(Author's Note: I've been messing with this piece for awhile but, with the help of my perfect Beta, I have finally finished it... this is the start of their friendship. 2.06-2.08. before Kurt transfers to Dalton... as always, thanks for reading and feedback is appreciated!)

2.06

COURAGE

It was the last text message Blaine had sent to Kurt and he'd been staring at the letters for what felt like hours because Kurt hadn't responded. To be fair, they had just met a few days ago and he was probably being insane, or so he kept telling himself but Blaine was worried about the advice he'd given to Kurt. Perhaps it hadn't been the best idea to advise someone else to follow his own desires.

When the phone rang in his hands, Blaine jumped, startled and fumbled to answer the call from Kurt.

"Hello, Blaine?" Kurt's voice was frantic and Blaine's heart dropped. "I'm sorry…" He stuttered, "I'm really sorry, I didn't know who else to call. I… there's no way I can tell my father about this … I mean god he would… god…" Blaine heard Kurt's hand smack over his mouth, he mumbled, broken, and sobbing as he tried to finish. "I know we just met and we don't know each other or anything, but I don't have um, I can't … he just … no, oh god no…"

Blaine's heart sank further.

"Kurt, calm down, it's fine. Are you alright? What happened? Did he… Did he hurt you?" Blaine asked as he sat on the edge of his bed, his legs suddenly shaking beneath him.

Kurt thought for a moment before he spoke, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He thought of his father again remembering his heart, going to his father simply wasn't an option. He thought of Mercedes, Rachel and Finn but he couldn't very well tell any of them, and what would he even say to explain, it's not like any of them paid any attention to David's harassment. He couldn't go to Puck or Sam… or even Tina, because then Mike would find out and Kurt couldn't just Out David like that to his teammates, it wouldn't be right.

"No... he um, he didn't, but...he, uh… he kissed me," Kurt stuttered, his voice barely above a whisper & laced with disgust as he tried again to calm down. "I was yelling at him to back off and leave me alone and he…he just grabbed my face and..."

"Oh…" Blaine could hear the shock in his own voice, but rationally, he thought he understood. A face like Kurt's would make anyone swoon, especially some jock hiding in the closet, forced to see that face every day. For a moment Blaine thought of how nice it would be to see Kurt's face every day, he really was very handsome; then he remembered the situation and scoffed though the phone.

"Yeah," Kurt breathed, barely audible, "What am I supposed to do?" Blaine could tell Kurt's hand was still muffling his voice but the broken sobs seemed to be dying away.

"Well," Blaine said, sitting on the word for a moment to think as Kurt calmed down. "I'd say you need to talk to him, clearly he's um, confused… but not alone, Kurt. Do not approach him alone again… um, let's see… I have a long lunch block tomorrow; I'll drive to Lima and…"

"You'd… You'd do that?" Kurt interrupted, his voice breaking, astonished but clear.

"Of course" Blaine answered without thought. "You drove all the way to Westerville, how bad could it be? Besides I've had my license for all of, like ten days now and I have yet to leave the city, this is the perfect excuse."

Kurt sneered, "As you may recall, I was meant to be spying." He pointed out, a sigh in his voice as all he took another deep breath and finally started his car before easing out of the McKinley High parking lot.

"And what did you tell your teammates about the Warblers?" Blaine asked condescendingly, convinced of the answer.

"Well nothing… I mean, I should never have listened to Puck in the first place...and I… I was really just curious…" Kurt's nervous voice trailed off.

"Just curious? About an all-boys private school in Ohio, what could possibly interest you there? And you're not much of a spy are you, if you kept all the Katy Perry-esq perfection to yourself?" Blaine joked, relieved to hear Kurt chuckle drying through his tears. But he cut off in a rush, "Wait… you know someone named Puck?"

"Ya…" Kurt answered a small smile in his voice. "Well technically his name is Noah, but it would be wrong to call him that. He's Puckerman, or Puck, if you met him you'd know what I mean."

"Seriously Puck's real name is Noah? O that's classic, I have got to tell Wes and David that," Blaine jeered, his voice full of amused shock and bewilderment.

"Wait, you know Puckerman?" Kurt quirked, his voice cracking with astonished laughter.

"Not really, I know of him, I guess. He's kind of friends with some of the seniors at Dalton," Blaine said because he couldn't very well admit that he knew Puck from Fight Club.

"He's actually a great guy, which is so weird for me to say considering he was throwing me in dumpsters and trying to give me swirlies a year ago." Kurt mused.

"What changed him?" Blaine asked sounding impressed.

"He joined our Glee Club, I imagine at the time he did so to be closer to Quinn and the baby," Kurt explained as he turned onto his driveway and cut the engine.

"You attend a very interesting school don't you?" Blaine pointed out with a note of mocking in his voice.

"Only when Puck is around," Kurt laughed again, realizing just how true that statement was. "It was so weird when he was in juvie a few weeks back, like the school was almost quiet."

Blaine's laugh through the phone made Kurt's heart skip a beat as he got out of his car and it made him feel suddenly warm. He realized he was smiling hugely as he made his way to the mail box, an accomplishment he would have thought impossible if it hadn't been for the boy on the other end of the line.

"O! Fabulous!" Kurt's voice was suddenly bright and happy, a sound Blaine had yet to hear.

"What?" Blaine asked with a chuckle.

"O… I just got a magazine in the mail," Kurt explained his voice excited. "Reading the new Vogue cover to cover is sure to make my night!"

Blaine smiled into his phone, fidgeting slightly as he blushed while he spoke; "I noticed your clothes the other day, figured you must be into fashion. I miss it, being able to wear what I want instead of being stuck in the same Dalton uniform every day. I have an extensive collection of bowties that are simply going to waste, it's not right."

"I don't know if I'd be able to handle someone taking away my wardrobe" Kurt admitted in a considering tone and both boys laughed. "At least the blazers aren't so bad," he added and Blaine snorted.

"O please," Blaine managed. "You and I both know the Blazers are the worst part."

"That red and blue together is truly a travesty," Kurt admitted, shrugging his way into the house.

"Kurt!" The voice came through the phone in an octave at least fifteen decimals lower than the boy he was talking to and Blaine stopped, his voice choked off the laugh in his throat; suddenly wary.

Blaine waited as a few muffled words were exchanged before Kurt's voice returned to the phone.

"Um, Blaine?" Kurt questioned, "I need to go help with dinner…"

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow around 12:30 then?" Blaine asked glancing at the clock, surprised to find that it was nearly six.

"I can't thank you enough…" Kurt said, voice heavy.

"Honestly Kurt, it's no problem at all, I'm happy to help," Blaine said with another smile as they exchanged goodbyes and the call disconnected.

Lunch after they confronted Dave: 2.06

"So, what year are you?" Blaine asked as he and Kurt slid into an open booth with their drinks. The tiny Diner on the main strip in Lima was crowded for lunchtime but they were clearly the youngest two people in the building.

"I'm a junior, you?" Kurt said, hoping his voice didn't betray his nerves. He had met Blaine less than a week ago and already this guy had helped him, stood up for him, been there for him in a way that no one else had ever been, and now they were sharing a meal together. He felt giddy and excited but also, foolish and childish for all the hopes he had already placed on the boy sitting across from him.

"Sophomore," Blaine answered automatically, taking a drink of his soda.

"If you don't mind my asking," Kurt began cautiously, not sure the best way to approach the question he'd been desperate to ask. "How old were you when you came out?"

"Well, I was a freshman," Blaine thought for a second, "it was like October or November I guess, so just over a year ago. It was about 2 weeks before I turned 15. What about you?" He asked plainly curious.

"I came out last year at the end of September," Kurt stated without thought. Surprised by how easy it was to talk to Blaine; especially about something so personal. "I told my friend Mercedes first and then I told my father."

"How did he take it?" Blaine asked curiously, his eyes growing wider as the ghost of a frown flitted across his face.

"Well…" in hindsight the conversation made Kurt laugh, "I said 'I'm gay' and he said 'I know…"

"Wow!" Blaine breathed, impressed as some new emotion Kurt didn't recognize broke across his features.

"Apparently he's known since I was three," Kurt explained with a shrug, taking a sip of his iced tea.

"And he's like, cool with it?" Blaine asked his voice quiet, stiff. His wide brown eyes seemed glued to Kurt's face. Kurt blushed at Blaine's level of attention.

"He doesn't love the idea or anything and we've had a few bumps in the road," Kurt went on fidgeting in his seat. "But we've always been really close. He says that it's my job to be who I am and it's his job to love me."

Blaine sat frozen for a moment, eyes impossibly wider as his face betrayed the flood of emotions coursing through his body. This time Kurt noticed, "Your father, he's not?"

"No," Blaine's voice escaped him in a much harsher tone than he'd intended, he cleared his throat before continuing; his voice calm but bitter. "My Father is not okay with my sexuality in any way. He's not really okay with me most of the time, but the fact that I like guys was just the cherry on top...Besides, he already has his perfect prize son."

"I'm sorry," Kurt whispered.

"My mother supports me as best she can… but she says she doesn't get it," Blaine said, his voice and manners suddenly exasperated.

"Family," Kurt offered, searching for a way to change the subject.

Blaine just nodded, his attention on his glass of soda.

"How many siblings do you have?" Kurt asked a moment later.

"Just Cooper, he's older than me, like a lot older. Over eight years so we're not close or anything." Blaine said with a smirk, his brother was a complicated topic. "He can be kind of a tool, my brother. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Not really, I just have Finn. His mother is dating my father & we go to school together." Kurt explained, "Carole and my Dad have been dating for like a year so we're… like a family I guess."

"That's kinda cool," Blaine broke in, intrigued.

"Ya, it's good now, at first it was weird…" Kurt continued before he realized this topic of conversation could not lead to anything good. "I expect my dad will marry Carole soon enough anyway. And Finn's a good guy, bit of a dolt sometimes, he spends way too much time yelling at football games."

"Well we're all guilty of that," Blaine offered with a sly smile.

Kurt gave Blaine a sheepish look, shrugging and rolling his eyes slightly.

"Or not, Blaine laughed.

"Not really into sports myself, though I was kicker on the school football team for about a week last year," Kurt said, expecting the response.

Blaine stared at him for a moment, his mouth falling open in surprise.

"Hey don't stereotype me!" Kurt shot back , exaggerating his natural flamboyance before breaking into a laugh that Blaine joined.

"Why'd you quit?" Blaine asked once they both caught their breath.

"The helmet did horrible things to my hair," Kurt pointed out as though it were both extremely obvious and unforgivably offensive.

Blaine snorted another loud laugh. "I imagine, I love football but I prefer to watch than play. I'm much too small for contact sports."

Kurt smiled, nodding in agreement; "And I'm far too pretty," He resolved matter-of-factly, blushing fiercely by the time Blaine's roaming eyes met his.

"Which is why I'm here, apparently," Blaine offered with a wink and his foot hit Kurt's playfully under the table. Kurt's stomach swooped in a way that he'd never experienced, he attempted to hide his smile behind his glass of tea but when Blaine spoke again the smile snapped quickly off Kurt's face.

"I'm sorry about that guy, Kurofsky, stealing your first kiss like that… that's, really lame."

Kurt sighed, shaking his head to try and clear it; "I can only hope he will leave me alone now, but something tells me he won't," Kurt said, his eyes on the table. When he really thought of how his first kiss had been with that meat-heat, it made him sick to his stomach. Sixteen years of waiting for it, dreaming of it, imagining what it might be like and in the end, it wasn't even with a guy he liked or had ever wanted to kiss. It wasn't romantic or sweet or even good, it was hard and mean and dirty in a way that made Kurt uncomfortable in his own skin.

"Probably not, considering he's got a big gay crush on you," Blaine said playfully after a moment, a note of concern hidden beneath the amusement in his voice.

"Ewwwwww, that is so disturbing, I can't even handle it. Just no," Kurt couldn't help but physically cringe at the thought, the very idea made him wince. Not only was Dave apparently hiding in the closet, as gay as Kurt; but he was also, apparently attracted to Kurt. "He is not my type!" Kurt insisted loudly, his hands flying out defensively as Blaine cracked a smile and then Kurt was giggling. They were both still laughing when the server appeared with their sandwiches.

They spent the remainder of their lunch breaks eating and chatting about school and friends and waiting to leaving Ohio, while keeping an eye on the time. Blaine dropped Kurt back off at McKinley High just as a bell sounded through the campus. Hastily, Kurt gathered up his bag and exited Blaine's car, but before he could turn to close the door behind him, Blaine had leaned across the front seats.

"Um, Kurt?" he asked, a note of apprehension in his voice though his expression was hopeful.

"Yeah?" Kurt met Blaine's eyes with an eager smile, which Blaine returned before he continued; his voice much more controlled.

"Would you want to go see a play with me sometime? I know this great playhouse not far from here and I never have anyone to go with;" Blaine trailed off, blushing slightly.

Kurt felt the blush color his own cheeks as the smile spread wider across his face, he nodded. "Absolutely," he replied, breathless, "I'd love to."

"Great!" Blaine bounced back into his seat. Kurt would have found this action ridiculous if it hadn't been so adorable; "I better hurry, I'll call you later! Bye Kurt!"

"Drive safe," Kurt mentioned quietly shutting the car door.

As Kurt was waving Blaine out of the parking lot, a second bell rang across the campus behind him. He hurried into the deserted hallway and darted to class, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

2.07

I am going to kill you

It was as if the words had suddenly been painted, graffiti-ed, drawn, sketched, marked into every surface around him. Kurt could only stand, rigid, his fingers gripping the strap of his shoulder bag. Staring at nothing as the words Kurofsky had said really sunk in. Kurt didn't doubt for a moment that David was capable of it, he'd probably do him in without really meaning to. His fear and anger and resentment and whatever else he had inside him would overtake his build and then he would overtake Kurt. And Kurt, not even half David's size, would be powerless against him.

Kurt swallowed hard against the knot in his throat, and realizing he was alone in the empty corridor, sprinted to his final period French class.

After school, he had plans to meet Blaine for coffee. As he stood in line at the Lima Bean, Kurt wondered if Blaine would notice the frantic sting in his eyes that he hasn't been able to get rid of since 2 o'clock. None of his fellow New Directions members noticed this or his new heightened paranoia: constant flinching, eyes darting between the doors to the choir room, terrified that David might be lurking, watching him. But he somehow knew he wouldn't get off that easy with Blaine; from day one that boy could read Kurt's face like a book.

"Hey Kurt, you look great! I love this blazer; my god that texture is... " Blaine's face shifted from bright and happy to deeply concerned as soon as he reached Kurt. "What happened?"

"Let's get our coffees first," Kurt instructed, his voice more dead then he'd realized. The sound made Blaine bristle beside him and shift closer to Kurt in line.

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked in a whisper because he couldn't sit on the question.

Kurt glanced quickly to Blaine and nodded. A jerk of movement, almost indiscernible with the way he held his body so rigidly upright, it made Blaine feel more uneasy. After getting their orders, Kurt walked pointedly past their usual choice of tables to a sitting area hidden away from the windows. They picked a small table; Kurt looked around twice before sitting next to Blaine rather than across from him. Blaine waited for Kurt to speak, apprehensive.

"He, um… Kurofsky, he grabbed me," Kurt visibly shuddered, and took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "... At my locker… he asked me if I told anyone else… what I told you…"

"You mean that he kissed you?" Blaine stated, already feeling the bile rise in his throat as Kurt shivered involuntarily. Without thought Blaine took Kurt's free hand in both of his and waited for Kurt to finish. Kurt flinched slightly at the touch then clutched at Blaine's hand, drawing strength.

Kurt nodded again, another stiff jerk of his head, and in a rush of breath he tried to finish. "He said if I don't keep my mouth shut he would… he said… he… threat… threatened..."

"What?" Blaine's voice escaped him slightly higher and louder than he'd meant for it to and he bristled again, apologetic. He gripped Kurt's hand tighter. A few people in the shop looked to their table and Kurt turned to face Blaine.

Kurt took another deep breath and lifted his eyes to Blaine's, courage, he thought. His voice hitched as he breathed, "He said he would kill me if I told anyone else."

Blaine's eyes grew impossibly wide at Kurt's whispered, stuttering confession. "He what…?"

"I..." Kurt couldn't think what to say while trying so hard not to cry in front of Blaine, again. He shuttered, sitting up straight against the back of his chair. Kurt forced himself to control his breathing and was momentarily distracted by the sight of his left hand cradled between Blaine's soft palms. His thumb rubbing small, soothing circles across Kurt's knuckles.

"Tell your father," Blaine stated suddenly, absolute and Kurt's attention returned to the conversation.

"I can't, not with his heart I mean god… he's supposed to be resting! Not stressing over whether or not I will live through the bloody school day!" Now Kurt was having trouble keeping his voice down, "and Blaine… I… I honestly think David's capable... He's motivated by fear of himself. He came at me saying I kissed him. I... I think he's scared enough of all the things he's feeling to really hurt me! Plus, he's huge! You saw him! What hope would I have to even attempt to defend myself? No... It's better if I just leave it alone, if I mention a … death threat, they'll be questions."

"As there should be! - You can't - I mean, if something happened to you…" Blaine cut off, slightly overcome with an emotion he didn't fully understand. Unsure of what he was trying to say, he released one of his hands from Kurt's to reach for his coffee as he finished, his voice quiet but firm. "I think your father would want to know if someone's has threaten your life, Kurt."

Kurt stared at Blaine for a moment, his expression unreadable as Blaine took a long drink of his no longer hot coffee. He hadn't missed how Blaine shuddered, his eyes glistened slightly at the thought of something happening to Kurt, but then he knew that Blaine was right about this. And yet, his father was still the last person Kurt wanted to burden with this. He sighed again, exasperated by the situation; "I... you're right. I know you're right... My Dad would be more upset if I didn't tell him... I just... can we just talk about something else for a while?"

Blaine looked at Kurt for a moment, surveying him "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Ya, I feel much better now that I'm out of that school;" And with you. Kurt finished to himself, feeling nothing more than Blaine's hand in his under the table.

"But you have to go back tomorrow..." Blaine pointed out, catching Kurt's eye again as his hold on Kurt's hand tightened, clearly worried. "Find a way to tell your father, Kurt, before Kurofsky can get near you again."

Kurt nodded, still rigid he clung to Blaine's hand momentarily as he tried again to calm down.

Blaine stared for a moment, wishing he could find a way to make Kurt relax enough to smile. Then he remembered what he'd been about to say when he entered the coffee shop, he smiled leaning onto the table close to Kurt. "Okay, you'll appreciate this. Thad got a singing telegram at lunch today from his girlfriend for a one week anniversary."

It had the desired effect, Kurt gasped for air, nearly sputtered out his coffee as an amused smile spread across that impossible face. "For a week..."

"Ya and he got shit for it all day because the group was really really awful." Blaine forced a laugh, remembering the horrible scene from lunch. "It was four guys and a girl, they were just awful, truly. For a moment I thought the girl was that little Jewish friend of yours, looked just like her… even had a reindeer sweater on."

"You mean Rachel," Kurt supplied, finally feeling himself relax with his eyes on Blaine.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was her," Blaine offered playfully.

"Not possible. She has a truly amazing voice, that girl," Kurt stated knowingly, "Kind of like you, I suppose. You can both take any song and make it work for your voice."

Blaine blushed but Kurt missed the action as he tipped his coffee back again, at ease.

2.08

It was four days later, in the wake of the excitement of Burt and Carole's engagement that the moment presented itself to Kurt. While Kurt was giving dance lessons to Finn and his father; Kurofsky had walked by the Glee classroom and made an obscene, of sorts, gesture the moment Finn took Kurt's hand; Burt did not miss the action.

But it was Blaine's voice in Kurt's ear find a way to tell your father, he'd want to know if someone threatened your life, that made him say it. He knew his father would read the lie in his face, he never could tell part of the truth to his dad, but then Kurofsky passed by the other door, in the opposite direction of his next class. Taunting, he was circling Kurt, a dare and so Kurt spoke very fast he threatened to kill me. Finn's voice broke the sudden silence, shock; but Kurt's father had turned on a heel and bolted from the room, heading straight for Dave.

The rest of the day was a blur of explanations; conferences with teachers, Principal Sylvester and his father in which Kurt had to carefully skirt around the truth behind the threat. He had no desire to out David.

Kurt called Blaine when he got home that day, an hour later than usual. "Hey Kurt!" said his favorite voice. "How was your day? Did you figure out which dress design to use for the girls?"

Kurt started for a moment, remembering their last conversation about his Dad's wedding and answered without thought. "I decided to let the girls pick their own designs in the same shade of red, since they are all so different I think it'll give the wedding party more character. But um, Blaine I…" Kurt faulted and Blaine dropped the socks he was folding. "I told my father" a beat "about the threat."

"Good! That's good, so... what happened?" Blaine's voice turned serious and intensely curious.

"We have another meeting with Principal Sylvester tomorrow. With David and his parents, I guess;" Kurt said, but the thought of being stuck in an office with Dave made his skin crawl. Furthermore, the idea of meeting David's parents made Kurt feel dizzy and faintly nauseated.

"Also good," Blaine supplied, plainly waiting for Kurt to continue.

"But, Blaine… won't they, I mean, they're going to ask me why, ya know. What happened to make him... say that," Kurt began, his voice trembling slightly, "and I don't want to just Out David to his parents and probably the whole school. He's not ready, it wouldn't be right or fair."

"I don't think they'll question you too much Kurt, not with a threat like that;" Blaine assured, surprised by Kurt's compassion. "And you said he's gotten physical before, so?"

"But I can't prove that he ever touched me," Kurt reasoned, his voice hard. "Plus, some of the guys already cornered him, told him to back off. Now Sam has a black eye, and that's… I didn't ask them to do that. I don't expect anyone else to fight my battles for me."

"They were just trying to help, Kurt." Blaine put in, his voice sympathetic. "You shouldn't feel responsible for the fact that your friends wanted to stand up for you. They are your friends for a reason and please tell me this Sam guy got in a good punch, too."

To Blaine's relief, Kurt squeaked out a soft laugh.

"Ya, he did. David's got a good bruise on his jaw," Kurt sighed. Blaine imagined he could see Kurt shrug through the phone, "but still..."

"Just think, by this time tomorrow it'll all be over," Blaine pointed out helpfully, "and whatever happens you're not alone, Kurt. I'm always just a phone call away."

"Thank you, Blaine. Really, I... thanks. I'm so glad I met you." Kurt expressed thoughtlessly, certain that Blaine would somehow see him blush through the phone.

"So am I," Blaine agreed instead, smiling.

"Anyway," Kurt offered, breaking the strange but comfortable silence. "Once I finally got to teach Finn how to slow dance he actually wasn't half bad. Which considering it's Finn, is really saying something."

Blaine laughed, relieved to hear the change in Kurt's tone; "Is he really that bad?"

"No, he is much much worse," Kurt assured in a voice so deadpan the both boys were still laughing five minutes later when Blaine's mother called him down to dinner.