ohh yeah, Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters.

Chapter 1 - Usual Place

William McKinley High was turning into the set of a slasher film. Well, maybe that was a slight overreaction, thought Kurt as he scooped his bag off of the floor from the foot of his locker and kept walking along the hall. Seriously, how much longer was he going to be put through this? And, come on, how much longer were they going to keep these lockers red? It was so difficult to find an outfit every day that didn't clash terribly with his surroundings. Though, his relationship with the lockers had become far too close for comfort these past weeks. Literally. Every day since he and Blaine had confronted Karofsky it seemed to have become Karofsky's mission in life to push him into every set of lockers they crossed paths at. This included trying to push him inside his own locker whilst he was getting books out, so much so that Kurt had even started to check behind him in his in-locker mirror every time he opened it just to get a warning of any unfriendly approaches.

He hated being in the halls, whether it be alone or with one of the other kids from Glee Club. And he hated Karofsky. That boy was so far into Narnia that it was a surprise that the White Queen hadn't turned him to stone. Still... he could dream. It hadn't been a big deal that Karofsky pushed him into lockers. He'd been doing it since Kurt could remember, but now that he knew the reasons why, Karofsky continued to bully him more harshly than he used to which made everything seem twice as bad.

As Kurt turned the corner he felt his phone vibrate. He took it out of his pocket and first checked his hair in its reflective surface and then behind him, just in case. Satisfied that he was safe for the time being, and that his hair looked flawless, he unlocked his phone and checked the message, a small smile playing on his lips as he read the text.

COURAGE /Bx

Blaine was so sweet. So, so, so sweet. Kurt decided on the spot that the next time they met for coffee he needed to buy him a pastry to accompany his next cup. So, with that thought in mind, his fingers whizzed across the touch screen, sending a reply.

:) Thanks. Coffee, 4.30? –Kx

Kurt was extremely glad that he knew the school so well; he barely paid attention to where he was going anymore, except for the people around him. Which is why his "rabbit about to be hit by a truck" look lit his face as he saw one Sue Sylvester approaching him from the direction of the choir room. Oh God, what now?

"Ah, sweet Porcelain. Just the freakishly high singer I was looking for," she said, with no regard to classes that may be going on around them as she was still about ten paces away. He met her in the middle, looking around at the deserted halls, praying for a witness just in case but to no avail.

"Sorry Coach, but I'm late for Glee as it is..." he said, hoping to get out of another awkward conversation that would probably reference her ovaries, or lack thereof.

"Can it, Porcelain, I've waited twenty-seven years to have my ovaries delivered from Thailand-" and there it was "-but they still haven't arrived. Will Schuester can wait another five minutes to see his precious background singer." She stared at him, awaiting some kind of reaction he was sure. He gulped audibly, glancing around. Nope, still no witnesses. "Anyway, Porcelain, enough about that man. Why, the mere thought of the fact that hundreds of Smurfs may be suffocating under the toxic fumes of the lard in his hair is heart wrenching."

"Lard is toxic?" Kurt was getting more confused by the second. Why didn't she ever just get to the point?

"I don't recall asking for your help in my analysis, Mr. Wikipedia. Two things. One, I need you for a medley of Cher songs sung in Latin for a special concert that I am getting paid to attend with my Cheerios and second," she paused, considering him carefully. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. "If anyone, anyone at all gives you any physical abuse for whichever team you think you may play tennis for, I want to know about it. Instantly."

Okay so maybe he didn't know where this was going. He had been expecting a rant about his decision to leave the Cheerios. Having said that...Sue Sylvester? Compassion? No? What?

"What?" he asked, half confused half scared, still no witnesses he noted. Figures.

"Here's my pager number. If you need to use it then use it, Porcelain. Now get out of here. The glow from your freakishly white face is causing my high-res contact lenses to disintegrate. And I'm bored." And with that she stalked away, but not after thrusting a piece of folded paper into his hand. Kurt shoved the number into his bag mindlessly and made his way to Glee Club, still not quite sure as to what had just happened.

As he entered the choir room, where pretty much everyone else seemed to be waiting, he felt his usual dark fuzz lift ever so slightly. These guys were his family.

"Kurt, boy! Where the hell have you been?" Ah, Mercedes. Ever so graceful to her approach. He grinned to where she sat at the back of the risers and headed towards her. Mr. Schuester, their teacher, entered briefcase in hand and everyone began to calm their conversations, ready for what was sure to be another Journey Song judging by Mr. Schue's smile. Mercedes stared at him expectantly.

"You know me. Hair check," he lied smoothly. "Plus Coach Sylvester went all "Luke I Am Your Father" on me in the hall."

"Wait," said Brittany from the riser in front. "Coach Sue is your Dad? Does she wear a costume? Because when we made out that time in your room she was a lot bigger and balder. And I thought your name was Kurt..." Kurt stared blankly back at her.

"No, Brittany, Coach Sylvester is not my father. Have you never seen Star Wars?" he asked incredulously.

"Lord Tubbington was in Star Wars... or was that Legally Blonde? I get confused by the titles. So similar." She turned back around and continued to stare at the back of Puck's head. Kurt shared a quick bewildered look with Mercedes before gluing his usual smile to his face as he took his seat next to her.

"So I figured we could go to the mall after school today?" she whispered to him.

He opened his mouth to reply but feeling the buzz of his phone he quickly checked it first before Mr. Schue could start the lesson.

The usual place. Can't wait. /Bx

Kurt grinned. "Sorry Mercedes, plans."

Thank goodness that that torture was over and done with. Honestly didn't Mr. Schuester realize that Journey had had their time? Where was the Gaga? The Xtina? The Perry? Kurt sighed. Hopefully the choices would improve throughout the semester.

"So, whats so important that you can't go shopping with me?" asked Mercedes, attitude held like a flaming beacon in front of his face.

"Just already have plans Mercedes, that's all." He shrugged it off, hoping that she would just drop the subject. He should have known better.

"But it's shopping, Kurt. You never say no to shopping. Ever. Whats the deal, dude?" She grabbed his arm stopping him from continuing without her, forcing him to give her his undivided attention. He slipped his phone out of his pocket to use as a distraction but she just snatched it from him and gave him the look. Kurt rolled his eyes. He felt like he had been doing an awful lot of that today.

"Fine, I'm meeting Blaine for coffee." He steeled himself ready for the onslaught, crushing his eyes closed. After a few seconds of darkness he peeked. She just staring at him, entirely bewildered.

"Boy, what the hell are you doing?" she asked him, hitting him on the arm. He resisted the urge to rub it. Just as he thought he was done for she broke into a huge smile. "Kurt, that is so awesome! You have your first gay date. Why did you hide this from me?" Kurt huffed. Here we go, he thought.

"It's most definitely not a date, Mercedes. Just two friends having-" He was cut off but a familiar yet sickening sensation. It felt like a thousand knives were stabbing him in the face, instantly cutting off the circulation to his extremities. He felt the slush ooze down his face, drip from his hair and slide into his ears. He spat a mouthful of the artificial liquid onto the floor and attempted to scoop it away from his eyes. Oh shit, that stung! He opened his eyes to give the idiot who had decided now was the right time for a slushie a piece of his mind when he saw Karofsky with the empty cups in one hand and high-fiving Azimio with the other. Kurt froze, terrified of any backlash that may come from his speaking out. He hated that neanderthal with every fiber of his being. He looked to his side, a chunk of ice plopping to the floor to see Mercedes frozen in what must have been her initial reaction gasp, with blue sludge dripping from her face. She seemed to shake herself awake slightly, causing flecks to hit Kurt, he flinched.

"Mercedes, you got hit so bad!" he gushed. She shook her head and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him towards the girls bathroom.

"Oh, hell no. Forget about me, lame brain. You've got, like, ten minutes to get your ass to the Lima are not screwing this date-that's-not-really-a-date-but-totally-is-a-date up now! I would not be able to cope with your bitching about it after. Let get this crap out of your hair." With that she began the routine that every Glee member knew. The drown, rinse and repeat.

Crap. In his post-slushie haze he had entirely forgotten about seeing Blaine. How could he have forgotten? He had been talking about it like two seconds previously. He had no time for a slushie cleanup! This was not helpful! He began to freak.

"Why aren't you using warm water, Mercedes? Come on!" he snapped

"Boy, don't take that tone with me or you are on your own." She pouted. "Besides I just turned the tap on...the water does have to warm from cold to hot you know."And so she shoved his head under the water, choosing to ignore his mumbling. "And, dude, you had better have some clean outfits in your lockers because you smell nastier than the 4th of July after party in the boys locker room last year. I'm telling you, that was some serious phunk and all I did was walk past it."

Kurt may snap at her, but he definitely loved Mercedes.

"So how was school?"

Kurt sipped his coffee lightly. They had been meeting at the Lima Bean coffee shop since the day after they had met on that fateful stairwell to confront (or comfort, as Blaine had said) Karofsky. Oh how Kurt wanted to buy Fate an iTunes voucher. It was very warm in the little brick building, even when the door was wide open like it was today and it seemed to always have just the right amount of people. Here you could talk without having to worry about being overheard over the din. He looked up at Blaine, who seemed a bit concerned. As Kurt decided it would be best to just reassure him, Blaine put a hand up to stop him.

"What happened? And does it have anything to do with the slight scent of artificial blueberries coming from your direction?" he asked quietly, smiling at that last part. Kurt grimaced as the memory of this afternoons slushie replayed fresh in his mind then sighed. No getting out of this one then.

"Just my shoulders seem to be making good friends with the lockers, that's all." He gave Blaine a little smile and took another mouthful of coffee. When he looked up again, Blaine was scowling at him. Naturally, Kurt immediately panicked. "Do I have something on my face?" he asked in a near gasp, bringing his hands up to brush at his cheeks and forehead. Blaine reached across the table and captured Kurt's hands between his own. Woah. Hyperventilation was so not an option right now. Not in front of Blaine; that would be bad. Besides, it's just a friendly gesture right? Not that anyone in Glee had ever done this. Oh great, now he'd stop breathing altogether. Willing himself to relax he let out a long breath as discreetly as he could, praying that Blaine had not noticed.

"Stop it. You look adorable, as always. Now tell me what happened."

"I'm sorry, what?" Kurt's brain had stopped functioning after "adorable". Aaah! Blaine thought that he was adorable! Aaaahhh! Wait. Stop. He mentally chided himself. He has to stop this; clearly Blaine wasn't interested or he would be throwing himself at Kurt. That's what out and proud gay guys did right? At least, that was what this month's issue of 'Gay Monthly' magazine on his iPhone app had said. He shook his head slightly to clear it and turned his mind back to the situation. He opened his mouth to ask what Blaine had been saying when the brunette barista decided to come and take Kurt's clean plate, forcing them to part hands. Kurt decided that if looks could kill this girl would be up against the wall with a pole through her chest a la Final Destination.

"Anything else I can get for you two?" she asked in a slow, bored drawl.

"No," snapped Kurt, then remembering who he was sitting with added "but thank you" and smiled sweetly. She left looking somewhat miffed but Kurt couldn't have cared less because the next thing he knew Blaine had taken his hands once more. They were so soft yet firm at the same time, you could just tell he had a strong grip. Inappropriate thoughts flooded Kurt's mind. No, he thought. Bad gutter brain, bad. He promptly ignored everything else and looked back up to see Blaine staring at him expectantly.

"You didn't hear what I just said, did you?" Blaine smiled. Kurt blushed and ducked his head. "It's fine, Kurt. If you don't want to tell me what happened, it's cool. I keep forgetting that we haven't exactly known each other all that long..." Blaine withdrew his hands from Kurt's and hastily took a bite from his pastry. Kurt gasped slightly at the loss of contact but managed to pass it off as a sigh.

"No, its fine. I'll tell you," he began.

"Kurt, it's okay. You don't have to," Blaine said again. The look in his hazel eyes were that of honesty.

"Oh hush and let me explain." Kurt pouted slightly as Blaine zipped an imaginary zipper across his lips, complete with sound effects, and smiled. Kurt rolled his eyes. "Besides, it's not like I don't share everything with you anyway." Kurt's stomach fluttered as Blaine's eyes twinkled. He looked so cute when his eyes sparkled and when he smiled and when he looked flustered and windswept and...Wait... where was he? Oh yeah. He shook the thought from his head and continued to tell Blaine all about his week. The good, the bad and the ugly. Blaine stayed true to his "zipper", not interrupting Kurt, who seemed to lose confidence as he went. He just felt so ashamed and when he had finished he was close to tears and the notion must have been written all over his face because Blaine took his hands once again. Breathe, he reminded himself. Inhale, exhale.

"There is absolutely no reason for you to feel ashamed right now, Kurt. You have been so brave. Even just telling me all that. About your life, your week, the locker room incident. You've been so brave that if I'm honest with you, Kurt, I-" The chorus of Katy Perry's 'Firework' filled the air around them and Blaine's phone lit up from where it sat between their coffees on the table. Blaine huffed slightly, puffing his lips out in the most adorable way and checked the screen. "Kurt, I'm so sorry; I have to take this." Kurt nodded his assent with a small smile. Blaine picked up the phone and got up, walking a short distance from the table before answering it.

As Blaine took the call Kurt could not help but think about how lucky he had been to meet Blaine on the staircase at Dalton academy that day. He could have stopped any other boy on the crowded stairwell. He hadn't stopped just any boy. He'd stopped Blaine. Fate was often cruel to him, but occasionally it tossed out good things. Kurt felt so blessed to have gained a friend like Blaine. Sure, Kurt was crushing on him harder than Lady Gaga after seeing her music video for 'Paparazzi' but Kurt really felt like he would be able to take Blaine not reciprocating his feeling as long as he always had his friendship.

"Sorry about that, Kurt," said Blaine as he returned to the table, slipping his phone into his back pocket. He reached to take his coat from the back of his chair and Kurt made to follow suit. "Oh no, you don't have to leave on my account! You haven't even finished your coffee yet. I just have to dash. I completely forgot that I was supposed to pick my brother up from the airport fifteen minutes ago and he's there waiting for me. He's never been the most patient of people in my life. Thank you so much for the coffee and pastry though, they were lovely." He grinned and shrugged on his jacket and pulled his bag onto his shoulder, his hand gripping the brown strap.

"You have a brother?" Kurt asked, standing up anyway. He didn't like drinking coffee alone in front of strangers; it made him feel slightly self conscious. He followed Blaine as he left, unfinished coffee be damned.

"Yeah. Max. My own personal pain in the ass." Blaine grimaced then chuckled at Kurt's surprised face. "I forget you have no siblings. He's okay... just very... full on I guess. A handful, if you will." Kurt's mind hit the gutter. He almost slapped self. Almost. Blaine smiled back at Kurt as they reached his car where it was parked next to Kurt's. "He should only be here for the week, visiting on Easter break and all that jazz. Sorry," he paused. "All I was saying before he interrupted us was that I-" he hesitated and in that moment Kurt's heart began to race. Yes? Yes? "I think that you are such an inspiration, Kurt. Truly. I wish that I could have handled my situations as well as you have."

And so Kurt's heart sauntered back to its initial pace and fell to the bottom of his stomach. He had to stop being silly. Honestly after falling for two straight guys you would think he would have learnt not to go head over heels so fast for someone by now. He gave Blaine yet another small smile and mumbled his thanks. Blaine grinned back at him, causing Kurt's to grow into a beam. Blaine leaned over, pecked Kurt on the cheek and got into his car. Winding down his window he said, "I'm so glad that we met, Kurt. We are gonna be such good friends." And with one more heart melting smile he backed out of the parking lot and drove off.

Kurt decided that for now he would ignore that last comment and focus on all that was important right now. The kiss on the freaking cheek! Ahhhh! He tried his best not to freak out. He slowed his breathing and got in his car, hoping that his grin would wear off before Mercedes, Tina and Rachel arrived at his later on for their girl's night. Though, as he caught sight of himself in the rear-view mirror, smile still intact, he severely doubted it.

A/N: I hope that you liked Chapter 1 of 'All I Need'! Please feel free to review if it tickles your fancy.

Also just want to say a huge thanks to my awesome incredible Beta! She is my Klaine shaped rock who definitly keeps me grounded and on track!

Much Love x