This is a story I have been wishing to write for some time, I have had an idea

for what it could be for some time now, but with university and other things

going on in my life, I have yet to get a chance to write it, until now.

I really do hope you guys enjoy and it would mean the world to me

if you could take the time to review! x x x

- IrishButSober!

WELCOME TO DALTON

CHAPTER ONE

Not a lot of people realised this, but Kurt was an excellent observer.

Many people had simply assumed, with his outrageous outfits and tendency to desire the spotlight, that the boy was nothing but self absorbed; only focusing on his own problems and being completely deluded to the world around him. How stumped they would be to know that Kurt Hummel knew more about what others were feeling than any one of those judgemental individuals who felt they had the countertenor all figured out. Even Kurt himself would never deny that he had many self centred moments and being a star was indeed something he saw himself as, to the extent where he was quiet happy to take up the title of 'Rachel Berry's only competition'. So of course, he has those moments and people see and judge him on those moments; but that's only because nobody else wants to see any other part to Kurt Hummel.

They don't want to see the scared little boy who flinches for just a second whenever he sees someone wearing the McKinley's football jacket. They don't want to see the boy whose lip quivers ever so slightly when he find the latest profanity written on his locker to welcome him to a new week of school. Nobody wants to see the boy who is slowly losing it and breaking down from everything. Yes, it was so very easy to write Kurt Hummel off as nothing more than a self-obsessed diva, but the truth was, being exposed to such pain and sadness, meant he was quiet the expert in spotting it in others.

He'd seen the way Brittany had looked at Santana once in a while, the way she tried so hard to look unaffected by the latest boy Santana had wrapped around her finger, or the way she so desperately tried to smile at Artie like she did at Santana. It was close, but the smile always fell short, it was strained, so slightly forced and never lasted quiet long enough and Kurt knew this all too well. He knew the real reason for Mercedes 'totes' fiasco all too well, he knew she was lonely, the way she looked longingly at couples, the way she always lowered her gaze when he had mentioned Blaine, believing the only man in her life would soon be gone completely.

Kurt had seen all of these and many more, some he confronted them about, others he knew talking about would only make things worse and would simply continue to watch with a soft, sorrowful gaze knowing there was nothing that could be done about it. Some people just didn't want to helped, no matter how much you tried to and getting involved would only end up making more of a problem than it would solve anything. But that wasn't the case with Kurt. He wanted someone to notice, he would have done anything to pay attention every time he was smashed into the locker and sent tumbling to the floor, or how he was thrown more and more abuse with every passing day. He longed to see someone watching, someone wanting to reach out and just try and comfort him. But every time he fell to the floor, every time he felt his stomach tighten and his lips press together as the latest new insult came his way, he became but a ghost to everyone else. Teachers and students alike would pass by, never noticing and never caring.

Then he came along.

"I take it you're having trouble at school?"

Those words hit Kurt like a brick wall and left him with no air and nothing to say for a few seconds. He knew nothing about this boy, all he knew was of his wonderful voice and warm voice. He was but a stranger, a nice one true, but a stranger none the less; and yet, he saw Kurt. He noticed the pain; he noticed the quiver in his lip, the tremble in his eyes. He noticed and he cared. The urge to simply cry like a little child and break down completely was only pulled back by the patient and gentle look in the other boy's eyes. They encouraged Kurt to speak up, to voice what he had never dared talk about to others before; and he'd never sounded so inarticulate before in his life. His voice was a quivering mess, his eyes were stung with tears and his cheeks were turning bright red. He should have felt like an idiot, he should have been humiliated by how he broke down like this and yet, staring back into those eyes, he felt nothing but the gratifying feeling of relief as he realised not only was this boy listening, but he was understanding. He could empathize and not wasn't something Kurt had really ever experienced with another person, not on this level at least and he had to fight the urge to cling to this young man's hand when he rose to his feet and offered to walk him back to his car.

Somewhere along the way, Kurt found out his name was Blaine. He wasn't even sure when he'd told him the first time, perhaps it had been when they first met, perhaps it had been during their coffee, he really couldn't remember with how overwhelmed he had felt. But when the dust had settled and he was back in his room, with nothing but the faint sound of his alarm clock ticking away, that was the only thing Kurt could think about. Blaine. It felt almost exotic to his tongue, something rare and valuable; something should be treasured and never let go of. It was at this point that Kurt curled under the covers, let out a loud, heavy sigh of frustration and prayed his heart could survive whatever Blaine had begun to do to it, because he really couldn't go through another Finn-fiasco.

Kurt is both relieved and afraid when he realises this situation is nothing like the one with Finn. For one thing, Blaine is actually gay, meaning that it's actually a possibility that he could like Kurt in that way. However, so far, all Kurt had seen was a kind, generous boy helping out someone in need, nothing else. No hidden wish for something more, no desire for perhaps a deeper connection. None of that. But then again, Kurt is an expert on reading pain and sadness, not love or desire, if anything; he is naive to what they look like and probably wouldn't know a boy like Blaine felt anything of the sort unless he spelled it out in sky writing. Regardless, that was not why Kurt kept coming back to him, kept texting him, having long night conversations with him. It wasn't that he wanted to madly cling onto the idea that Blaine could one day feel more than their clearly growing friendship, he just...he just liked listening to his voice. The way it just seemed to sooth away any of his fears, where the older boy could come out with the most generic line of 'it'll be okay, you'll see' and Kurt wouldn't be able to stop himself believing him and feeling any fears or worries slip away as he practically felt Blaine's smile through the phone.

Everything isn't fine. In fact, it's awful. Beyond awful actually and Kurt is no longer just upset and inwardly trying to stop a breakdown, now he's scared; scared for his life. Kurt tells Blaine only about the kiss, the confrontation does nothing but prove to Kurt that Karosfky is probably going to stay firmly in the 'denial' as long as he remains in this town. There is at first a sense of sympathy and pity for the larger male despite all he's done, but that goes out the window when that one sentence changes his life completely. It snaps Kurt out of his warm, pleasant Blaine like faze, it makes him completely forget all about his dad's wedding and just how happy he is going to be, all because of that one sentence that Karosfky utters with more confusion, hurt and anger than Kurt's ever seen in his life.

"...If you tell anyone, I'm gonna kill you..."

Kurt really doesn't know if Karosfky would ever do it, but really, he doesn't want to find out. He wants to scream, he wants to just god damn run away into his father's arms and sob like a little boy and just tell him everything. But he doesn't. Not at first, because out of an old, horrible habit, Kurt bottles it up. He tries to live his life despite it, tries to keep going. But it isn't long before people start to notice that he's quieter, that he's not himself. Eventually it gets to the point where he can't take it anymore and with only one jab and question from his father, he's telling him what has happened, what Karosfky said, what he's done and what he may do next. Somewhere, deep down, Kurt had prayed that somehow, telling people would make it better, that he would suddenly feel safe and secure. But it doesn't, he watches as his father is nearly crushed by the news that Karosfky's suspension isn't going to happen, that this boy will be free to roam the halls with Kurt. Kurt had known this would happen, he had been expecting it, but that didn't stop the horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach when he realised that come tomorrow, he'd be back at school with that boy and probably worse off than he had been before. This was just something he was going to have to get used to.

Or so he thought.

That's when, his dad and Carole give him a gift from the heavens, a choice he hadn't even been thinking about until it was presented to him. Dalton Academy. Kurt says no at first, out right, knowing its expensive and doesn't want to guilt his dad and Carole into using their saved money, but it actually gets to the point where Burt isn't giving him much choice. He has to go to Dalton and he has to do it right now. He knows that look in his dad's eyes, his voice was hard and forceful, but his eyes were trembling, so scared, terrified of Kurt being alone in these halls for another second. Eventually, all Kurt can do is collapse into his dad's arms and feel those shaking, yet strong arms hold him tight and tell him that this wasn't a choice he had to think about, that Kurt would always come first in his life, always. How can Kurt stay strong after something like that? Feeling the prickle of tears in his eyes, he just presses his face harder into his father's shoulder and just hangs onto his every word.

He doesn't tell Blaine that night, not until he knows for sure there is something to tell him. It's not until tomorrow evening, once he's been pulled out of school that he calls Blaine on the phone, his heart thumping loudly as he waits for someone to pick up, half worried that perhaps Blaine was away, maybe he had his phone on silent. Kurt was half tempted to hang up when it got to the fifth ring, but eventually, he heard the familiar warm, welcoming voice of Blaine's coming through.

"Hey you, I'm sure you can settle this for me, David and I are currently discussing who remains superior as an artist, Katy or Britney. Thoughts?"

Normally, this would be a conversation Kurt could happily get into and spend hours on, but not tonight. So he quietly tells Blaine something has happened. Blaine doesn't interrupt him once as he tells him about Karosfky, what he did, what he said, as well as what he and his father had decided. For a while, there was silence, followed by muffled voices and what sounded like Blaine asking for some privacy, most likely at David. A moment later, he was back, his voice softer but quieter than before.

"Kurt, I'm going to be here all night alright, until you fall asleep, we can talk, okay?"

"Blaine, it's really okay, you don't have to do that, I just wanted to let you know what was happening."

"Kurt Olivia Hummel, if you hang up on me I am going to get in my car and drive like a mad man to your door step with a police escort."

"And how exactly are you planning on getting a police escort at this time of night?"

"I will commit a crime and lead them in a chase if I have to. I'm not going anywhere tonight Kurt."

Kurt can literally feel the air leaving him at those words, because god all mighty, how was he supposed to not fall for the boy now? But he doesn't say anything, he just closes his eyes and lets a single, silver tear grace his cheek and smile weakly into the phone.

"Thank you"

It's decided that Kurt's stuff should be brought to Dalton at a later date, because honestly, Kurt is going to need time to plan how fit all his outfits into his wardrobe as well as where to put his entire CD collection, which could probably fill up a small well. So, for now he just brings some essentials in a bag, two or three outfits that he can mix and match with for the weekends, his nightly creams, some personal items. His dad insists on driving him there, not wanting to leave Kurt's side until he absolutely has to and honestly, Kurt is in the same position. He doesn't want to let go of his dad, the thought of only seeing him on the weekends kills him slightly, but they both know this has to be the way. Kurt needs to settle into this place and it would be just too expensive and exhausting going back and forth every day.

When they eventually pull up in front of the school, Kurt really doesn't know what to think. He was foolishly hoping that everything would suddenly make perfect sense when he saw the school again, like he would know that this was the place for him and everything would be fine now. He doesn't feel that, just a heightened feel of nerves and uncertainly as his gaze moves around each layer of the building until they've parked into the visitors car park and he can feel Burt squeezing his hand tightly before he lets go and gets out of the car to grab Kurt's bag. His son soon follows him, getting out of the car, his gaze fixed on the building for a few more moments, before he finally turns his attention back to his dad.

They don't know what to say to each other at first, because is this even a goodbye? They'll see each other come Friday and yet, Kurt feels a sense of farewell in this parting and it doesn't sit well with him. Burt looks like he's ready to talk, when the man's attention is re-directed to another figure, one that causes his expression to change slightly. Kurt isn't sure how to best to describe the expression, he doesn't look upset or mad, more like, he's realised something, something he had been trying to put off for a while. Turning his head, Kurt sees Blaine's figure emerging from the front doors of Dalton, always with his winning smile and a slight bounce in his step. However, he seems to calm down slightly as he gets closer, giving Kurt a soft, gentle look that makes Kurt feel more than a little less terrified of what this place could be like, before he turns his attention to Burt.

Blaine is, as Kurt expected, polite and respectful to Burt, telling him how lucky Dalton was to have his son, how he will make sure Kurt finds his way around and isn't alone in this, admittedly, rather large school. Burt nods his head slightly, the same look still plastered on his face and now, now Kurt realises what that look really is. This is all out of Burt's power now, protecting his son, he knows he has to give that responsibility to Blaine now, at least, during the week and he clearly is having a tough time coming to grips with it. Kurt can't help but feel some guilt for that, knowing his dad is going to have a hard time adjusting to this and can only thank Gaga that Caroline is there to help with the process and make sure he wasn't alone. Then, same the proper goodbyes. Kurt held onto his father tightly in a large, harsh hug that had Kurt's hair pushing out of place and yet he couldn't find it in him to care, feeling like he was five years old again and never wanting to leave the embrace of the man who was his whole world. But eventually, they have to let go and Burt has to keep his voice from trembling and gives Blaine one shaky nod and tells him to take care of his boy, before he's driving off and Kurt can do nothing but wave like a little boy as his daddy drives away and out of sight.

Kurt appreciates that Blaine doesn't say anything or do anything for a minute or so, he just lets Kurt take it in and watch his father go, to have a moment to keep it together and not fall apart already. Then, with only a light touch to his shoulder, Blaine suggests maybe they go inside and find Kurt's room. Smiling softly, Kurt nods his head slightly and takes his bag in his hands, and with one final look over his shoulder, follows Blaine up the stone staircase to the large, intimidating doors to his new home.

Opening the doors, Blaine holds it open for Kurt and lets the countertenor walk in slowly, his boots tapping gentle against the wooden, polished floor. Then, it hits Kurt. He isn't sure why, but the moment he enters the grand halls of Dalton, hearing warm laughter and chatter echoing through the halls, the boys who pass them by and smile and wave at Blaine, as well as a few who recognise Kurt from his past visits. Kurt isn't sure what it is, but he's shaking uncontrollably and finding his breathing is getting heavier, caught between the urge to run away all the way back to his dad or to simply break down in the halls, knowing that finally, he was safe. Thankfully, he doesn't have time to do either as Kurt feels Blaine's hand slipping into his free one and smiling at him, showing him understanding, sympathy, but above all, the promise of so much more than Kurt could ever imagine.

"Kurt Hummel, let me be the first to say; welcome to Dalton Academy."