Chapter 1: I'm here, you're safe tonight.
"So how was school?" Burt Hummel asked his five year old son across the dinner table. Burt was a stocky bald man who wore the same baseball cap every single day to cover his shiny head. He was wearing worn out blue jeans, a black scruffy t-shirt and his overalls from working at his tire shop all day. He looked to his son for an answer.
Kurt finished chewing his tiny mouthful of pasta, before wiping his delicate hands on a handkerchief and answering his Dad. "It was alright, there's a new boy. He's the only one who hasn't made fun of me for my clothes yet." He stated matter-of-factly whilst he looked down at what he was wearing. He had on a pristine white shirt, with a silver bow tie and tight black jeans. Despite being five years old, he had fully acquired his own taste in fashion, and would only let either him or his Mum choose his outfits.
Elizabeth Hummel gave her son a squeeze on the shoulder and a kiss on the cheek, tucking her blonde curls behind her left ear whilst saying, "You look amazing, honey. Don't let it bother you." She smiled at him and patted his head before continuing, "So, what's this new boy like?" She questioned, eager for Kurt to make his first friend at school, most children were already making fun of him for being effeminate, and she was delighted at the news of a new boy who might not be so single minded.
"He didn't say anything, he just sat at the back of the class. He looked really scared, and he had lots and lots of boo-boo's all over him. Oh, and his clothes were all dirty and eugh." Kurt replied, shuddering at the thought of unclean clothes.
"Oh." Said Elizabeth, something wasn't sitting right with her, the new news of a scared child, with injuries and dirty clothes just did not sound right one little bit. "So, he didn't say anything at all?"
"Nope, and he started crying when the teacher yelled at Finn for talking in class. It was strange, Blaine wasn't even near them at all!"
"Well, make sure you're welcoming, sweetheart, remember how scary starting school can be." She replied half-heartedly noting down the name Blaine in her mind, and making sure that she would hold onto it for further investigation. "Why don't you go and play in your room? Mummy and Daddy need to talk about some grown up things."
"Okay." Kurt replied, as he bounced off in his own little world.
As soon as he was out of a hearing distance, Elizabeth turned to Burt and began to talk. "It may just be me overreacting, but something doesn't seem quite right about that does it?" She questioned. "I mean, scared, covered in bruises, crying when someone yells?"
"No, something is definitely wrong there." Burt sighed, adjusting his hat a little. "I guess we'd better find out, god knows nobody else in this damn town will care."
And so it was agreed that Burt would be picking Kurt up from school and Elizabeth would wait in the playground with him, and attempt to find out more about this Blaine kid who sounded like he needed some help.
Sure enough, the next day a battered looking 5 year old, left Kurt's classroom dragging his feet behind him as he walked home from school alone. Elizabeth followed behind but not so close that he would notice, she kept expecting a parent to at least meet him halfway home, but he kept walking and walking further away from school, all by himself. When he reached the house next door to her own, he sat on the front step, and wiped away a singular tear. Elizabeth knew a man had moved in next door a few weeks ago, but she had never seen a son around. She kept her distance and waited.
A few hours passed and a drunk man swaggered up to the doorstep and grabbed Blaine by his already stretched collar, and dragged him inside. Elizabeth saw more tears fall down his face as he was dragged away before the door slammed shut. She walked a little but closer, and could hear cries of pain coming from the house, and the words "Please Dad! I'll be good! I'm sorry!" being cried out. She felt physically sick, and knocked on the door, hoping the cruel man would answer the door, leaving the poor child alone for a while.
Nobody answered though, and the cries persisted. She backed away from the house as she heard the cries soften and footsteps come closer to the front door. The tall man left the house, shouting back, "I'll be home whenever, do whatever you want, it won't make me hate you any more or less than I already do." He waved a hand in dismissal and walked away, leaving the door wide open. Elizabeth waited for him to be far enough away, before she entered the house, through the still open door and found Blaine curled up on the living room floor. She ignored the stench of alcohol as she entered the room and knelt down by the injured child.
He looked up at her with watery eyes and sat up straight, backing away from her. "Please, please don't hurt me." He whispered. "Please."
"I'm not here to hurt you." She promised, and held out her hand softly, so he could make the first contact, and know to trust her. Surely enough, soon Blaine had grabbed hold of her soft and looked up at her with hopeful eyes. "When do you think your Dad will be home, sweetheart?"
"N-n-not until tomorrow at least." He answered, shaking slightly and holding onto Elizabeth's hand like a lifeline.
"Good, do you know Kurt Hummel?" She asked softly, stroking her thumb over the back of his hand. He nodded in reply. "Well, I'm his Mummy, would you maybe like to come to our house, we live next door and we can give you dinner, you can sleep in Kurt's room with him and we can make sure you're safe tonight. I don't like the idea of you sleeping alone."
Blaine's eyes widened, "Really? Is-is that alright?" He asked shyly.
"Of course it is sweetheart, would you like a hug first?" She asked and his eyes filled with tears as he ran forward into her arms.
"Thank you Mrs. Hummel. I can't remember anyone giving me a hug before." He said softly as the tears rolled off of his cheeks and onto Elizabeth's shoulder.
"Call me Elizabeth, Blaine. And it's my pleasure. Now come on, dinner will be being served." She picked him up off of the floor as he clung onto her, still hugging her tightly as she left the house and brought him next door.
The prospect of dinner was overwhelming for Blaine, he wasn't lying when he said he'd never been hugged. His mother had died during childbirth and his father had blamed him for it since the day he was born. Blaine's grandmother had looked after him until he was 1, when she had passed away and he had been left with his father who fed him once a day until he was 4, and then left him to his own devices. He hadn't eaten a hot meal in over a year, and he didn't know where to begin.
Burt had seen how slim Blaine was and had given him an enormous portion of food, but Blaine was completely clueless as to how to eat it. He had no idea how to use a knife or fork, but he observed Kurt's slender hands cutting up his own food, and tried to copy what he was doing. After about 17 unsuccessful attempts at cutting his chicken, he gave up and just stopped eating altogether. "Blaine is something wrong?" Kurt whispered into his ear.
"I've never learnt to cut up my food before..." He admitted, with his head hanging low in shame.
"Is that all? You could just ask! I only learnt a couple of weeks ago! Daddy, please can you cut up Blaine's food for him?" Kurt asked, looking over at his Dad as Blaine blushed in shame.
"Of course, why didn't you just ask Blaine?" Burt laughed, as he got up and began to cut up Blaine's food.
"I didn't want to get in any trouble." Blaine whispered, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Hey," Burt began, raising Blaine's chin slightly, "I promise you, right here and right now, that as long as you're inside this house, nobody will ever hurt you, okay?"
"Okay." Blaine nodded, smiling a little. "Thank you Mr. Hummel."
"Call me Burt, kiddo." He said as he adjusted his cap and sat back down at his at the table.
The rest of the meal went smoothly, and Kurt and Blaine started to chat and make friends, Elizabeth and Burt looked at each other, smiling proudly at the sight of the boy they knew would sleep well tonight for the first time in ages, and the boy who had just made his very first friend.
Soon enough it was time for both the boys to go to bed, Kurt leant Blaine his power ranger pyjamas, and Burt set up an inflatable bed next to Kurt's for Blaine to sleep on. Elizabeth came in and kissed both boys on the head and wished them a goodnight's sleep. She left the door half open and turned off the light. Blaine heard Kurt yawn and roll over, but he couldn't sleep. He was too frightened. What if his Dad found him? What if he hit him again, he hated it when his Dad hit him. He could feel his bruises ache at the thought of it.
"Kurt?" He whispered into the darkness.
"Yeah?" Came a response from his left hand side.
"I can't sleep. I'm too scared, what if my Daddy finds me?"
"I'm confused, I thought Daddies were nice?"
"No. Your Daddy is nice and kind but my Daddy hits me all of the time and says I'm bad." Blaine sniffed as a tear trickled down his tiny cheekbone.
"You don't seem bad though..." Kurt said softly.
"I don't think I am." Blaine replied as he sniffed again.
"Blaine, are you crying?" Kurt asked worriedly.
"N-no."
"But I can hear you, do you want to come and sleep in my bed with me? I can give you a hug until you fall asleep, that's what my Daddy does when I can't sleep." Blaine didn't need telling twice, before you could count to 2, he was climbing into Kurt's bed and throwing his arms around his new best friend crying softly as he did so. "Please don't cry Blaine. You're my first ever bestest friend, please don't be sad. I'm here, you're safe tonight." Blaine sniffed slightly but stopped crying. Before they knew it, they were both deeply asleep in each other's arms, for the first, but most certainly not the last time.
The next evening, after school, Blaine walked into his house alone, the front door wasn't locked so he was able to get in today. He gripped the walkie-talkie in his pocket tightly as he entered. Burt had given it to him that morning, so that he could go home to avoid getting into more trouble, but make sure that he could phone over at any time to get inside the Hummel household if his Dad hit him. He thought the coast was clear, and was about to leave and go the Hummel's with the knowledge his Dad wasn't going to tell him off for running away when a strong hand grabbed painfully him by the shoulder. He yelped slightly as he felt himself being picked up and thrown into a wall.
"Go to your room, you bag of shit. I don't want to have to look at you tonight. I'll be gone by the time you leave for school, so stay out of my sight. I can't be fucked to deal with your crap tonight scumbag." John Anderson spat in his son's face, hit him in the stomach and watched as Blaine scrambled into his room.
When he got into his room, he locked the door. He knew full well that his Father wouldn't have any intention of coming in, or taking to him, anyway. He picked up his walkie-talkie and buzzed in, Elizabeth immediately answered him. "Blaine, are you okay?"
"Daddy's home." Blaine sighed into the mouthpiece.
" Are you alright? Did he hit you? Do you need me to do anything?" She panicked as her stomach twisted into knots at the thought of 5 year old Blaine bleeding to death.
"It's not that bad, but I can't get out of the house tonight, so can I speak to Kurt a but later on please. He helps me sleep so well."
"Of course sweetie. Is there anything I can do?"
"No thank you, you've helped me lots and lots already Elizabeth." Blaine smiled slightly.
"It's nothing, darling. I'll get Kurt to buzz in at 7 alright?"
"Yes, thank you. Bye bye." Blaine said politely as he ended the communication.
As promised, at 7 on the dot, Blaine heard Kurt's voice come out of the speaker on his walkie-talkie. "Blaineeee? Are you thereee?" He smiled at the sound of his best friend's voice, and talked to him until he fell asleep.
A few months later Kurt was tucked up in bed trying to get to sleep when he heard a knocking on the door downstairs. That was odd. He couldn't possible think of anyone who would be knocking at half past 8 at night. It had become routine that Blaine would come and sleep over if his Dad wasn't going to be home that night, and when he was, Kurt would talk to him until he fell asleep and then Blaine would arrive the next morning for breakfast. Everyone had pretty much settled into the unusual family life they now led, and whilst they were uncomfortable with how Blaine was treated, they knew that they would probably worsen the situation by getting the police or themselves involved, and by now they all cared to much for poor tiny Blaine to put him at more risk than he already was.
But, somehow, Kurt could hear Blaine's voice coming from downstairs and it sounded like he was crying, a lot. He heard his Mummy leave and his Daddy let out a sigh and curse John Anderson under his breath. He pretended he didn't hear anything and went to sleep.
3 hours later, he was awoken by a familiar body climbing into his bed (Burt had long since given up on putting up the inflatable one too). But there was something covering his arm. "Blaine?" Kurt asked into the darkness. Blaine turned on the bedside lamp and sat up, he winced a little as he did so.
Kurt gasped at the sight of his best friend. He had stitches in his head and his arm in a cast, and his chest had a hand shaped bruise in the centre of it. "What happened?" Kurt gasped. Blaine's bottom lips began to quiver and tears formed in his eyes. Kurt opened up his arms, and Blaine fell into them as he openly sobbed into his best friends shoulder.
"Did your Daddy do it?" Kurt whispered. Blaine nodded into his shoulder and cried some more. Eventually, Blaine calmed down a little and both boys lied down. Kurt had a look at his broken best friend and had an idea. Just like his Mum would do for him when he scraped his knee, he pressed a gentle kiss to Blaine's arm, his chest and his head. "All better." He whispered.
"Did you kiss it better?" Blaine giggled slightly.
"Of course." Kurt giggled back, "It's the only way! My Mummy always does it and it makes me feel much better afterwards." He switched off the light and snuggled up with Blaine in his arms. "Do you feel better now?"
"Lots and lots." Blaine smiled as he drifted off to sleep.