Chapter 11: Good Or Bad News First?

Blaine brought the two coffee cups back to a table by the window, smiling as he looked around to see if Kurt had come out of the bathroom yet. What he saw instead made his smile disappear and made his heart sink. He saw David Karofsky walking out of the bathroom and quickly towards the exit, his expression hard to read. Angry? Scared? Guilty? Maybe anger was just his default, but that didn't stop Blaine's heart from twisting fearfully. He rushed towards the bathrooms, throwing the door open and seeing his boyfriend sitting on the floor with his arms around his knees.

"Kurt!" he gasped as he rushed forward and knelt beside his boyfriend. "Kurt, what's wrong? What did he do to you? Kurt, please talk to me."

"H-He…" he choked out, putting his fingertips to his lips as his hand trembled. He looked up at Blaine and didn't even think twice before throwing his arms around the boy. Blaine adjusted so he could hold Kurt close and he stroked Kurt's back.

"Kurt?"

"He kissed me," Kurt whispered, clutching tightly to Blaine's back. "I didn't even know he was gay and I was going to stand up to him and he just… kissed me."

Blaine listened, his hand that wasn't rubbing Kurt's back balling up into a fist. First, this guy treated Kurt like garbage every day for three years of high school. Then he may or may not have left a death threat note in Kurt's locker and made him change schools. And now he'd gone and just kissed Kurt without any warning or any permission, for that matter. Who the hell did he think he was?

As angry as all of this made Blaine, the first thing on his mind was to make sure Kurt was okay. "Are you… alright?" he asked tentatively.

Kurt nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, I think so. It just… surprised me, I guess. But I think, most of all, I feel sorry for him. Because I understand how he's feeling. I know what it's like to be afraid to let people see who you are. I felt that way for my first two years of high school and most of middle school before that."

Blaine nodded. As much as he hated the guy, he tried to see it from Kurt's perspective. Kurt was the kindest, most caring, most selfless person he'd ever met, so of course he'd want to help Karofsky somehow no matter how horrible he'd always been to Kurt. "So… what do you want to do?" he asked.

"Tomorrow at lunch I'm going to talk to him," Kurt said with a determined nod. "I just want him to know that he's not alone because if I'd had someone to tell me that when I was still in the closet, I might not have been so afraid."

"I'm coming with you," Blaine said, meeting Kurt's eyes. "What if he tries to hurt you?"

Kurt smiled, leaning in to peck Blaine's cheek. "You worry too much. He wouldn't do anything with big crowds around. But if you want to come, you can."

Blaine smiled softly and cupped Kurt's cheek. "You're amazing, Kurt. I hope you know that."

Kurt blushed. "So I've been told—by you—many times. Now, I believe we have reservations to attend."

"I believe you're right. Let's go, shall we?"

"We shall."

"So, have I succeeded?" Blaine asked later when they were cuddling on Kurt's bed. Nick had snuck out to sleep in Jeff's room again, so they had the night alone.

Kurt looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Blaine smiled. "I said that my goal was to make you happy tonight. Did I succeed?"

Kurt grinned. "You've definitely succeeded. I've forgotten all about Sebastian's stupid face—"

"Sebastian, who now?" Blaine teased.

Kurt laughed. "And you made me feel better about what happened with Karofsky. Overall, this night has been amazing. I give you an A-minus."

Blaine's eyebrows knitted together in confusion though his smile never left. "Why an A-minus?"

Kurt smiled innocently. "Well, you haven't gotten around to that 'epically romantic kiss,' as you so elegantly put it."

Blaine chuckled. "I thought you were supposed to be planning that one."

"I changed my mind," Kurt shrugged. "I kinda like leaving the romance to you since you seem to be so effortlessly good at it."

Blaine laughed again, shaking his head. "Well, I don't know about that. But I can definitely manage a kiss if that's what you're looking for." He propped himself up on his elbow, using his other hand to cup Kurt's cheek tenderly. Kurt's cheeks were tinted pink and he stared at Blaine with wide eyes, his lips slightly parted. Kurt watched him all the way until their lips met; he wanted to be certain that this boy was actually real and in his arms at that very moment.

As soon as he felt the familiar contact, he sighed happily. He wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck, pulling him closer. Taking the hint, Blaine deepened the kiss, sucking on Kurt's bottom lip and making Kurt gasp in pleasant surprise. "Blaine," he whispered, breathless, as they pulled apart. "You take my breath away," he breathed out.

"I—you have the same effect on me, beautiful," Blaine stammered out a reply, catching himself before he could say 'I love you.' It was much too early for that, and he knew that, but that didn't change the fact that he was falling head over heels in love for Kurt Hummel.

"Really?" Kurt asked, blushing. He was looking up at Blaine through his eye lashes and Blaine felt his heart swell at the adorable sight.

"Really," Blaine confirmed, smiling softly. "I still don't think you understand how perfect you are to me."

Kurt grinned and hid his face in Blaine's shoulder, his heart jumping for joy when Blaine held him securely and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, my beautiful, wonderful, perfect boyfriend," Blaine whispered.

The next morning, Nick crept into the room and he couldn't help but smile when he saw Kurt and Blaine huddled together adorably. He figured he should probably wake them up before the prefect found out that Blaine had stayed in Kurt's dorm the past two nights. It wasn't allowed, and he didn't want Kurt to get in trouble so early on in his stay at Dalton.

He nudged Kurt's shoulder, chuckling when he whined and curled into Blaine's chest even more. "Hey, Kurt, rise and shine. The prefect does inspections on Wednesday mornings. He doesn't like visitors."

Kurt groaned and swatted aimlessly at Nick. "Go 'way. 'M sleeping…"

Nick laughed and flicked Kurt's head. "You're not sleeping."

"Ow!" Kurt hissed, rubbing the back of his head. "That hurt. Why are you waking me up? School doesn't start for…" he looked at the clock, "…three hours."

"But the prefect does inspections at six, which means you have a half hour to sneak Blaine out of here and look somewhat presentable."

Kurt groaned and rolled over, almost falling off the twin bed. "Ugh. Okay, okay, I'm getting up."

"Clearly you aren't a morning person," Nick smirked.

"And clearly you're some kind of detective, Nicholas," Kurt said, shooting a glare in Nick's general direction.

Nick laughed. "Hey, not even Jeff is allowed to call me that."

"Too bad, Nicholas," Kurt emphasized, smiling when he earned an annoyed huff from his roommate. Said roommate went to his own bed and stayed quiet after that.

Kurt turned to his left and smiled at his sleeping boyfriend. "Hey, sleepyhead," he said, patting Blaine's cheek. "It's time to wake up." Blaine groaned a little but didn't respond otherwise. Kurt rolled his eyes. Apparently Blaine wasn't a morning person, either. "Blaine, wake up," he said again. No response. Kurt huffed and tried one more tactic; he pressed a warm, deep kiss to Blaine's lips. After a few seconds, Blaine responded with a happy sigh, kissing back lazily. When Blaine reached up to cup Kurt's cheek, Kurt pulled away, smirking. Blaine pouted.

"Hey, that wasn't nice," he complained.

Kurt giggled. "Sorry. You wouldn't wake up, so I had to get your attention."

Blaine pouted and leaned in to kiss him again but Kurt stopped him. "But I want to kiss you," Blaine said, looking at Kurt with sad puppy eyes.

Kurt smiled and kissed his nose. "I know, but we have to get up. The prefect will be here soon to kick you out and get me in trouble, so we have to sneak you out."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Ah, I didn't know you had a rule-breaking streak."

Kurt laughed and smacked his shoulder. "Shut up. I don't. Let's just get up so I don't get kicked out on my third day here."

Blaine rolled his eyes fondly and pecked Kurt's lips before sitting up. "Okay. I'm up for an adventure."

Kurt laughed again and grinned when, as he sat up, Blaine started peppering kisses all over his cheeks. "Blaine, stop it…" Blaine hugged him and started gently tickling his sides, making Kurt giggle loudly. "Blaine! Stop it. Nick's here. Oh my gosh, you're ridiculous—ah, Blaine!" he giggled even more, muffling it in Blaine's shoulder as Blaine continued gently running his fingertips up and down Kurt's sides.

Blaine just grinned at Kurt. "You're more ticklish than I thought. And your laugh is adorable."

"I'll laugh at every corny joke you tell for the rest of eternity if you stop tickling me!" Kurt gasped, still laughing wildly.

"I think that deal can be arranged," Blaine said, ceasing in his tickling. Kurt sighed in relief, giggling a few times before kissing Blaine's cheek.

"We really do need to go, though," Kurt told him.

"I know," Blaine nodded, smiling.

They walked out to Blaine's car and Blaine pulled him into a hug. Kurt smiled and leaned his forehead against Blaine's. "So, I changed my mind about going to meet Karofsky today. I wasn't thinking about time… We wouldn't be able to get from here to Lima and back before lunch ended. So we'll have to find him after school on Friday or something. I know he's at the school for a few hours for football practice, so he'll be there."

Blaine nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Also, I found this yesterday," Kurt said, handing him a magazine he'd picked up in The Lima Bean. "Read the first page."

Blaine did just that and he frowned at what he saw. The title of the article was 'Spoiled Brat Blaine Anderson Fired' and the print underneath read 'What else is he hiding from his fans?'

He was dreading it, but he carefully read the rest of the article.

Thousands of young girls were devastated when the Blaine Anderson Hometown Tour was cancelled this past weekend. At first we were told that a postponing was in the works, but a new source tells us that the beloved singer was fired due to rebellious behavior. His ex-manager, Meagan Collins, says about her lost client, "He was a talented young boy but his attitude and his wild behavior became too much. We had to let him go."

It's certainly a shame we won't be seeing much of the young singer on stage anytime soon. But is there more to the story? Looking at these photos taken of Anderson, it's clear that interest in him and his life has not lost its spark.

Below were two pictures. One showed Blaine and Kurt confronting Karofsky at The Lima Bean and the second showed Blaine leaving Kurt's house in his car. The article continued after that.

Who is this mystery boy that seems to be taking up all of Blaine's time? Many believe that Anderson may have a secret he isn't telling. Is this unfamiliar face a family friend or a potential love interest? You decide.

Below that, there was one more picture: Kurt and Blaine holding hands at The Lima Bean. Blaine's face was slightly covered by a hat but it was still obviously him.

Blaine looked up to see Kurt watching him, waiting to see his reaction. What Kurt didn't expect was for Blaine to pull him into a hug and start apologizing. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. We should've been more careful. I was hoping they wouldn't drag you into their gossip and drama, but now they know and they aren't going to stop hounding you with questions. I'm so sorry…"

"Hey," Kurt said gently, rubbing Blaine's back and shushing him. "No, it's okay. It isn't your fault. They were going to find out eventually. We're going to be fine, okay?"

Blaine sighed and nodded, nuzzling his nose into Kurt's neck. "Okay… I'll see you after school."

Kurt pouted, a little disappointed. "Not at lunch?"

Blaine shook his head, meeting Kurt's eyes with a soft smile. "Not today. I have to do something. But I promise I'll be back here after school."

Kurt smiled and pecked Blaine's cheek. "Okay. I'll see you later."

"I can't wait, beautiful," Blaine murmured with a loving smile, watching Kurt blush before he got inside the car and drove away. As Kurt returned to his dorm, Blaine started driving towards Lima. If he hurried he could find Karofsky before school started and he hoped to have a little chat with him. He hoped that maybe he could make Karofsky less angry and less likely to hurt Kurt when Kurt eventually confronted him. The last thing Blaine wanted was for Kurt to get hurt.

He reached McKinley High about twenty minutes before school was supposed to start, and the halls were mostly empty. He walked inside and just sort of wandered, not sure where he might find Karofsky. He checked the football field with no luck. Then, as he was walking by the locker rooms, he heard grunting noises. He peeked inside and saw Karofsky lifting weights on the table, pushing the bar up.

"You'll hurt yourself without a spotter," Blaine said, catching the jock's attention. Karofsky immediately turned to look at Blaine after setting the weights down, glaring at the singer. Blaine wasn't fazed by the look now that he knew the reason behind his anger. "By all means, carry on. It was just a suggestion."

Karofsky stood and glared harshly at Blaine, though the fear could still be seen behind his eyes because he no doubt had guessed that Blaine knew about him kissing Kurt. "What do you want, hobbit?"

"I was hoping to have a little chat with you, David," Blaine said formally, taking a small step forward.

"I don't want to chat with you. You might infect me," Dave snapped.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Like I haven't heard that one before. You can't be stupid enough to actually believe that crap."

"What did you just call me?" Karofsky asked in a low voice, and suddenly he had Blaine pinned to the lockers, slamming his fist into the locker near Blaine's head. Blaine gulped nervously but tried to appear calm.

"I don't think I need to repeat myself. What I came here to say is that you need to leave Kurt alone. I know you're afraid to come out and that's okay, but don't take it out on Kurt. I don't care what it takes; I won't let you hurt him anymore. Now if you'll excuse me—"

Blaine tried to push Karofsky off of him and walk away, but the taller boy shoved Blaine back against the lockers again and pinned him there with his arm over Blaine's throat. "You think you're brave, superstar? Well, I don't care if you're famous or not. I'll beat the crap out of you if you call me gay one more time. I'm not like you!" He slammed Blaine against the lockers again and Blaine groaned in pain, clawing at Karofsky's arm that wouldn't release him.

"Please, stop this. I know it's hard but Kurt just wants to help you. You should at least listen!" The last word was strained as he was pressed more roughly against the hard, metal lockers.

"I warned you, Anderson!" he growled, punching Blaine in the side of the face and sending him tumbling to the ground. Blaine groaned and tried to stand back up but Karofsky held him down with a foot stepping on his back. Blaine struggled to get up while Karofsky laughed. "I could break you like a twig, Anderson. Stay away from me or you'll get a lot worse than a black eye." With that, the jock left, leaving Blaine on the floor and holding his throbbing face. He winced at the pain in his eye, slowly sitting up.

Well, he thought, he's not coming out any time soon. And there's no way I'm letting Kurt go near him.

Later that day, Blaine was sitting at home in an empty mansion. He was just waiting until it was time for him to leave in time to meet Kurt after school, so he didn't have much to do. His parents were away who-knows-where doing who-cares-what and the maid, Marcie, was out grocery shopping. Needless to say, Blaine was bored, which is why he practically ran to pick up the phone when it rang.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this the Anderson residence?"

"It is," Blaine answered, bored already because it was probably a boring business associate of his parents.

"Oh, good! Is Blaine there? I'd like to speak with him about… an opportunity."

That sparked Blaine's curiosity. "You're speaking to Blaine now," he told the stranger.

"Oh!" the man laughed. "Well, I'll just get right to the point. I'd like to offer you a record deal. I read the article about you getting fired and I don't believe one word out of that hag Meagan's mouth." Blaine snorted, smiling. "I've wanted to make a deal with you ever since I heard you sing last weekend with that girl you brought on stage. At that moment I knew that you weren't just another snobby badboy celebrity. I saw the light in your eyes during that song. So what do you say? Can we meet for coffee and discuss the details of a contract?"

Blaine thought about how his parents would probably hate him for this, but then he reminded himself that he didn't care. They never bothered to care about him, anyway, so why should he care what they thought or if they liked how he managed his career? So, he said, "I know just the place."

A/N: Hey, everybody! I know I said I'd have a chapter out last weekend, but time caught up to me. It probably will again this week, so don't count on another chapter until next weekend. But who knows? I might be spontaneous. :)

Love you, my lovelies! :D

Review please~~~ :)