Author's Note: Um...I love you all? Hehe just dropping by to leave another chapter for you fine readers. Longest one yet, so enjoy!

And a wild plot bunny has appeared! It just worked it's way into the chapter. I had no control. In any case, what do you think? Are these plot bunnies to your liking? Do they get to make some more appearances? Please let me know! Feedback is always appreciated.

Again, no beta. All mistakes are my own.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, nothing, nothing. No profit made etc. See Chapter 1 for more elaborate disclaimer.

~C.


(Chapter 4)

"Kurt, I'd wish you'd tell me what's wrong. We've been sitting in the parking lot for over an hour." Not to mention he's missed Warbler practice, but making sure Kurt was okay was more important to him right now.

Kurt shook his head and sniffed again, wiping his cheek as more tears fell. He was sad, scared, angry, frustrated, but most of all shocked. Out of all the reasons Kurt expected Karofsky to want to bully him; THAT was not it. He knew he'd been keeping his new friend longer than the Warbler anticipated, but he just needed some time to absorb everything. Plus Blaine's presence in itself was comforting. As selfish as it sounded, he really liked when Blaine was near him. No judgment, no taunting; just an easy atmosphere.

When Kurt arrived at the Lima Bean he hadn't even been able to leave his Navigator. Ten minutes passed as he just sat there, with a white knuckled grip on the steering wheel, as he tried to compose himself in order to walk inside. That obviously didn't work. Blaine had startled him by knocking on his window. Apparently, he'd seen Kurt pull up and when he didn't come inside, Blaine thought it was just his shyness getting the better of him. Though, when he saw the shaken look on Kurt's face, he knew it was something else entirely.

Kurt's breathe hitched when Blaine grabbed his hand, looking at the other boy Kurt gulped. "Kurt…"

Oh no. No, no, no.

"…for the sake of my sanity…"

He wants to know about Karofsky.

"…can you answer my question?"

He's going to want to know about the kiss.

"I know you don't want to talk about it."

How Karofsky must see me as his little, gay, plaything.

"But what on earth…"

How my first real kiss was stolen.

"…are you wearing?"

How…wait, what?

"I didn't peg you as one for the…uh…what is this? Rock chic look, is it? I mean that leather jacket is a bit over the top, don't you think?"

Kurt turned his red-rimmed eyes towards Blaine. The other boy had a half smirk on his face and his head tilted in an almost familiar way that Kurt was becoming accustomed to.

The paler boy's lips quirked into a watery smile as he let out a surprised laugh, one that was mixed in with the remnants of his crying. Blaine let his smirk grow into a full-blown smile.

He was watching Kurt as he tried to stifle his giggles and how he tried to wipe away the last traces of his tears. Something in him felt very satisfied with the fact that he could turn Kurt's mood around. Especially, since it seemed like he was the only one who could.

Grabbing Kurt's hand again, Blaine gave him a sincere look. "Kurt, talk to me."

Kurt looked panicked, his eyes darting everywhere while he tried to search for something. "Hey, you don't need to write anything down. It's just us here. You can tell me anything, remember? I would never think any less of you, or blame you, or do anything else you may be afraid I might do. Just…trust me, will you?"

Stunned, Kurt kept his eyes wide with surprise. How did he know exactly what Kurt needed to hear?

"Why are you so nice to me?" He whispered hoarsely.

Blaine chuckled, "I think the better question is, why are you so used to people NOT being nice to you?"

Clearing his throat, Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand reassuringly. That one squeeze sent warmth up Kurt's arm, a warm glow spreading throughout his chest, all because of Blaine.

"Well, that guy who was bothering me shoved me really hard into a locker. He slapped my phone away and basically threw me into at a goddamn locker. Then this girl just stood there and watched. Didn't say a thing. I got…I got so angry that I couldn't leave it be. I didn't want to be so scared anymore. I wanted to be courageous. So I followed him into the locker room. I screamed at him everything that I'd been holding in since he'd first started bullying me. I didn't even care if he punched me and beat me up. He didn't though…I…he…"

Kurt swallowed thickly. After that long spew of words his mouth suddenly went dry. He hated when his body shut down like that. Every word that he wanted to say felt like thick sand caught in his throat. Not even licking his lips helped Kurt ease the struggle, the words just refused to leave his mouth.

"He did something worse than punch you?"

Kurt nodded.

"What did he do?" Blaine was trying to seem soothing and calm, but his warm, honey eyes were already becoming alight with silent anger. Whatever it was, just talking about it caused Kurt to cringe at the memory.

"He kissed me…I didn't want him to. I didn't even know he was going to do it until…until it was happening. He grabbed my face and gave me the most awful, angriest kiss. He pulled away after I don't even know how long, and then he…" Kurt chocked on a sob, his voice cracking at the memory.

Blaine was repulsed. Not by Kurt, never by Kurt, but by that obviously confused teenager who thought he could just push himself onto such an innocent person. Kurt didn't deserve that, no one did.

"Oh Kurt…I'm so sorry. I can't believe he did that to you. Did he…did he do anything more?" Blaine hated asking the question. Only because if something more did happen he'd feel responsible for it. He was the one that told Kurt to stand up, to have courage. Dammit this was partially his fault.

Kurt shook his head, "No…he wanted to I think, but I managed to push him away. He ran out of the locker room after that." He had his head down in shame, thinking he must have been asking for it or something.

Blaine saw the defeated look in Kurt's eyes and he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Hey, this isn't your fault, okay? You did nothing wrong. Kurt, please look at me."

Hesitantly, Kurt let his glassy, greyish-blue eyes connect with Blaine's soulful, brownish-hazel ones. "Listen to me. I had no one when I was at my old school. I told you I'd be there for you. So I will be, I'll help you."

Kurt furrowed his eyebrows, "h-how?"

Quirking his lips to the side, Blaine thought for a moment. "Ah! Got it. Tomorrow, during my study hall session, I'll come to your school. We'll confront this guy together. Maybe I can talk to him about his confusion and we can figure something out. Okay?"

A grateful smile spread across Kurt's face, "You'd really do that for me?"

Blaine nodded curtly, "Of course. You're my friend Kurt. It's what friends do for each other…whoa!" Kurt threw his arms around Blaine's neck and gave him a tight hug. Blaine, taken back by the sudden contact, smiled nonetheless. He returned the hug with the same amount of enthusiasm, rubbing Kurt's upper back. Kurt practically melted into Blaine's touch.

I could stay in his arms for hours; his hugs are so warm and inviting.

"You're amazing." Kurt whispered, still gripping onto the Dalton boy and not looking like he was about to let go.

He has no idea what he's doing to me, does he?

Blaine smirked, "Yea, I know."

Kurt huffed, pulling back to shove the other boy's shoulder playfully.

Modest…so modest.

"What?" Blaine shrugged innocently, though a teasing smile was plastered on his face. "Come on, let's get some coffee before it get's any later."

Before they left the Navigator, Blaine tilted his head in thought, "You know, I think that's the most you've said to me since we've met."

Kurt snorted. That's the most I've said to anyone in days. Other than my father, that is.


The next day, Mercedes gave Kurt his phone back. She'd found it on the floor by his locker. It was dead of course, but at least David hadn't cracked or broken it. Oh well, he and Blaine had already exchanged details about the "Karofsky Intervention."

Come to think of it, he told Blaine to meet him by the courtyard next to the stairs. So where…?

"Kurt! Hey! Oh…sorry. Visitor here…just a bit befuddled. Oops, my bad." Kurt giggled as he saw Blaine try to worm his way past a few McKinley students. He bumped into several of them and actually succeeded in knocking a girl's book out of her hand. After he picked it up for her, Blaine finally made it to Kurt. He was blushing and rubbing the back of his neck.

"I guess I'm the one who sticks out now, right?" Kurt just smiled and rolled his eyes at the other boy, flicking away a leaf that had fluttered onto the curly boy's gelled helmet. Blaine crinkled his nose adorably when he saw the leaf flutter out of his hair.

"Anyways…shall we?" Kurt gripped onto his bag's strap, nervously biting his lip before nodding hesitantly at Blaine.

Making their way off the courtyard and up the stairs, Kurt tugged on Blaine's sleeve. When Blaine looked at him he mouthed, 'Thank you.'

Blaine nodded happily. "Don't worry about it. Just let me do all the talking, alright?" He winked at Kurt.

Kurt gave him a look that said, 'Really Blaine?'

The Warbler shrugged his shoulders; "Huh…every time I see you, at one point you end up giving me that look."

Wow, I didn't know he paid attention to me that much. He smiled to himself at the thought.

Suddenly, Kurt went rigid, his body unconsciously moving closer to Blaine's and his fingers digging harder into his strap. He looked at Blaine panicked; then cocked his head towards the jock currently descending the stairs in front of them.

There he is.

Blaine looked to where Kurt directed him. "That's him, isn't it?"

Kurt nodded warily.

Blaine turned his attention back to the boy who must be Dave Karofsky. His eyes were sizing up the obviously bigger boy. "Don't worry, I got your back."

When the two boys were in front of David, Blaine spoke up. "Excuse me."

The jock halted and looked between the two of them, "Hey, lady boys." Dave scrunched up his nose, in what looked like disgust, at Blaine. "This your boyfriend, Kurt?"

Blaine ignored the look, but decided to file that bit of information away for later. "Kurt and I would like to talk to you about something."

Dave scoffed, "I gotta go to class." Passing between the two boys, Dave shoved Kurt back against the railing in his attempt to leave.

When Kurt shrank back in fear and winced at the harsh treatment, Blaine felt his jaw set, "Kurt told me what you did."

Without turning around, Dave asked, "Oh, yeah? What's that?"

Blaine narrowed his eyes, "You kissed Kurt."

Dave looked back panicked, jerking his head from side to side to make sure no one over head them. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Like hell you don't!

Kurt looked to Blaine for help. Blaine was already a step ahead of him though. "It seems like you might be a little confused and that's totally normal." When Karofsky tried to walk away, Blaine just pursued him. "This is a very hard thing to come to terms with and you should just know that you're not alone." Blaine said this in a more placating manner than anything else. After all, he came here for Kurt's benefit. Not Karofsky's.

Blaine held up his hands in a pacifying gesture as the burly jock grabbed his blazer and pushed him forcibly up against the stair's fence.

"Do not mess with me!" Karofsky growled.

Kurt threw himself forward, not even registering how frightened Karofsky made him. He was just concerned for Blaine's safety.

No! Not Blaine! Don't hurt him because of me.

"You have to stop this!" Kurt yelled. Again that hidden strength surfaced. He was able to pull Dave off of Blaine before any more violence could happen.

Dave looked a bit taken back by Kurt's outburst. Kurt looked angry; his postured firm and challenging despite how scared he still was. Dave just gave them one more glance before bounding down the stairs.

Blaine had a hidden smile on his face. He was proud of Kurt and a little flattered that he wanted to stop the stronger boy from possibly hurting him. Chuckling to himself Blaine tried to lighten the tense mood, "Well, he's not coming out anytime soon."

When Kurt didn't chuckle, or even give him so much as a smirk, Blaine frowned. "What's going on?" He didn't get an answer.

Kurt just collapsed onto the staircase and hung his head low as Blaine dusted off his ruffled blazer. "Why are you so upset?"

The other boy shook his head, eyes watering. He really didn't want to tell Blaine what was on his mind right not.

Then warm, gentle fingers caught his chin and made Kurt look at Blaine. "Please don't shut me out now, Kurt."

Taking a deep breath, Kurt looked away for a few minutes before turning back to answer. "Up until yesterday…I had never been kissed."

Well there was Brittany.

"Or at least one that counted." Kurt couldn't even look at Blaine. His eyes fixed on the portion of chained fence that encircled the stairs in front of them.

Nodding his head, Blaine pursed his lips in thought. He didn't know what to say to that. A first kiss was a big deal to anybody and to have it taken from you like that? Blaine couldn't really imagine what that felt like. "Well then, we'll just make sure your next one counts. It'll be with someone special, someone you like and it will be YOUR choice, Kurt."

Kurt looked at Blaine, a tired, grateful smile on his face. He placed his head on Blaine's shoulder, soaking up as much comfort as the boy would allow him to take. A happy sigh, barely held back by Kurt, threatened to escape when Blaine wound his arm around Kurt's shoulders. It was automatic, almost natural.

Blaine didn't even think twice about it, an amused smile playing on his lips as he rubbed the place between Kurt's shoulder blades. "Come on. I'll buy you lunch."

Kurt let out a short laugh, "Because food makes everything better?"

"Because food makes everything better."


The next day, Kurt smiled as he opened his locker. The school picture of Blaine was framed in it. Underneath were cutout "Vogue" letters spelling out the word, COURAGE.

Over lunch, Blaine had told him that the reason he'd given Kurt the picture to write on was because he honestly didn't have anything else for him to use. When Kurt said he'd give it back, Blaine waved him off. He hadn't liked that picture anyways; it made his eyebrows look really triangular and for some reason it looked like he was trying to seduce the camera. At the explanation, Kurt blushed.

Well I wasn't going to mention it, but yes. Yes it does and I'm pretty sure you succeeded.

Kurt was pulled out of his reverie when his face and torso slammed into his open locker. The impact was so strong it even jolted him back into the lockers behind him. Kurt was so stunned, his legs crumbled beneath him and he sank to the floor dazed.

When Kurt looked up, Karofsky was backing away with a daring look on his face. Challenging Kurt to do something in retaliation. When the smaller boy just remained on the floor, David turned around and walked away.

His eyes burned and his face hurt from where he had banged his head on the locker. All the kids just walked past Kurt, ignoring him, pretending that they didn't see anything and that nothing happened.

He pulled his knees to his chest and he took deep breaths to keep himself from hyperventilating. Whether it was from rage or terror, he couldn't tell anymore.

What happens when courage just isn't enough?


A/N: Anyone else think the same thing about Blaine's picture? Strike a pose! Haha just kidding, but seriously. Total seduction face. *swoon* Alright, I'm done. Review please! It keeps the plot bunnies a multiplying. ;)