. The Warbler curled his fingers under the jock's, but he just wasn't strong enough. Karofsky dropped his other hand to Blaine's stomach, and slowly trailed it lower. Blaine froze. Kurt was still too dizzy from hitting his head on the truck to do anything but watch in horror. Dave palmed at Blaine's crotch harshly. Blaine was breathing thinly, still trying to pry the hand off his throat. He finally unfroze and thrashed, but only succeeded at rubbing against Karofsky's hand. He stopped that quickly. Dave gave him one last painful squeeze -from both hands- and let go. Blaine slid down the side of Kurt's truck, gasping for air. Kurt wrapped his arms around the Warbler for the second time in half an hour, rubbing his back. Blaine flinched away.

"See ya, fairies." Karofsky laughed, and left. Blaine looked at Kurt, horrified that the younger boy had seen him being violated -and helpless-, and disgusted at himself for moving away when Kurt had tried to comfort him.

"I'm-I'm so sorry you had to see that, Kurt, I-"

"Don't." Blaine looked confused. "Don't be sorry. It's not your freaking fault, Blaine! He's just… such a damn bastard! God, I…" Kurt trailed off. Silent tears ran down Blaine's cheeks. "…Hey. Blaine. Please don't cry, because then I'll cry and I look awful when I cry so it'll just make you cry more because of my hideousness and… I'm gonna shut up now." Blaine smiled tearily. (2)

"I just can't help but think that -especially after that- I won't be able to protect you. God, Kurt! I didn't even think of you when he…when that happened! I forgot you were there and that scares me, Kurt! I just thought of myself! Agh!" Blaine put his head in his hands sadly. Kurt once again moved to wrap his arms around the Warbler.

"C'mon. Let's get some ice for your neck and my face. We can go to my house. No one's home yet. God, we're a mess." Kurt laughed humorlessly and stood, ignoring the throbbing in his head to help Blaine up.

The car ride home was silent, but not tense. Both boys were reflecting on what just happened, and in Kurt's case, thinking also about Blaine's story. He wondered if anyone else knew about the torture he went through. Not just the rape, but everything.

Kurt pulled into his driveway and got out, Blaine following.

"…I'm sorry." Kurt turned and looked at Blaine, whose eyes were watering again. The Warbler spoke softly again. "I'm supposed to protect you, I'm your mentor!"

Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "C'mon. Let's go inside." He led the way to the kitchen, never letting go of Blaine's hand. He pulled two ice packs from the freezer, placing one on Blaine's neck and the other on his own cheek.

Blaine and Kurt just looked at each other, hands still clutched together. The two, by some silent mutual agreement, both leaned forward, their lips meeting softly. Kurt's eyes fluttered shut, and Blaine's soon after. It was a chaste kiss, no tongue. They were just getting used to each other.

"Kurt? Blaine?" They whipped apart. Burt Hummel was standing in the doorway, stunned. "What-what-"

"Dad! Oh, we were just, um…"

"What happened to your face? And Blaine, your neck…" Burt narrowed his eyes. What is going on?"

"Blaine came to help me confront Karofsky because- well, anyway, we did, but he left, and a while later, when we were about to leave, he came back and I got out of my car and I yelled at him and he called me… that word… and slapped me. Then Blaine got out of the car, too, and Karofsky ch-choked him. And that's what happened… I guess."

"Kurt, why did you need to confront Karofsky?" Burt's voice was threatening. "Is there something you're not telling me?" Blaine looked at Kurt sharply. He hadn't told his dad?

"Dad, your health… and I didn't think you needed to know, but…" Kurt looked at Blaine for help. Ah, that's why he didn't tell him.

"Karofsky kissed Kurt, Mr. Hummel." Blaine spoke up for the first time since Burt had walked in.

"WHAT? Why the hell didn't you say anything Kurt? And you!" He glared at Blaine. "You could have said something! Why was I not notified? I should…" Burt mumble/growled something Blaine made out to be colorful and very violent.

"Sir, I was under the impression Kurt had told you. I'm sorry." Blaine frowned at Kurt, who winced.

"Dad, I'm sorry, I-I… it's not a big deal." Burt and Blaine looked at him. "It was just a kiss that may or may not have been my first, and that's all he did, so I think we should worry more about the fact that Blaine's neck has finger-shaped bruises and I have a freaking handprint on my face."

Blaine spoke up. "Wait. Did you just say that he was your first kiss? Why didn't you tell me?" He looked hurt.

"I-I was going to… I didn't have a chance…"

Burt cut in. "We can figure this out later. Now, I want to know the details of the second bit."

xxxxx

After Kurt had explained it -leaving out, of course, what Blaine told him, and the violation-, Burt went to lie down for a while, leaving the two boys to go down to Kurt's room in the basement.

"Nice room. Got any Red Vines?" Blaine sat down on the couch in front of the recently added flatscreen resting on the wall.

"Yeah, I do, here." Kurt tossed a large container of the candy at Blaine.

"You're totally awesome."

Kurt just smiled knowingly.

"Um, so when I said Karofsky was my first kiss… It wasn't technically true… About a year ago, I kissed Brittany. But it didn't mean anything. She was just doing it because I was the only guy in school she hadn't kissed, and I was trying to convince my dad that I was straight."

"Wait, what? But your dad loves you… Why would you pretend to be -shudder- straight?" Blaine had a Red Vine hanging half out the side of his mouth.

Kurt sighed. "Because I saw him doing things more and more with Finn, guy stuff. And I thought he would do more stuff with me if I pretended to like them, too. Does that make any sense?"

"Perfectly. Red Vine?" Kurt took it gratefully.

"So," Kurt munched on it, "What happened upstairs, in the kitchen… What was that? "Cause if it was just like a sympathy kiss, or something, then I'm not going to, but it was so… perfect that I was gonna count it as my first kiss instead of Karofsky…"

"You thought it was perfect? Awwww…" Kurt glared at Blaine. "Fine, fine! I thought it was perfect, too!" He threw his hands up in the air. Kurt realized their proximity. He blushed and looked down. Something pushed on his jaw, bringing his face back up. A warm, sweet breath puffed on his face, reminiscent of Red Vines. Kurt smiled, tilting his face up to look in Blaine's beautiful chocolate eyes. The Warbler brought his head down a tiny bit, and their lips touched. Kurt groaned softly, and then blushed. Blaine pressed his lips harder against Kurt's, swiping his tongue against the younger boy's bottom lip. Kurt gasped, opening his mouth and letting Blaine's tongue in. Kurt didn't even attempt to battle for dominance, just relaxing and letting Blaine explore his mouth. He tasted of Red Vines, Kurt's new favorite candy. Blaine gently undid the buttons on Kurt's vest and slid it off his shoulders, leaving him in a long-sleeve white shirt. He broke the kiss for a moment to pull that over his head, and soon latched on to the younger boy's lips once again. He didn't stay there long, though, and trailed butterfly kisses across Kurt's jaw and down his neck to his collarbone. Blaine set both hands on Kurt's chest and gently pushed him backwards until he was lying down on the couch, breathing heavily. Blaine pulled off his own Dalton blazer, tie, and shirt (too many layers!) and threw them unceremoniously on the floor somewhere before moving to straddle Kurt's hips and leaning back down to continue his lips' exploration of Kurt's body, but not before Kurt caught a glimpse of his body. God, can you say sexy? Blaine had muscles. Like, a six-pack! Kurt felt unbelievable lucky.

Blaine kissed his collarbone and licked a stripe up his neck, back to his lips. Kurt shuddered. As Blaine pulled away so they could both breathe, Kurt spoke, unconsciously.

A breathy, soft, "I love you." Blaine froze, looked at Kurt, whose eyes were eerily similar to a deer in the headlights.

"I love you, too, Kurt. Oh, so much!" He kissed him again, softly.

"Hey, Kurt, can I borrow your calc book? I left mine at… Uh…" Finn stopped, halfway down the steps. Blaine dropped his head into the crook of Kurt's neck and tried to stifle the laughter bubbling up.

"Finn, could you possibly come back a different time? Maybe when I have all my clothes on." Kurt's voice was sharp. Finn nodded and turned around on the stairs, practically sprinting back up them. Blaine snickered. Kurt hit him lightly over the head with a, "Shut up, you!". Blaine rubbed his head with a playful expression. The younger boy shoved him off and looked for his shirt.

"Where the heck did you throw it?"

Blaine looked around. "Oh," He laughed, "It's on the stairs. Maybe that's why your brother was so upset. He must've thought we were doing more."

Kurt groaned and blushed. "Great. Now gimme my shirt back."

"Of course. And so you know, telling him to come back 'when you had all your clothes on' probably didn't help either." Blaine smirked and tossed Kurt his shirt, which he quickly tugged on.

"Oh my god. He's going to tell Dad! Get your shirt on and hurry!" Blaine stopped smirking and did as he was told. They both rushed up the steps. Burt had a hand raised to knock on the door when the boys came barreling out, Kurt crashing into his dad and nearly falling.

"Oh, Dad, hi. We were just, um…"

"Finn told me." Burt was blunt.

"No, Dad! We weren't! We were just, um, kissing! Not anything… more…" Kurt was scarlet.

"Yeah, Mr. Hummel, it was just a kiss… Nothing more," Blaine reassured Burt.

"Well, I believe you two, but I hope you know to use protection when it gets to that point." He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Don't worry, Dad. Blaine's a gentleman." Kurt blushed even more.

"Alright, then." Burt smiled and left.

Blaine expelled his breath. "Well, that could have gone worse…"

Kurt just looked at him. "Worse? How is that even possible? It's not your dad that told you to use protection."

Blaine laughed. "Yeah, true."

Kurt smacked him upside the head playfully.

"Kuuuurt! That's the second time today! Jeez. Abusive, much?"

"Yeah, yeah."

xxxxx

Blaine eventually had to go home, starting with Kurt driving him back to the McKinley parking lot to retrieve his car. Goodbyes were said with a small kiss and a hug.

xxxxx

The day after the double encounter with Karofsky, Kurt went to school terrified. All was well, until he stopped at his locker on the way to Glee. A snarl interrupted him.

"You haven't told anyone, right, fag?" He continued before Kurt could answer. "'Cause if you do… I'll kill you." He walked away. Kurt was speechless, and scared beyond anything. He slid to the floor, pulling his phone out with shaking hands and calling Blaine.

"Hello?"

"Blaine… Something's happened." His voice shook.

"What happened, Kurt? What's wrong? Do I need to come out there?"

"No, you don't need to come… It's Karofsky. He-"

"WHAT DID HE DO? I swear, I'm going to strangle him-"

"Blaine, calm down. He-he said he was going to-to kill me if I told anyone… Blaine, I'm so scared!" Kurt let out a sob, not caring who heard.

"What? I'm coming out, please, hold on…" It sounded like he was running. A car door.

Kurt whispered a yes and hung up, not bothering to stand or even go to Glee club. A few minutes later, Coach Sylvester walked by, stopping short at the sight of a teary-eyed Kurt on the ground against the lockers.

"Why aren't you in class, Porcelain? Isn't your beloved little Glee club this period?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not going… Someone's coming to pick me up."

"Well, Porcelain, that counts as skipping, unless you have a good excuse for it."

"I-I… I have current reason to fear for my life."

Sue's eyes narrowed. "Who's picking on you, Kurt?" The boy noticed her use of his first name.

"Kar-Karofsky."

"Ah, the Neanderthal. C'mon, to my office."

She could have sworn she heard a sniffled, "My sentiments exactly."

xxxxx

Blaine raced to McKinley as fast as possible. He knew he was lucky to have not been pulled over for speeding. When he pulled into the parking lot, he noticed a text from Kurt that said "Sylvester's office.". He crept inside and followed the signs to a glass door, where he could see Kurt and a scary-looking blonde woman talking. Kurt looked utterly broken, and was hunched over in his chair. Blaine knocked lightly on the glass. Kurt turned, and bolted up, pulling the door open and flinging himself into Blaine's arms.

"Oh, I'm so sorry you had to drive out here…" He whispered into the Warbler's ear.

"I wanted to. How are you holding up?"

"Okay, I guess. Coach Sylvester's really help- Oh!" Kurt slipped out of Blaine's grip and turned, grabbing his hand.

"Coach Sylvester, Blaine. Blaine, Coach Sylvester."

Sue looked Blaine up and down. "Hello, Hobbit."

"She does that. I'm Porcelain." Kurt whispered explanatorily into Blaine's ear.

"Sit." Sue gestured to the metal folding chair in front of her desk.

"With all due respect, Coach Sylvester, there's only one chair." Kurt looked confused.

"So? You can handle it. You're like Porcelain, correct, Hobbit?"

"Like him, how, Ms.?"

Sue sighed. "That was not a straight hug, boys. Figure something out, but for heaven's sake, stop standing. I even have to look up to Hobbit." Kurt blushed. Blaine sat down on the chair, pulling Kurt gently by the hips until he was sitting on top of him. Kurt blushed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Blaine saw Karofsky and some other jock walk past. Since the walls were all glass, they could see the two boys inside perfectly. Karofsky pulled his hand across his throat, while the other jock made a vulgar gesture that Blaine thought might have to do with the fact that he had a lapful of Kurt. He glared menacingly at the jocks, and they just laughed, before walking away. Oh, god. He had a lapful of Kurt. Blaine tried not to think about it, thought of dead puppies and his past.

"So, Hobbit, now that you've finally sat down, what school are you from, anyway?"

"I'm from Dalton Academy for Boys, Ms." Blaine peered at Sue from around Kurt, who vaguely smelled of apple.

"You obviously don't have a cheerleading team, and are therefore not a threat to us winning regionals. You may stay." Kurt almost scoffed. Of course Sue would think of her Cheerios first.

"Now, Porcelain. What exactly has been going on with Karofsky?"

"Well, he's been bullying me for a while now, pushing me into lockers, saying unoriginal and quite demeaning things… And then, three days ago, he did something- worse, and Blaine came up to Lima to be with me when I confronted him, I guess, and he sort-of attacked Blaine, and later, when we were about to leave, he was in the parking lot, too, and I asked him what his problem was. He-he slapped me across the face." Kurt pulled a tissue from his pocket and wiped off the makeup from his cheek. A bruise reminiscent of a hand resided there, purple and angry-looking. Sue's eyes widened imperceptibly. Kurt continued. "And then he choked Blaine, and- and then left."

"What else did he do to Hobbit? Because I can see right through those little shifty eyes of yours. And what do you mean by 'worse'?"

"I mean that he-he kissed me."

"What in the name of Nazi hunters did he do that for?"

"No idea."

Blaine broke in. "And to answer the other half of your question, he… he molested me."

Sue stood. "Kid's on the warpath, isn't he? Hobbit, Porcelain, go somewhere. I need to make a few phone calls. Be thankful I'm even doing this. I want the football team outta here; this is how I'm going to do it."

Kurt sighed. Typical Sue. He stood, grabbing Blaine's hand and leading him out of Coach Sylvester's office. He started to go towards the front of the school, but stopped, and turned around.

"I want you to meet the rest of Glee club." Blaine had barely managed an okay before Kurt was dragging him down the white tile hallway with the green lockers. Kurt pulled him into a choir room, where a man was explaining the importance of Journey to some bored-looking kids. Kurt dropped his hand.

A Latina-looking girl in a cheerleading uniform was the first to notice the pair. "Oh, Kurt's here. And he brought a super-hot friend. Hey, sexy. Want to go to Breadstix with me later?" She made googly eyes at him. Blaine must've made a face, because she looked mildly put-off. "What, something wrong with me?" Before Blaine could answer, Rachel noticed his uniform.

"Spy!" She pointed at Blaine with a horrified expression.

Mr. Shue turned to look at Kurt and Blaine, still standing in the doorway. "And what might your name be?"

"Blaine, sir."

Kurt felt the need to explain. "He's my-" He looked at Blaine, not really knowing what to call him.

"Boyfriend." Blaine supplied without a second thought. Kurt beamed. So that's what they were.

Santana looked interested again. "Never done it with a gay boy…"

"Santana, shut it." Mercedes snapped. "Sorry, Blaine. She's a freak." Santana glared at her.

"Blaine is a nice name… It rhymes with mane. Are you a lion?" Brittany asked.

Finn was blushing like no other. "Oh, hey, Blaine…"

"You two know each other?" Puck asked of Finn.

"Yeah. It's a painful memory." Puck didn't ask any further.

"So, Blaine, what brings you to McKinley?" Mr. Shue asked.

"Kurt asked me to come up to Lima for some… moral support. He wanted to talk to Karofsky about- about the bullying that's been going on."

"He's obviously lying! He corrupted Kurt and now he's trying to steal our set list for regionals!"

"Rachel, shut up." That was Quinn.

"Well, alright, then. Welcome to McKinley, Blaine." Mr. Shuester smiled.

xxxxx

The two boys left the choir room after Blaine was introduced to everyone. Kurt latched on to Blaine's hand again, making the older boy smile. But not for long.

"Hey, faggots." Blaine whirled around, Kurt going with him because of their joined fingers.

"What the hell do you want, Karofsky?" Blaine was at his limit with this Neanderthal.

"I think you remember." Karofsky advanced on them, backing the pair up until they both hit the lockers.

Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear. "Run. Get your principal or something. Run!" Kurt didn't want to leave Blaine, but he had to. He let go of Blaine's hand unwillingly and sprinted away. Karofsky didn't even blink. In fact, he smiled coldly. Blaine shuddered.

"Just you and me, prettyboy." He walked forward until he was less than an inch from Blaine. The Warbler froze. Karofsky placed his hands on Blaine's shoulders, forcefully pinning him to the lockers. He attacked Blaine's lips with his own, biting and sucking on them. Blaine gasped, and Karofsky forced his tongue into the shorter boy's mouth. Blaine instinctively bit down, and a metallic taste coated the inside of his mouth. Karofsky reeled back, and before Blaine could react, punched him in the face. Blood ran down the Warbler's cheek and neck. Blaine's head snapped to the side, ramming into the sickly green lockers behind him. There was a bang as metal collided with skin and bone.

Voices. Blaine opened his mouth to cry out, but the sound of his yell was drowned out as Karofsky clamped a meaty hand over his face and dragged him into the small janitorial closet across the hall. His last hope of being rescued was extinguished as the door was closed. Blaine was turned around, one hand still covering his mouth, and pressed against Karofsky's body so he couldn't see him. He was utterly terrified. The shorter boy could feel the entirety of the Neanderthal. Blaine thought he was going to be sick. Karofsky traced the hand that wasn't covering the Warbler's mouth down the front of Blaine's body, taking extra care around his heaving chest and lightly defined abs. The hand made its way under his shirt and Dalton blazer, creeping back up to his chest.

"Don't make a sound," was whispered roughly in his ear before the hand over his mouth was removed. Blaine could hear the voices of his beloved Kurt and that Sylvester person, as well as a man who sounded Indian. He wanted to cry. Kurt sounded confused, and the man was talking to him as if he was already bored.

His thoughts were ripped back to the hand, as it went south again, running along the rim of his Dalton slacks. The hand that was previously on his mouth joined the first, the two working together to undo his button and zipper. One hand went back up, to his perfectly gelled hair, digging into his scalp and making him whimper. Karofsky pulled viciously on it, ripping Blaine's head back so far he could just make out the terrifying gleam in the Neanderthal's eyes. The hand let go of his hair and went to help the other in pulling his pants down. Before they could succeed, however, Blaine kicked the door. He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it earlier. The voices in the hallway halted. He kicked it again, before Karofsky flipped him around and punched him as hard as he could in the jaw. Blaine yelled in pain. The door opened, blinding light surrounded him, Kurt's voice danced in his ears. Karofsky tried to escape, but the man and Coach Sylvester blocked the exit. Kurt took in Blaine's undone zipper and messed up hair, swollen lips, and the bruise already forming on his jaw.

"What is going on here?" The man demanded, looking at Karofsky.

"He was just putting on a little strip show for me, that's all." Karofsky leered. "Little whore."

Kurt turned from looking worriedly at Blaine to Karofsky. "That's a lie, you bastard!" He slapped him across the face, hard.

"Porcelain, no need for violence! As for you," Sue looked at Karofsky, "Come with me." He reluctantly left the janitor's closet and followed Sue, the man walking behind him after being reassured that Kurt and Blaine would come to his office after Blaine had recovered a little.

The older boy was cowering in a corner of the closet, as far from Kurt as possible. "I'm not strong enough. I let you down, Kurt." He whispered brokenly. "It almost happened again, and there's nothing I could do to stop it. Nothing." He sunk to the floor, burying his face in his hands.

Kurt kneeled, reaching a hand out and resting it on Blaine's shoulder. He flinched away. A few tears escaped Kurt's eyes from seeing how destroyed Blaine had become.

"Blaine, there's probably nothing I can say to make you feel better. But I do want you to know that I love you a whole lot. I don't know how I lived before I met you on that ridiculous spying mission Puck put me up to. You know, it was love at first sight."

Blaine looked up. His eyes were blurry from tears and he was a mess. Kurt thought he never looked so beautiful. "You really… really loved me when you saw m-me?"

Kurt nodded. "I did. And I am so, so happy that you told me you loved me back, that night on the couch."

Blaine managed to smile a little. "Because I do. So much, Kurt."

"Do you think we can go to Principal Figgins' office, now?" The older boy nodded and got up. Kurt noticed he didn't take the hand that was being offered to him. Kurt wanted to cry, that the boy that he loved was so broken that he couldn't stand to be touched.

xxxxx

After the pair talked to Figgins, they headed back to Kurt's house.

The younger boy brought Blaine in, his only explanation being, "You've been through too much today, Blaine. You'll sleep here.".

Burt came out of the family room after hearing the front door. "Oh, hey, Blaine!" He thumped him on the shoulder. Blaine flinched away, though Burt apparently didn't notice.

"Dad, Blaine's going to sleep here tonight."

Burt nodded. "Okay, but remember what I told you last night."

"Dad! Blaine, go downstairs. There are probably some pajamas in my closet that'll fit you. You can use the bed." After the door was closed behind Blaine, Kurt turned back to his dad.

His voice grew shrill. "Have you no fucking tact? Can't you see that Blaine's messed up? He was just fucking sexually assaulted, for God's sake!" Kurt turned, opened the basement door, and slammed it behind him. He would deal with the repercussions of that outburst later. Right now he needed to check on Blaine. He scurried down the steps. Blaine was curled up in his bed, asleep already. Kurt smiled softly at the boy, then got himself ready for bed. He draped a sheet over his couch and lay down. He fell asleep to the sound of Blaine's soft snores.

"No! I'm sorry! Please, don't touch me! No! No!" Kurt jolted awake. Labored breathing drew his attention to Blaine, who was twisted up in the sheets, a painful expression on his face.

"No!"

"Blaine, wake up! Blaine!" Kurt shook the older boy's shoulder. His arm shot out and punched Kurt in the jaw. He stumbled back, clutching at his injured face. Blaine stopped moving, and woke up, maybe from the impact of hitting Kurt. He looked around wildly before his eyes came to rest on Kurt, who was still covering his jaw with his hands.

"Oh my god, Kurt, did I do that? Are you okay?" Worry was eminent in his tone.

"I'll be fine. Nightmare?" Kurt wouldn't tell Blaine, but it definitely hurt to speak.

"Y-yeah. It was Hassen and Karofsky… they came at me…" He shuddered. "But it's over now. Thank you for waking me, Kurt."

Kurt smiled. Or tried to, because as soon as he went to move his jaw, a horrifying pain coursed through his body. He grimaced, hands flying back to his injured jaw.

"What's wrong? Oh god, I really got you, didn't I?" Blaine's eyebrows creased. "C'mere. Let me look at it." Kurt was a little unsure as he sat on the edge of his bed.

"Closer, Kurt. I can't see you a mile away." Kurt scooted closer, wary of Blaine's newfound aversion to being touched. "Kurt! Seriously? Get over here." Kurt crawled even closer, so he was maybe a foot from Blaine. The taller boy reached out and grabbed Kurt's arm, pulling him closer in the dim light. Kurt lost his balance, and face-planted onto Blaine's chest. He hurriedly scrambled to get off, fearing his reaction. But Blaine just blinked at him, and pulled the younger boy back onto his chest.

"You make me feel safe." He wrapped his arms around Kurt and snuggled his face in his hair.

"You make me feel safe, too. I love you." Kurt whispered, stunned that Blaine was even touching him, let alone cuddling with him. A testament to how much he trusted him.

"I love you, too, Kurt." Kurt smiled and lightly draped an arm over Blaine's stomach.

Blaine kissed the top of Kurt's head softly.

And that's how Burt found them the next morning, curled-up and intertwined with one another on top of the sheets, Blaine in some pajamas that looked suspiciously like Kurt's from a couple years ago. Both boys wore identical smiles, contented faces. Burt felt awful for not noticing how upset Blaine was last night, and for what he said. Protection? How idiotic am I? Burt set an alarm clock for ten minutes and went back upstairs. The football game was on.

Blaine and Kurt came up about half an hour later, both still yawning and rubbing their eyes.

"Hello, you two. Blaine, I'm sorry about last night. I was completely inconsiderate."

"No problem, Mr. Hummel."

"Please, call me Burt."

Blaine nodded. "Alright then, Burt." It felt odd on his tongue.

Kurt looked nervous. "Dad, I'm-I'm sorry for yelling… and, um, swearing last night." Burt told him that he deserved it. "Well, okay, but I'm still making low-calorie wholegrain pancakes for you."

"Alright! Pancakes!" Burt grinned. "Also," He turned serious, "If either of you boys ever need help, I'm here. Carole is, too."

"Yes, dad. Now, Blaine, have you ever made pancakes?"

"I can't actually say that I have... We had a cook, so I never had to even step in the kitchen."

Kurt's eyebrow broke records. "You had a private chef? Seriously?"

"You have to remember a lot of the families at Dalton are... well-off. But that's all I'm saying on that subject! Do you need help getting out ingredients?" Blaine rubbed his hands together almost scarily.

"Um, yes. Whole wheat flour, Splenda, margarine, two eggs, non-fat milk-"

"Kurt? Why is everything so healthy?"

Kurt paused in his list. "Oh, well, about a year ago, my dad had a heart attack. I've been forcing him to eat healthier and exercise regularly since."

Blaine nodded thoughtfully. "So, you don't have any sugar in the house?" He looked horrified.

"Nope. Only those Red Vines that you devoured the other day."

"Sorry." Blaine had the decency to look sheepish.

xxxxx

Unfortunately, Kurt had school that day. Blaine didn't, some sort of staff meeting. The pair said goodbye in the McKinley parking lot with a tiny kiss when no one was looking. Kurt walked in to the building shaking, his knees threatening to give out with every step toward hell that he took. Puck and Finn came out of nowhere and stood on either side of him.

"Bodyguards, right?" That was the only explanation Kurt got. Apparently Burt had told Finn about what was going on, and Finn made Puck come as well. Kurt held his head up, glanced at his two guards, and walked confidently to his locker.

That was how it was after every class, he would walk out the door, Finn and Puck would be there, waiting for him. Kurt had never felt safer. Well, that was a lie. He had Blaine.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and Puck had to leave for his community service. Finn stayed by Kurt's side, though it wasn't really enough. Karofsky barreled out of nowhere and crashed into Kurt, sending him and his bag to the ground. It almost seemed as if he had waited for Puck to leave. Finn helped Kurt up and turned to Karofsky.

"What the hell's your problem, dude?" Finn clenched his fists.

"It's your little homo boyfriend, Hudson. He's sick." He obviously didn't try very hard at the insult. Finn growled a "That's it!", and flew at Karofsky with wild fists. He got in a few good punches, and got a few in return, before a couple footballers pulled them off.

"Dude, Finn, you can't get kicked off the team!"

"Yeah, man, the only reason we win is because of you."

Karofsky fixed his letter jacket and stormed off. He obviously didn't like being ignored.

"Finn, are you okay? I'm so sorry… You didn't have to do that for me…" Kurt's voice was shaky.

"No, it's fine. I should have gone after him with the rest of the Glee guys when Sam got a black eye. Payback, yeah? I think I got him in the jaw." Finn laughed. He threw his arm around Kurt in a brotherly fashion and the two headed off down the hall.

xxxxx

"No, dad, I don't want to sue Karofsky. I just want him away from Kurt, and me." Blaine sighed tiredly at his dad.

"Well, unfortunately, the kid's dad is president of the school board. They needed one vote to overturn the expulsion and that's his. And judging by what I've seen and heard in the past, that vote is going to happen. Now, I don't usually follow public school politics, but this Kurt boy obviously means a lot to you, if you're willing to go to all of this trouble for him…"

"Dad, I love him. And he loves me." Blaine beamed.

"Well in that case, Blaine, congratulations."

xxxxx

"Porcelain, the expulsion was nullified by Neanderthal's father himself. I'm sorry." Coach Sylvester and Principal Figgins both looked down at Kurt sadly, who felt very, very small from this angle and from the news he had just received.

"Kurt, there is nothing more we can do than keep a constant watch on you. We are all very sorry at this misfortune." Figgins reached over and patted his shoulder. Kurt shrank away, even smaller than before. Figgins retracted his hand. "Would you like us to call that boy that's always with you? Blake… No, Brandon. Wait, Blaine! That's it."

Kurt shook his head. "No… No, I've got my own phone. Thanks, though." His voice was meek, soft.

"Alright then. Porcelain, it is no longer necessary for you to be in my office. I believe you have Geek Club this period? I'll walk you there." Kurt couldn't understand why Sue was being so nice to him.

"Thank you, Ms. Sylvester. With all respect, though, I am not a charity case. I can walk to Glee Club by myself." Kurt bowed his head, picked up his brown messenger bag, and left.

"I hope he's okay…" Sighed Figgins.

"Porcelain is stronger than he looks."

xxxxx

Blaine slammed his car door and revved the engine of his Porsche, all the while growling with furrowed eyebrows. It was because of a simple text he had gotten earlier.

From: Kurt
Karofsky's back. His dad overturned the vote. :'(

Blaine had never hated anyone more than he hated Dave Karofsky at that moment. But he knew within himself that even though he was strong, Karofsky was stronger. And Blaine didn't know if he could handle even seeing him again. But he had to! For Kurt! The older boy absolutely could not stand the fact that he was afraid. It boiled in the pit of his stomach, black and bubbling, sticky like tar.

Blaine shook his head to clear it, and focused on driving. He may or may not have sung along to Firework when it came on the radio. C'mon, Katy Perry is musical genius. Blaine kind of wished he had actually thought to respond to Kurt before he started this ridiculous one-hour pilgrimage from Westerville to Lima. Oh, well. He was five minutes away. 3:42. He made it just as the end-of-school bell rang. He jumped out of his car, pink sunglasses perched on top of his head, and ran into the building toward where he remembered the choir room to be. He knew he was causing a scene, Dalton uniform on, horribly clashing glasses, running through the hallways, crashing in to people and apologizing while running. He finally reached the choir room, panting, and was about to step inside. But- who was that singing, with the incredible voice? He peeked inside… and nearly fell over. Kurt?

It's late at night and I can't sleep,
Missing you just runs too deep.
Oh, I can't breathe thinking of your smile.

Every kiss I can't forget,
This aching heart ain't broken yet.
Oh God I wish I could make you see.
'Cause I know this flame isn't dying,
So nothing can stop me from trying.

Kurt's voice was floating, haunted. He held a piece of music in his fingers, but his eyes were closed. Blaine could see tears leaking out of his closed lids.

Baby you know that
Maybe it's time for miracles,
'Cause I ain't giving up on love.
You know that
Maybe it's time for miracles,
'Cause I ain't giving up on love.
No, I ain't giving up on us.

He dove into the chorus with no hesitation, just sitting on the piano bench, slightly hunched. And god, this song was amazing a cappella.

I just wanna be with you,
'Cause living is so hard to do
When all I know is trapped inside your eyes.

The future I cannot forget,
This aching heart ain't broken yet.
Oh God, I wish I could make you see.
'Cause I know this flame isn't dying,
So nothing can stop me from trying.

Blaine didn't know how he had lived so long and never heard Kurt Hummel sing. His voice stole the older boy's heart and fluttered away with it on golden wings. He crept closer. Kurt opened his eyes and stood abruptly, startling Blaine. He squeaked, before backing up behind the door again.

Baby you know that
Maybe it's time for miracles,
'Cause I ain't giving up on love.
You know that
Maybe it's time for miracles,
'Cause I ain't giving up on love,
No I ain't giving up on us.

Kurt walked around the room, clearly as touched as Blaine by his words. Blaine appreciated the fact that the artist seemed to have sung it so their gender preference could go either way. The Warbler couldn't tell whether it was traditionally sung by a man. The notes were pretty high in some places (Kurt could easily reach them), but it seemed like a male song. Maybe because Kurt was singing.

Baby can you feel it coming?
You know I can hear it hear all the souls.
Baby can you feel me feel you?

You know it's time...

The note on "time" gave Blaine chills. God, that was beautiful… Kurt sang the chorus one last time.

No, I ain't giving up love,
I ain't giving up, no,
No, I ain't giving up on us.

He held the last note out. Blaine couldn't help it. He clapped. Whoops. Kurt flipped around from where he had been standing and glared at him non-menacingly. "How much did you hear?"

Blaine grinned. "All of it. And I must say, I have never in my life met someone so talented, nor have I ever heard a song that fit so well into my- our life. Who's it by?"

Kurt turned scarlet. "Well, well th-thank you. It's called "Time for Miracles", and it's by a guy named Adam Lambert. He's super amazing, you should check him out. And, he's a tough gay guy, like you." Kurt grinned, but Blaine frowned.

"That's one of the things I wanted to talk about, actually, I-"

"Why are you even here? Oops, sorry, interrupting."

Blaine continued with a slight smile. "There are four things I would like to say. First, don't say anything about my sunglasses. Second, I got your text, which is why I'm here to tell you about the third. So, third: I, Blaine Anderson, hereby request your attendance at Dalton School for Boys, to be boarded permanently, or until further notice of Karofsky's departure. Take that last as you will."

Kurt blinked at him. "But-but… I can't afford Dalton… I'm sorry, Blaine, but I can't."

Blaine -surprisingly- smiled. "See, but that's taken care of. Remember how I said a lot of the families at Dalton were very well-off? So, I asked a few Warbler friends about it, and they've agreed to help me fund you for the rest of high school. And before you answer, let me bring about number four. This is the last, as it is most difficult to come out and say. But, as of yesterday afternoon, I don't believe I can protect you from Karofsky any longer, thus destroying my self-pact as your mentor and as your boyfriend, who, by the way, loves you very much. I want you to know that I would personally feel much better if you came to Dalton."

Kurt frowned. "Blaine, I'm honored, but I-I'm not a charity case… I'm sorry." He looked down, too afraid of the hurt he knew would flash through Blaine's eyes. To his surprise, he felt arms wrap around his waist. He looked up, and met Blaine's liquid chocolate gaze.

"You're the only one I'm not scared to touch." Blaine whispered by Kurt's ear. The younger boy shuddered.

"I-I-I can't…I'm so, so sorry…"Kurt whimpered. "I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that… But trust me, I'll find a way. Look into scholarships, or something."

Blaine pulled away from Kurt. "Fine. But don't expect me to drive out to Lima every day when you come crying. Goodbye, Kurt." He turned around, leaving the choir room. Kurt reached his hand out, but Blaine was gone. Kurt fell to the floor, head in hands, sobs wracking his body. No!

"Kurt? What's wrong? Is it Karofsky?" Mr. Shue squatted concernedly by the crumpled boy.

Kurt shook his head. "It's Blaine… My fault… Gone… Freaking idiot…"

"What happened?" Mr. Shue's tone was soft.

"He-he said some of the guys at Dalton, including him, wanted to pay for me to go there the rest of high school… I said no, I'm not a charity case… I'm so stupid!" He hit his palms with his forehead.

'Calm down… I'm sure he's just disappointed. Give him a few days."

"No… You don't understand! I can't live without him! I love him too damn much…" Kurt sobbed again.

"Oh, oh. I didn't know… But he'll come around. Does he love you, too?"

"I thought so. Maybe not." Kurt sniffed and then hiccupped.

"Don't worry, he'll come around."

xxxxx

"David, I'm so stupid! Why would I think that he loved me enough to leave all his friends and his family to come to Dalton? I'm such an idiot!" Blaine covered his head with his bedsheet, again. He hadn't gotten out of bed in three days, since he had come back from Lima.

"Well, for starters, you're not stupid. You're in the top 10%, right? No, don't answer. Rhetorical. Second, I think he does love you enough to leave. Maybe he loves you too much. He doesn't want to take advantage of you. And what you did, just leave him there, probably hurt him a whole lot." David wasn't usually this philosophical.

Blaine screamed into his pillow like a preteen girl. "What do I do?" He wailed loud enough for the boys down the hall to hear.

"There's nothing right now. Just wait a few days." David got up and left Blaine's room, closing the door behind him. Time for an intervention. He walked into Wes' room across the hall and looked pointedly at his best friend, who had obviously heard everything.

"We need to do something. This is getting out of hand." Wes nodded.

"Yeah, man. I've never seen Blaine so depressed. I can only imagine what Kurt's like."

David frowned. "But… What should we do? I've got nothing."

Wes was silent, and then suddenly grinned. "I have a plan."

xxxxx

"Kurt! You have to go to school! If you don't get up right now I will send Finn up, and he will pick out your outfit and carry you to school without letting you do your hair!"

"Wow, Dad," Kurt thought, "Harsh." But he got up nonetheless. Not that he wanted to, anyway. Might as well look semi-good. He was so pale from fear of Karofsky lately that no amount of foundation would fix it. He glanced at himself in the mirror, only pausing for a moment to see his reflection. And he almost gagged. He had dark circles under his eyes (probably from Blaine leaving; he hadn't been able to sleep since), although that seemed to be the only part of his face with any hint of color. His skin was pasty-white and… was that a wrinkle? No, thank god. Kurt had worked too hard on moisturizing daily for that to happen. Someone was bound to notice. Three days minus Blaine had taken its toll.

Kurt slumped downstairs, forfeiting breakfast for getting to school on time. He barely made it, with a minute to spare.

xxxxx

Lucky, Karofsky seemed to be absent that day. The only 'altercation' he had was when Azimio pushed him into the lockers. No biggie.

Kurt grabbed the mail before heading home. He called out "I'm home!" while shuffling through the letters. Junk, junk, jun- wait.

"Why in the heck is the Dalton seal on this letter?" That was definitely his name on it. Kurt shrugged and broke the seal on the back of the envelope.

Mr. Hummel,

You should consider yourself extremely lucky. Two anonymous Dalton students have graciously donated a sum of money sufficient enough to fund your stay at Dalton for the rest of this year and all of next year. They included this note: "Not Blaine." We hope you consider making the change from your school to our esteemed Dalton Academy for Boys.

Regards,
Headmaster Andrew Dorma (3)

Kurt blinked and reread the letter. Someone had donated tuition money? And it wasn't Blaine… It must've been Wes and David; they were the only other Dalton boys he knew. And the money was already there… From the letter, it seemed as though it would go away if he didn't use it. It was a huge amount of money; Kurt didn't want to be helpless, poor, charity case Kurt, but he didn't want to be arrogant, self-centered, uncaring Kurt either. Dilemma alert.

"Kurt, I'm home!" Burt Hummel walked through the doorway and looked curiously at his son, who was sitting at the kitchen table with his hand over his mouth, letter in hand. "What's that, son?"

"It's a letter." Kurt sounded lightheaded.

"I see that. Who's it from?"

"Dalton."

Burt sighed. "C'mon, Kurt, explain. More than one word, please."

"Two people made an anonymous donation to pay for two years at Dalton. For me."

Burt grinned. "That's great! But Kurt, think about it, first."

"Don't worry, Dad. I've decided already."

xxxxx

Kurt adjusted his striped tie and straightened his navy blazer. He would miss the uniqueness McKinley allowed him to express. He picked up a duffel bag in one hand and a box labeled 'Movies and Books' in the other. The other boxes were in the car. There was barely room for him, Finn, Carole, and his dad. One thing weighed heavily on his conscience, though. He hadn't told Blaine. Hadn't even talked to him, actually, since the dreadful semi-fight in the choir room 8 days ago. And he felt horrible about it. Kurt didn't know how he was ever going to move on from Blaine, and if he was supposed to. He wasn't really into that fate stuff, but something like this had never happened before, either. Kurt was nervous about changing schools, mad about the overturned expulsion of Karofsky, scared about Karofsky in general, upset about his lack of communication with Blaine, but most of all confused. Maybe all the emotions coursing through his head were the cause of the small headache that was gaining in strength every second he sat here. Kurt shook his head and left his room after one last glance, putting his duffel and the last box into the back of his Land Rover. He climbed in the backseat next to an impatient-looking Finn and another box. Carole and Burt sat in the front seats, Burt driving. He looked at Kurt in the rearview mirror, smiling softly.

"Finally ready?" He smirked.

Kurt looked at him sharply. "You're not the one leaving for a private school an hour away."

Burt didn't talk for the rest of the journey. No one did, actually, Carole reading a book, Finn playing some sort of PSP, Kurt texting Mercedes and a couple other Glee kids. Of course he had told them, and Mercedes had slapped him (not enough to hurt) and then nearly killed him with a boa-constrictor hug full of tears from both parties involved.

From: Mercedes
You better freakin visit, Kurt!

It almost made Kurt laugh. Typical Mercedes.

From: Kurt
Duh.

And then they were there. Kurt and his dad went to the front office to sign in, Carole and Finn staying behind in the car. A young-looking woman sat behind the desk, typing furiously at something. Burt cleared his throat, causing the woman to flick her head up.

"May I help you?"

"Yes, I'm here to register my son, Kurt. He's new."

"Oh, of course! Fill out this paperwork, please." She handed Burt a stack of papers maybe 10 thick. Burt sat down in a chair to fill them out. Kurt stayed standing.

"Yes?" The woman seemed puzzled.

"I was wondering if it's possible to put in a request for a roommate."

"You may! Here's the paper; you aren't guaranteed that roommate, though. Keep that in mind." Kurt nodded. The sheet had questions like "Requested roommate's name?", and "Your grade?". Kurt filled out the paper and gave it back to the woman, who looked it over. She typed something into her computer and smiled at Kurt.

"That student is available! Would you like me to sign your name into that room?"

"Yes, please." Kurt glowed, elated. Everything was going to be okay.

His dad finished the paperwork and gave it back, getting the key to Kurt's room and a map of the school. It seemed that the three boarding wings, or houses, were named after famous scientists. Darwin, Newton, and Einstein. Kurt was in Darwin. The two went back to the car to get boxes and Finn and Carole. Classes were going on currently, so the halls and dorms were empty.

They found the room with small difficulty, and Kurt unlocked the door. The dorm was huge. To Kurt's left was a bed, decorated with posters of Patti LuPone and RENT on the wall. The bed had soft blue sheets, and he breathed a sigh of relief. His green wouldn't clash. And with that, he turned his attention to his home for the next half a year. The bed was a queen, like his roommate's, but it was covered with white cotton sheets and had no pillow. The walls were barren. Kurt looked at the rest of the room. At the far end of the room, three doors sat. Two closets, Kurt presumed, and bathroom. Their own? Wow. He walked to his bed and set the duffel he was holding down on it. The bag contained his sixteen favorite -and interchangeable- outfits. It was rather upsetting to think that he had to wear a uniform for the rest of high school. Except weekends, which didn't really hold many days of the year anyway. Burt, Finn, and Carole set boxes on the floor, and Burt and Finn went to go get more.

Once they were gone, Kurt sighed and sat down on his bed heavily. "How am I going to live here? I'll miss you three too much." He spoke softly.

Carole joined him on the bed. "You'll get used to it. And you can see us on weekends. Plus, that Blaine boy you like is here."

Kurt looked at her. "How did you know I liked him?"

She laughed. "Woman's instinct. Plus, you never really stopped talking about him. And Burt told me about the kiss he walked in on. You should have seen his face when he told me! He blushed harder than you do!"

"Hey!" Kurt laughed, too.

"You'll be just fine. Now, help me start unpacking these." She gestured to the large amount of boxes piled on the floor next to his bed. Just then, Burt and Finn stumbled through the door heaving two boxes each in their arms. They were dropped on the floor.

"That's the last of 'em. Need help unpacking?" Finn faux-wiped sweat off his forehead jokingly.

Kurt smiled, but shook his head. "No, thanks. You'll probably just wrinkle my clothing. Thank you for your help, though."

Finn smiled, and hugged his stepbrother. "You have fun here. And if any of the guys give you a hard time, tell me." He looked kind of embarrassed to show his 'emotional side', so he reached over and gave Kurt a noogie, the latter yelping in protest and jumping halfway across the room. Burt and Carole laughed.

"Quit terrorizing your brother, Finn." Burt reprimanded lightly.

"Yes, Finn, stop using your superior height and muscle against me. I know where you live." Kurt looked at the quarterback creepily.

"Enough of that. Goodbye, Kurt. We'll all miss you." Carole spoke, Burt agreeing with her.

xxxxx

Blaine trudged through the halls back to his dorm. When he got there, he was surprised to see a note attached to his door with a title of "Mr. Anderson". He pulled the paper off the door.

Mr. Anderson,

We are pleased to inform you that we have found someone to serve as your roommate. This person has already arrived, and is currently in your dorm. We hope you find him to be agreeable.

Sincerely,
Headmaster Andrew Dorma

Blaine looked at the note, rereading it twice. They had found him a roommate? That was odd. Dalton may be no-bullying, but that didn't mean everyone was falling over themselves to be a gay guy's dorm-mate. He shrugged and tested the doorknob, finding it to be unlocked. He opened it and strode in. And then froze.

Why was Kurt in his room? Sitting on the empty bed… which was now decorated in green… Oh, crap. Kurt was his roommate? How, though?

The younger boy looked up from where he was reading a book, and smiled. He marked his place in the paperback and got up, walking to a shell-shocked Blaine.

"Hi." That was all he said, whispered, before he flung himself at the stunned boy, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in Blaine's neck. "I'm so, so sorry… I was being selfish…"

Blaine vaguely shook his head. "No, no, it's my fault. I freaked out; I shouldn't have reacted like that… I was worried for you, because of Karofsky, and I wanted you to come to Dalton because you would have been safer here, and also because I was thinking of myself, and Kurt, if he had confronted us again, I wouldn't have been able to defend you, and that terrified me. And Kurt, I hate being scared, so much. That's how I felt before, when everything was bad. When nothing," He swallowed, "Was certain, and everything was dangerous. When I was falling to pieces.

"Wait, but how are you even here? Is this a hallucination?" Blaine pinched his arm.

Kurt laughed, really laughed, for the first time in eight days. "I got a letter that said an anonymous donation had been made by two classmates, and that it basically would disappear if I refused. And it was probably Wes and David, anyway."

Blaine grinned. "I love those guys."

"And I love you." Kurt pulled back from hugging the older boy to look in his eyes. He smiled.

"I love you, too, Mr. I'm-going-to-move-to-Dalton-and-not-tell-my-boyfriend."

"Is that what we are?" Kurt's smile threatened to break his face in half.

"If you want." Blaine was suddenly unsure.

Kurt pressed his lips against Blaine's for a moment, then pulled back. "Of course," Was breathed on the older boy's neck, soft, panting. Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's petite waist, kissing him again.

xxxxx

(1) Hassen is German for 'To hate'.

(2) Tearily- I think I just made that up.

(3) Dorma is taken from Dumbledore. The '-dor' was put together with 'ma'. Andrew is random.

There will be one more chapter in this, and I'll most likely post them together, which makes this message unnecessary, but oh, well. Peace and Klaine ftw.

Also, if you don't have time to read it all, this first chapter is an okay place to stop. If you want to see all problems touched upon in this chapter resolved, continue on. There are new problems and a bit of humor in the second chapter, and in fact, I'm quite proud of it

P.S.: This is only in two chapters because at 26 pages Word Document decided to hate me and messed with my indentations. Grrr.