Chapter Summary

Glee's "Never Been Kissed."

Disclaimer

I do not own Glee. This fic contains characters that were created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan and dialog that was written by Brad Falchuk.

In Which I Make a Friend, Nothing More

I absentmindedly drummed my fingers on my desk, keeping one eye on the clock and one ear on Professor Freidman's lecture on the War of 1812.

Thursday mornings were usually long and painful, and today was no exception. Professor Friedman was doing his best to make a war that happened almost 200 years ago seem interesting and relevant, but he was fighting a losing battle. And to make matters worse, I was even more distracted than usual today due to the fact that Wes had sent a mass text to all the Warblers this morning:

Teenage Dream in the senior commons after 1st period. Blaine leads. Bring your energy! -W

I hadn't bothered to send Wes a response, knowing full well that this wasn't a request. As excited as I was to perform, the timing wasn't ideal. My second class of the day was economics with Professor Carmichael, who was something of a punctuality Nazi.

I was running through the lyrics in my head for the millionth time (I had a thing about forgetting lyrics) when the bell rang, jolting me from my reverie and cueing a swarm pre-performance butterflies. I quickly packed up my things and ran out the door, wanting to get there as quickly as possible.

The hallways were noisy with excited chatter; it looked like Wes had done an excellent job of advertising the impromptu performance. I started running through the lyrics in my head yet again and quickly checked the time.

And then a high, soft voice interrupted my abstraction.

"Excuse me?"

I turned to find a tall, attractive boy looking at me with the most spectacular blue eyes I had ever seen. He wasn't dressed in the Dalton Academy uniform, although he was wearing what looked like an amusing parody of one: a dark navy jacket with a red tie and grey plaid shorts with black boots. I recognized the shorts from the pages of last month's Vogue. My gaydar twitched.

He spoke again. "Um, hi. Can I ask you a question? I'm-I'm new here."

A mid-semester transfer? That's unusual. I wonder why he doesn't have a uniform yet.

I offered him my hand. "My name's Blaine."

"Kurt," he replied, briefly shaking my hand and then indicating the mayhem on the staircase around us. "So what exactly is going on?"

"The Warblers," I informed him, noticing all the Warblers rushing past us in the hallway. I was going to be late if I didn't hurry. "Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the senior commons. It tends to shut the school down for awhile."

"So, wait, the glee club here's kind of cool?" He looked surprised.

"The Warblers are like rock stars," I assured him, and then made a quick decision. "Come on, I know a shortcut." Hoping I wasn't being too forward, I reached over and took his hand in mine. The energy between our hands was intense, but I kept a firm grip and led him down the staircase and through a rarely-used back hallway.

I moved quickly, not wanting to be too late for our next class, and he easily kept pace with me. We didn't speak, but it wasn't awkward. Every now and then I'd steal a glance his way, but I don't think he noticed.

I didn't let go of his hand until we were at the senior commons.

"Ooh, I stick out like a sore thumb." He looked around the room self-consciously. He was the only one not in a Dalton uniform.

The Warblers had noticed my arrival, and I heard them start in on their harmonies behind me. I decided to strut my stuff a little bit.

I leaned towards Kurt to flash him a smile and adjust his lapel (which didn't really need adjusting). "Well, next time, don't forget your jacket, new kid. You'll fit right in." I grinned as his eyes danced. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

I turned around and started singing, right on cue.

At first it seemed like Kurt was uncomfortable. His eyes kept darting around the room as if on the lookout for some unknown danger. But after awhile he relaxed and started getting into it. I tried to relax him by shooting him a few flirty glances and singling him out as my teenage dream. His flushed cheeks and shy smile were an encouraging surprise.

When the song ended, the room burst out in applause and I was swarmed by the other Warblers, still high on the adrenaline of the performance. I was going to start making my way back over to Kurt when I was ambushed on either side by Wes and David and drug off to the opposite side of the room.

"Blaine!" Wes's tone was teasing. "Who is this you brought to watch us sing? Is this a new boyfriend?"

I felt my cheeks color. "No, Wes, I only just met him. He stopped me in the hall on my way here and asked for directions. He's new."

David's eyes narrowed. "Blaine, he doesn't even have a uniform. Did it not occur to you that he could be a spy, sent from another school? Sectionals are only a few weeks away."

I shook my head. "Honestly, David, I didn't even think about that. My first impression was that maybe... he's curious about the school? Maybe he came here for the same reason I did? I mean, he's obviously gay. Look at him." I nodded my head slightly towards Kurt. "Look at the stitching on that jacket. It looks amazing on him. And I'm pretty sure that's a Jack Georges bag."

Kurt was still standing a little awkwardly at the door of the commons, looking like he didn't know what to do next. I caught his eye and motioned that I'd be there in just a minute. He smiled and nodded.

I turned back to David and Wes and found them exchanging a look.

"What?" I demanded.

"You like him." Wes beamed.

"You said he looked amazing." David narrowed his eyes, clearly less approving than Wes. "That's fraternizing with the enemy!"

"Whatever. Look. If you guys think he's a spy, then I'll go find out. I'll see you guys at lunch." I quickly left my friends and made my way through the thinning crowd in the commons, returning Kurt's infectious smile as I approached.

"That was wonderful," he gushed. "You were so good!"

"Thanks! The guys are pretty awesome. They do most of the work."

"Yeah, I can see that. A cappella arrangements are a lot more work than what we're used to." He caught his slip immediately. "I-I mean, what I was used to... from my old school," he finished unconvincingly.

"So it is true?" I asked. "Some of the other Warblers think you're here to spy on us to see what we have prepared for sectionals."

His face turned a bright pink and he fumbled for his words. "I-I... I mean..."

I was surprisingly disappointed that he wasn't going to be a student here.

"I-I'm sorry," he finally said. "I go to William McKinley High. It's a public school in Lima. It's about two hours northwest of here."

He looked terrified. Did he think I was going to beat him up or something?

I smiled at him and reached over to gently squeeze his arm. His blush was adorable. "Relax. It's not a big deal. That wasn't even a sectionals piece. I just really like Katy Perry and the rest of the guys put up with it. We were just fooling around. We do this all the time."

He seemed to relax a bit at this, and I quickly checked my watch. Professor Carmichael was going to kill me if I didn't get to class, like, now. I made another quick decision.

"Listen, I have to get to class, but I'd really like to see you again. Can I buy you a coffee sometime?"

Kurt looked stunned. He opened his mouth, paused, and then closed it again.

Am I really that intimidating? He can't even respond?

"You can come back here and I'll introduce you to some of the guys," I prompted. Maybe he was uncomfortable with the idea of being alone with me? Was I too pushy with the flirting during the song?

"Um, sure," he finally said. "I mean, yeah, okay."

I quickly opened one of my notebooks and wrote down my phone number on the corner of an unused sheet.

"It was nice meeting you, Kurt," I said, flashing him a reassuring grin as I ripped out the scrap of paper and handed it to him.

"You too, Blaine."

I let my gaze linger a moment longer before I turned and hurried down the hallway, already late for class.

I couldn't wait to hear from him.

"I knew it!" David exclaimed. "I told you he was a spy."

I rolled my eyes across the lunch table in his general direction. "I don't see what difference it makes, David. Like I said, he didn't see anything that important. We were just fooling around. No harm done."

"I agree, although I think it's unusual that his glee club sent only him." Wes mused. "You know, strength in numbers and all that. And he certainly isn't, um... well, he doesn't really seem up to a fight. Weren't they worried that we might retaliate?"

"Yeah, I don't know," I said, distractedly pushing the food around on my plate. "Maybe he knows about the harassment policy? I mean, he obviously did some research on our dress code, so it doesn't seem that far-fetched that he would know a few other things about us, too. He could have read about it on the website or something and then volunteered to come alone. That's how I found Dalton." I said this last sentence quietly, looking away from Wes and David. They knew I didn't like to talk about my old high school.

"Yeah, it's possible." Wes agreed quickly, not pushing the subject.

"Well, hopefully we'll find out soon. I gave him my phone number."

Wes and David both grinned. "We knew it!" they said in unison.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a text from an unknown number. I opened it.

Hey, this is Kurt. Just wanted to give you my number. It was really nice meeting you today.

I smiled and immediately sent a text back.

Likewise. Is tomorrow too soon for coffee?

I barely had time to save his number in my phone before it buzzed again.

No, that sounds great. When?

4?

See you then!

When I looked up from my phone, I found Wes and David both watching me with a pair of amused expressions.

"What?"

"You tell us," David smirked. "You look like you just won the lottery."

"Um, no, that was Kurt. We're all meeting for coffee tomorrow after school. I'd told him I'd introduce him to some of the guys. And you have to promise to be nice!"

Wes and David exchanged a glance. "We'll be nice if you buy the coffee."

"Deal."

The next day, my butterflies were back, and this time it had nothing to do with a Warblers performance. I did my best to concentrate on my classes but ended up being a useless bundle of nerves for most of the day.

When the last bell finally rang, I rushed to the cafeteria. I had decided to ask Kurt to meet me in the cafeteria since it was a pretty public place, which I hoped would make him more comfortable. After looking around to make sure I was the first one there, I went to stand in the line at the counter.

I was about halfway up the line when I saw Kurt come in. I waved to get his attention from across the room, and then motioned that he should find us a table. He nodded and sat down at an empty one near the door.

I was admiring Kurt's outfit (he was wearing just the front panel of a jacket over another jacket; how adorable was he?) when Wes and David came in. I caught their attention and they made their way over to me, waving and smiling at Kurt on their way.

"Hey, guys," I said as they approached.

"He looks nervous," David nodded his head towards Kurt.

"It's adorable that he's scared of you, Blaine." Wes cracked.

I rolled my eyes and ignored their teasing until we finally got to the counter. I ordered the coffee, paid, and stood off to the side with the guys to wait for our order.

"Now, Blaine," Wes said seriously, "As a member of the Warblers council, I feel it's my duty to remind you that you should refrain from discussing anything to do with the Warblers while in Kurt's presence."

"Yes, master," I said mockingly. "Thou shall not doubt my allegiance to the esteemed organization that is the Dalton Academy Warblers."

"Good," Wes nodded, satisfied.

When our order was ready, we took the coffees and made our way back to Kurt. He looked nervous as he watched the three of us approach find places to sit at the table.

"Latte?" I handed Kurt one of the cups and then indicated to each of my friends. "This is Wes and David."

Kurt's eyes took in the two newcomers. Despite his obvious unease, he stood tall in his seat. "It's very civilized for you to invite me for coffee before you beat me up for spying," he deadpanned.

Wes laughed. "We are not going to beat you up," he assured Kurt.

"We thought you were such a terrible spy, it was sort of endearing." David pitched in.

"Which made me think spying on us wasn't really the reason you came." I said. This seemed to strike a nerve with Kurt as he took a short moment before responding.

"Can I ask you guys a question?" he asked. When we all nodded, he continued. "Are you guys all gay?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at the stereotype Kurt had jumped to. An all-male school was every gay man's dream, right? "Uh, no," I said, quick to dispel his theory. "I mean, I am, but these two have girlfriends."

"This is not a gay school," David explained. "We just have a zero tolerance harassment policy."

"Everybody gets treated the same no matter what they are," Wes added. "It's pretty simple."

I watched Kurt carefully as he processed that information. It was obvious that he hadn't known about Dalton's bullying policy before now. His composure was weakening.

"Would you guys excuse us?" I asked of my friends. They understood immediately and quickly jumped out of their seats.

"Take it easy, Kurt." Wes shot Kurt a reassuring smile and he and David left.

I waited until they were safely out of earshot before I spoke again.

"I take it you're having trouble at school," I prodded gently.

"I'm the only person out of the closet at my school." Kurt's voice was tired but strong. "And I-I try to stay strong about it but there's this Neanderthal who's made it his mission to make my life a living hell. And nobody seems to notice."

My heart broke for him. I knew exactly what he was going through.

"I know how you feel," I said. "I got taunted at my old school and it really pissed me off. I even complained about it to the faculty, and they were sympathetic and all, but you could just tell that nobody really cared. It was like, hey, if you're gay, your life's just going to be miserable. Sorry. Nothing we can do about it."

Kurt diverted his eyes in pain when I said this. I wondered if he had ever been told something similar.

"So I left." I continued. "I came here. Simple as that. So you have two options. I mean, I'd love to tell you to just come enroll here, but tuition at Dalton's sort of steep and I know that's not an option for everybody. Or, you can refuse to be the victim. Prejudice is just ignorance, Kurt. You have a chance right now to teach him."

"How?" he asked.

"Confront him! Call him out! I ran, Kurt. I didn't stand up. I let those bullies chase me away and it's something that I really, really regret."

"Well, you can hardly blame yourself for that," Kurt said softly. "Of course you'd rather be here. This place sounds wonderful. I can't even imagine it."

My heart sank even further, and I felt a strong compulsion to protect this boy sitting in front of me.

"Listen Kurt, if you ever need anything I don't want you to hesitate to call me. Day or night. I know exactly what you're going through right now, and it helps to have someone to talk to about it."

Kurt blushed. "Ok. That would be nice. Thank you, Blaine."

"Are you kidding? It's my pleasure. And anyway, I need a little excitement in my life." I wiggled my eyebrows at him to lighten the mood, and it worked. His laugh was beautiful.

"I do have more excitement than I know what to do with," he agreed tiredly. "I'm more than happy to share. But for now, I should get back to Lima. It's a school night, and I have homework."

"Ok," I said. "Let me walk you out."

We stood and collected our things, throwing our empty cups in the trash on the way out the door. When we left the cafeteria, I looped my arm through Kurt's and let him lead me to where he was parked. We walked in silence, and like yesterday, it was completely comfortable.

When he led me to a black Escalade in the parking lot, I grinned.

"Nice car!"

"Thanks." He climbed in and rolled down his window before closing his door so we could talk. "It's my baby."

"I bet you don't get very good gas mileage, though." I leaned against his car door, wondering if Kurt felt the same butterflies that I did by this close proximity. His eyes were even bluer up close. "I think next time it's my turn to come visit you."

Kurt just gripped the steering wheel and stared at me with wide blue eyes. Damn it, Blaine! Think before you talk! He came here to talk to you, not get hit on!

"Or whatever," I said quickly. "Just let me know. Bye, Kurt."

I turned and walked away before I could say anything else stupid.

I spent the weekend trying to do homework but instead thinking about Kurt. I finally arrived at two important conclusions.

First, it was clear that Kurt had no interest in anything other than a completely platonic relationship with me. His discomfort with my disastrous attempt at flirting was obvious and I wasn't so stupid as to continue to push things.

Second, I would rather be Kurt's friend than nothing at all. He was an amazing person, and I was willing to settle for whatever kind of relationship he was comfortable with. And anyways, I knew exactly what he was going through at McKinley and I could help him through it. As a friend.

By Monday morning, it was decided: I was going to be the best friend Kurt Hummel had ever had. I took out my phone and sent him a quick text before the first bell rang.

Courage - - - Blaine

The day passed fairly quickly. The Dalton curriculum was challenging, and I pretty well distracted myself from thoughts of Kurt by concentrating on my schoolwork. I hadn't gotten nearly as much done this last weekend as I had intended, and I had to make up for it.

After the last bell rang, I met up with Wes, David, Thad, Jeff and Nick (as per usual) in one of the rarely-used common rooms to study. Jeff, Nick and I all had a calculus test the next morning, so we quickly made ourselves comfortable at a table and threw ourselves into the text and notes.

I was so engrossed in integrals that I jumped a little when Wes cleared his throat in the otherwise silent room.

"So, uh... what did you and Kurt talk about after we left yesterday?"

I looked up and was greeted by two eager faces in Wes and David and three confused faces in Thad, Jeff and Nick. I hesitated. Kurt barely knew Wes and David and hadn't even met the others. Kurt would probably be mortified if I shared such personal information about him.

"The spy who was at Teenage Dream last week," I explained for Thad, Jeff and Nick. "I invited him back the day after and we talked for awhile. But I really can't say anything else," I said, turning to Wes and David. "I'm sorry. It's just... it's not my place, you know?"

Wes and David both reluctantly nodded and we all went back to studying. After awhile, Wes broke the silence again.

"Did you ask him out?"

I sighed, this time not bothering to look up from my textbook. "No. He made it pretty clear he's not interested."

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Jeff was exchanging glances with Wes and David. Nobody said anything else, though, so I dropped it and returned to my homework.

It was awhile later when my phone vibrated in my pocket, causing me to jump again. I quickly glanced at the screen, annoyed at the interruption until I saw it was a text from Kurt.

Hey, are you busy?

Not really, I'm just studying. What's up?

I took your advice. I confronted him.

Kurt, that's great! How did it go?

I waited anxiously for his reply, chewing on my thumbnail.

I'd prefer to tell you in person. If that's ok?

My heart sank. So it didn't go well?

Of course. Where and when?

He sent me the address of a coffee shop in Bellefontaine, which was about halfway between Lima and Dalton. I took that to mean the sooner, the better.

I'm on my way.

Jeff shot me a quizzical look when I started packing up my books. "I'm meeting Kurt," I explained. "I've got to go. I'll see you guys later, ok?" I didn't wait for a response before rushing out of the room.

Kurt was already sitting at a table when I arrived. He looked visibly shaken but he smiled when he caught my eye as I came in the door.

I scrutinized his appearance as I quickly made my way over to him. I was relieved to see that he didn't have any obvious bruises on his face or hands, but he looked like he had been through the wringer. I smiled when I saw that he already had two coffees, one in his hand and the other sitting at the empty spot across the table from him.

"Hey," I said, sliding into my chair. "Thank you for the coffee."

"You're welcome," he said quietly. He sounded so tired. "It was my turn."

I smiled and appreciatively took a sip. Now that I was sitting directly across from him, I noticed that his eyes, which were more gray than blue today, were red and puffy. He had been crying. "Are you ok, Kurt?"

He took a deep breath and studied me for awhile, and I instantly recognized his hesitance. Kurt wasn't used to talking about this kind of stuff, mostly because he hadn't had anyone to talk to before he met me, and he was having a hard time being vulnerable. I reached across the table and took his hand in mine.

"You can trust me, Kurt," I said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. I know exactly what you're going through. You can let me in."

He considered this for few seconds, took another deep breath and started talking. He didn't let go of my hand, which was fine with me.

"Ok. So, like I said, I took your advice. I, uh... I sort of confronted one of my bullies. The worst one, actually – the Neanderthal that I was telling you about. His name is Dave Karofsky. He pushed me into the lockers this morning –"

I winced at this, but Kurt quickly brushed it off.

"That's normal. It's actually kind of a daily occurrence. But I'm just so sick of it, you know? And I had been thinking about our conversation all morning, and I just... went for it. I chased him into the locker room, a-and –"

His voice broke and I gently squeezed his hand, silently letting him know that I was right here. I waited patiently for him to continue.

"He... I said some things, and then he told me not to push him, and I-I..." Kurt was starting to lose his composure again, and I fought the urge to leave my chair to move closer to him. I hated to see him in pain like this.

I gripped his hand even tighter when I saw a tear roll down his face. A strong wave of emotion rolled over me that I couldn't quite name.

"... and then he... kissed me."

My eyebrows shot up. This Neanderthal liked Kurt?

"It was out of the middle of nowhere. I didn't know what to do. And then... and then he went to kiss me again, but I couldn't... I mean..." Kurt shuddered at the memory and wrapped his arms around himself. "So I pushed him away. And then he got pissed again, punched a locker, and stormed out." He finished in a rush, as if he just wanted to be done with it.

I had listened to Kurt's story in silence, carefully watching his face the entire time. I couldn't believe how brave this boy was. He found the courage to confront his bully, and I had never even come close.

"Kurt," I started, "I'm so sorry that happened. I feel terrible about it. This is obviously all my fault, after our conversation yesterday, and –"

"No, Blaine," he cut me off in a voice that surprisingly forceful, considering the tears that were still wet on his face. "Don't you dare put this on yourself. What I did today was my decision, and what Karofsky did today was his decision. None of this is your fault. Okay?"

He shot me a rather terrifying diva look and I immediately nodded, unwilling to argue with this new dominant side of Kurt.

"So," he continued easily, "I've been thinking about it all day, and I'm going to confront him again tomorrow."

What? "What?"

"It's like you said, Blaine, prejudice is just ignorance. He's obviously confused and scared and dealing with a lot of stuff right now, and I understand that better than anybody else at McKinley. I can help him with this."

It was then that I realized that Kurt had made the connection that Karofsky was gay, but not that he had feelings for Kurt.

It was also then that I realized how big of a heart Kurt had. How could he possibly feel compassion towards this person who is making his life a nightmare?

"Kurt, you could get seriously hurt. Look at what he did to you today! He assaulted you! He's obviously dangerous, and probably unstable. At least let me be there when you talk to him."

Kurt sighed. "Blaine, it's really nice of you to offer, but please don't feel obligated to do this, ok? I didn't ask to see you today to recruit a bodyguard. I just... I don't want you getting hurt." His anxiously twisted his fingers together and I pushed away the impulse to take his hands in mine to soothe the anxious movement.

"And you think I'm not worried about the same thing with you? I'm coming with, Kurt." I said matter-of-factly. "Now, I have a calc test tomorrow morning that I can't miss, but I can make it to Lima around lunchtime, so any time after that will work for me. When do you want to do this?"

"Um," Kurt gulped, "might as well get it over with, I suppose. Lunchtime would be ok."

"Lunchtime it is. I'll text you when I get close so you can let me know where to go."

"Ok." Kurt checked the time on his cell phone and sighed. "I should get going. I have homework."

"Yeah," I nodded. "Me, too."

We stood up and threw our empty coffee cups in the trash on the way out.

"I'll call you tomorrow?" I asked when we reached the parking lot.

Kurt nodded. "Tomorrow."

I gave him a quick hug and watched him walk the short distance to his Escalade before getting into my own car.

I thought of him the whole drive home.

I got back to the dorms well after dinner, but I didn't care. I dug around in the back of my closet until I found some cookies that Mom had sent a few days ago. These would do for now.

I brought the cookies over to my desk and fired up my laptop, reluctantly starting a research project for history. Who cares about a war that happened almost two hundred years ago?

I worked in silence for awhile before Jeff threw open the door to our shared room with a huge sigh. I spun around in my chair, thankful for the distraction.

"Hey," I said. "Long night?"

"You could say that. I loathe integrals. How did it go with Kurt?"

"Not bad. I'm driving up to Lima right after the test tomorrow to help him with something."

Jeff frowned. "What about class?"

"I don't think it'll be a problem. I'll miss French, but I have a study period right after lunch and gym after that, and Mr. Linder has always liked me. I'll definitely be back in time for Warblers practice."

"So, this is, what, the third or fourth time you've seen this guy in less than a week? You must really like him." Jeff's tone was light and teasing, but he was watching me intently, waiting for my answer.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "I don't know. I guess so. But like I said, it really doesn't matter because I'm pretty sure he doesn't feel the same way."

"I don't know, Blaine. He seemed into you from what I saw."

"That was just because the Warblers are amazing," I reasoned. "Especially when we do Katy Perry. Who doesn't love Katy Perry?"

"Wes and David said that he couldn't keep his eyes off you."

"I seriously doubt that, Jeff. And really, I'm fine with just being friends with Kurt. He's a good person. I just like spending time with him."

"I don't think you'll be able to do it."

"Do what?" I frowned.

"To just be friends with him. I know you, Blaine. You're too compulsive and you have a terrible filter. It'll never work. You'll end up professing your love for him within a week."

I sighed and flopped down on my bed, abandoning my homework.

I hoped Jeff was wrong.

I dominated my calc test the next morning (thanks to the extra studying the day before) and ended up leaving Dalton a little earlier than planned. I sent Kurt a quick text before I pulled out of the parking lot and he confirmed that I would get there well before lunch.

When I got to McKinley, I found a parking spot and sent him a text to let him know I was there. The lot was empty of people, so I assumed that he was still in class and settled back to wait. I had just opened up my Twitter app and started scrolling through the feed when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.

I was pleasantly surprised when I looked up and saw Kurt walking towards my car. Well, more like swaying towards my car. His movements were so graceful, like a dancer. And his smile was dazzling. He wore a blue jacket that hugged his hips and made his eyes seem even bluer.

I quickly stashed my phone in my jacket pocket, jumped out and locked the doors behind me just as he reached me.

"Hi," he smiled.

"Hey there. Shouldn't you be in class, young man?" I lifted an eyebrow, trying to look authoritative.

"I was too nervous to go to class," he admitted. "I wouldn't have been able to pay attention anyway. And it's just French class. I already speak it better than the teacher."

I raised my eyebrows but he didn't say anything further. He started walking and I let him lead me away from my car towards the back of the school. We walked slowly, since we had some time to kill. He kept a safe distance between us, which was either meant to protect him in our hostile surroundings or a sign of his discomfort with me. I hoped it was the former. I was concerned about his near-constant state of anxiety, and I wondered how he managed to deal with it all.

"There's no need to be nervous," I assured him. "All we're going to do is talk. Do you know where he's going to be?"

"He'll come out of that door over there and he'll be headed in that direction." Kurt pointed as he spoke. "So I figure we'll just meet him on those stairs over there."

I eyed Kurt. "You know his schedule?"

"I know a lot of people's schedules. It's a vital part of staying out of harm's way in this place." His tone was bitter. Suddenly, he spun and faced me. "Blaine, you know you don't have to do this."

"Shush. We're not having this argument again. Let's go." I gently pushed him forward and he reluctantly continued walking, anxiously chewing on a fingernail.

"I'm awful at French." I said conversationally, trying to distract him. "I always have been. Italian comes a lot easier to me."

He quirked an eyebrow at me. "Really? I've always wanted to learn Italian. It's so romantic."

"You think so? I think French is so much more romantic than Italian. It's the language of love!"

Kurt blushed furiously, and I struggled with being both disappointed and pleased for causing that. I decided to change the subject to a safer one, one that he was obviously interested in: fashion.

"You look good today," I blurted out without thinking, and then froze, realizing what I had said and how it sounded in context with my previous statement. Kurt's cheeks were still bright pink. I cringed. Maybe Jeff was right. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Thank you," he said in a small voice. We arrived at the bottom of a staircase and Kurt stopped to lean against a railing. "We can wait here until the bell rings."

I nodded, and then decided to give proper conversation another stab. "Is that a Jack Georges?" I asked, indicating his bag.

That was definitely the right thing to say. "It is," he grinned and swung it around so I could see. "I just love his Elements collection. It's beautiful."

"Oh, I don't know," I countered. "I mean, it's nice, but I'm partial to the new Marc by Marc Jacobs. It's much more casual. It's more my style."

Kurt beamed at me for a second, a real, genuine smile that came with twinkling blue eyes. One glorious second. And then the bell rang.

He nearly jumped out of his skin. The smile immediately disappeared, replaced by a look of anxiety and fear.

I tensed for a moment as well, but I swallowed my fear for Kurt. He needed someone to be strong for him. I instinctively drew him in for a quick hug and then stood back and locked my eyes on his. "You can do this, Kurt. I'm going to be here the entire time. We'll do this together."

Kurt took a few deep breaths, nodded, and we started up the stairs together.

"Don't worry about it," I said in what I hoped was a reassuring tone. "Just let me do the talking."

We reached the top of the first staircase and I saw Kurt stiffen. "There he is."

I followed his gaze and got my first eyeful of Karofsky. "I got your back," I said, hopefully sounding more confident than I felt. Karofsky was pretty big, and I'm sure he could kick my ass in a fight. This was going to be tricky.

"Excuse me," I said politely, making sure to stop Karofsky while he was still a few steps away.

"Hey, lady boys," Karofsky sneered. "Is this your boyfriend, Kurt?"

I ignored his comment, filing away the fact that Karofsky was so quick to inquire about Kurt's dating life. "Kurt and I would like to talk to you about something."

"I gotta go to class." He shoved past Kurt and started walking away. My blood boiled.

"Kurt told me what you did."

That got his attention. He turned back to face us. "Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"You kissed me." Kurt said forcefully.

Karofsky scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"It seems like you might be a little confused," I said gently, "and that's totally normal." Karofsky started walking away again, but I wasn't finished. "This is a very hard thing to come to terms with, and you should just know that you're not alone."

Suddenly, Karofsky paused, spun around, and came at me. Before I knew what was happening, he had me pinned against the wall.

"Do not mess with me!" Karofsky snarled, his face inches from mine. His voice was dripping with hate.

I threw my hands up in a gesture of surrender, showing that I had no intention of fighting him. I waited for the punches to come, but before anything could happen, Kurt stepped forward and shoved Karofsky off me.

"You have to stop this!" Kurt shouted angrily, and I felt a surge of pride watching this brave boy stand up to his tormentor.

Karofsky stumbled back, looking dazed. He hesitated for a minute as if he wanted to say something else, but finally turned and left without another word.

"Well, he's not coming out anytime soon," I quipped, trying to relieve the tension of the situation. I was mostly just relieved that it was over and Kurt was ok.

Kurt moved over to the stairs and collapsed onto them. He looked like he was biting back tears.

"What's going on?" I asked, moving to sit beside him. "Why are you so upset?"

"Because until yesterday, I had never been kissed," he said brokenly, carefully avoiding eye contact. He looked absolutely defeated. "Or, at least, one that counted."

Seeing Kurt this way absolutely killed me. I fought back the urge to wrap my arms around him. That's the last thing he needs, I reminded myself. Right now he needs a friend, and I can be that for him.

"Come on. I'll buy you lunch."

Kurt stood up and wordlessly followed me back to the parking lot, not hesitating to climb into the passenger seat of my car when I opened the door for him. I felt his eyes on me as I walked around to the other side and got in.

"Thank you," he said as soon as I closed my door.

I turned to look into his eyes. They were a little red around the edges, but so, so blue. "For what?"

"For this. For everything. I owe you so much."

"Kurt," I laughed. "We're friends, aren't we? This is what friends do."

He studied me carefully for a moment. I kept eye contact, wondering what he was thinking. Had I said something wrong again? I noticed a flicker of emotion run across his face (was that a frown?) before he caught himself and smoothed his expression.

"Of course we're friends," he said. "But I still feel like I owe you. How about I get lunch?"

"Nope. Lunch is on me today, I'm afraid. Where do you want to go?"

"There's a little coffee shop just a few blocks down that way," he pointed. "They have pretty good food, and it's fast, which is good because I need to be back in" – he checked his watch quickly – "half an hour."

"Then we'd better get going." I started the engine and maneuvered out of the parking lot in the direction that Kurt had indicated.

As I drove, Kurt started humming a familiar tune.

"En Vogue?" I inquired.

He sighed. "Yeah, it's this week's assignment for glee and I can't get it out of my head. We're performing it tomorrow." He tensed as soon as the words left his lips.

"Let's not talk about our glee clubs," I suggested as we pulled into the coffee shop, adorably named The Lima Bean. "Tell me about this Jack Georges collection that's supposedly so beautiful."

Kurt immediately relaxed at the subject change and we fell into easy conversation as we ordered our food and quickly ate. It was comfortable. Like, we've been friends for years comfortable. I was disappointed when Kurt glanced at the time and said he had to be back in five minutes.

The drive back was silent, and I noticed Kurt growing tenser the closer we got to the school. When I pulled up to the door and put the car in park, I reached over and took his hand before he could get out.

"Let me know if you need anything, ok?"

"Thanks again, Blaine," he said softly, holding my gaze. "I really do appreciate it."

The bell rang and Kurt climbed out of my car and jogged back towards the school. I watched until he was inside, and then started the drive back to Dalton.