First, I got a review saying that MusicalEscape's last chapter interpretation made someone want to read a Nick/Jeff story about their fears of mice and thunder respectively. Well... I might kind of already be writing that... so for all the Nick/Jeff fans out there, it will be posted... eventually. (I need to stop taking on stories...)

I got a lot of responses about your interesting facts - somewhere around 50 - and learnt a lot about you guys! I have heaps of double jointed readers, some interesting phobias, people who collect strange stuff, a LOT of people with inanimate objects named Darren, Chris, Kurt or Blaine... and some just plain interesting facts! It was hard to pick a top three because you're all fascinating people, but here you are:

1. mardie 186: I am a professional clown "Rainbow" in my spare time and worked as a construction worker for 2 years when I was 20 as the only female on an all male construction crew.

2. Cheshire Tears: I'm descended from the last of the Hawaiian royalty. (great-great-great-something-grandparents)

3. ricebubble: my feet are 2 1/2 sizes different :)

Thanks to everybody who let me get to know a little bit more about you! And my interesting fact is that I can dislocate both my shoulders on will. Makes for an interesting party trick... or a 'let's gross everybody out' trick... I have never had the opportunity to make someone think they've actually hurt me though, I'd probably start laughing so it wouldn't be successful.

From Jg Rox: a Hudson/Hummel family dinner that is interupted by Blaine knocking on the door because he wants to talk to Kurt. He's invited in to join them for dinner and - well, the rest I'll leave to your expertise!

Another one that I wanted to change into angst. So I checked with Jg Rox who said it was fine, and here we go. It seems everybody's done this type of story who does Klaine and I've been dying to for ages now.

Defeated

Kurt hummed as he made his way around the kitchen, preparing dinner. He was in an exceptionally good mood because it was a Friday, he'd had a great week at school, and in a few hours Mercedes was coming over to have a girls night. Ever since he had been back at McKinley, he had been able to catch up with her more often and they both loved it.

Even the rain pouring down wasn't enough to kill his mood. He popped the lasagna into the oven and set the timer before beginning to clean up.

The doorbell chimed and Kurt heard his father getting up to answer it. There was a moment of silence, then -

"Kurt!"

Kurt frowned. Is Mercedes here early or something? He quickly dried his hands on the dishtowel before making his way to the entrance hall, wondering why his Dad had sounded ... worried?

As he turned the corner, Kurt's blood ran cold. Blaine was standing in the doorway, soaked to the bone. Burt had a hand on his shoulder and was talking to him quietly as Kurt quickly crossed the hall and stopped in front of his friend.

"Blaine?" he asked quietly.

Blaine looked up at him and Kurt couldn't help the gasp that escaped his throat. There was a huge purple bruise on Blaine's jawbone and he looked terrified, his eyes darting around until they settled on Kurt.

"Kurt," he whispered, staring at him for a second before his eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped into Burt who caught him before he could hit the ground. Picking him up, Burt quickly carried him into the living room where Carol and Finn jumped up in shock.

"What happened?"

Burt shook his head, placing Blaine on the couch as Kurt knelt next to him. "Don't know. The kid showed up at the door looking like that, he didn't say anything to me at all."

Without turning around, Kurt began to fire orders. "Finn, go get a blanket and pillows and some of my spare clothes. Carol, I need you to call Mercedes and tell her not to come over tonight. Be discreet if you can, she's prone to gossip. Dad, I need ice." He heard his family moving away to do what he asked and Kurt reached out to brush the hair off Blaine's face, staring down at his unconscious friend. Millions of images were playing in his mind; Blaine being attacked by his old bullies, Blaine getting into a fight with Karofsky, Blaine being mugged ... but there were no other bruises on his friend.

His dad knelt next to him, handing him a bag of ice which he carefully put on Blaine's jaw to try and ease the swelling. "Any idea who might've done this to him, Kurt?"

Kurt shook his head. "We won't know for sure until he wakes up." Then he frowned. "Dad, do you have his car keys or something?"

"No, I don't think he had them." Burt stood up and pulled the curtain back, squinting through the rain. "His car isn't here."

Kurt bit his lip. That meant Blaine had walked to Kurt's place, and he knew Blaine had gone home for the weekend so that was quite easily a three hour walk. What happened to you? he thought, trying to keep his emotions in check.

Finn reappeared and handed Kurt the blanket which he draped over Blaine before lifting his head slightly so Finn could slide the pillow underneath. Carol returned with painkillers, something Kurt hadn't thought of, before hustling Finn into the dining room. Burt hovered for a second, looking unsure. "You can stay if you want," Kurt said, sparing him a quick glance before looking back down at Blaine. "But I don't know what's happened or how much he'll be willing to talk about it. And I want him to be comfortable talking to me."

Burt nodded. "I'll be in the other room then. Let me know if we need to involve the cops."

Kurt winced, glad his dad had already left. He hadn't even thought about all the logistics of what would have to come next - police, ambulances, statements... but all of that flew out of his head as Blaine shifted slightly, his forehead furrowing.

"Blaine?" Kurt murmured. Blaine's eyes opened slowly, blinking a couple of times before he pushed himself up with his elbows. Sitting up, his eyes focused on Kurt.

"Kurt? Where am I -?"

Blaine froze and Kurt knew that he had just remembered whatever had happened to him. There was a moment of complete silence where Kurt watched emotions flicker through Blaine's eyes, then his face crumbled.

Kurt was up in an instant, sitting on the couch next to him as Blaine began to cry. He pulled his friend in towards him and Blaine buried his head into Kurt chest, his whole body racked with sobs. Kurt wrapped both arms around him, pulling him in as tight as he could. "Shh, it's okay. It's alright, you're safe now. Nobody's going to hurt you." He repeated the words, rubbing Blaine's back and feeling completely helpless.

The conversation in the other room had stopped and all that could be heard was the sound of Blaine crying. He knew his family would be in the same state as him, feeling like they needed to do something but not knowing what. Kurt knew all he could do was comfort Blaine until he calmed down and told him who had hurt him, then go and murder the person. Because nobody was allowed to make Blaine this upset. Nobody.

After awhile, Blaine's sobbing began to ease until he was quiet, save the occasional sniff. Kurt kept his arms wrapped around him, knowing instinctively that Blaine still needed the comfort. He didn't speak, waiting until Blaine was ready to talk.

"Kurt." Blaine's voice was muffled by his chest and thick with tears. Kurt could hear the vulnerability in his words and knew Blaine was about to start second-guessing himself for coming here, for asking for comfort.

"It's alright. I've got you," he murmured, reaching a hand to stroke Blaine's hair. Blaine twisted his head slightly to look up at Kurt and his heart broke. The older boy still had tears streaming down his face and he looked lost. The bruise on his jaw was prominent and Kurt realized the ice bag had fallen onto the floor and was probably melting by now.

"I - I just didn't know what to do." Blaine shut his eyes for a second, tears still falling from under the lids, before the words began to rush out of his mouth. "I though it was going to be okay this time, I - she promised me he wouldn't. But he wouldn't stop yelling and then I lost it and I yelled back and then he - he..."

Blaine began to tremble and buried his head back in Kurt's chest. Kurt continued to stroke his hair, but his heart had turned to ice as he pieced together the fragments of Blaine's explanation.

His dad did this.

"Blaine, sweetie, I need you to look at me." Kurt felt horrible for saying it, but he needed to check the bruise on his jaw. Blaine looked back up, biting his lip and Kurt reached out a hand slowly, making it clear that he was moving towards his jaw. Blaine stiffened but allowed him to cup his face, his fingers staying well away from the bruise.

By now, it had spread across his jaw and into the lower part of his cheek. Kurt winced slightly at the sight of it. "How much does it hurt?" he asked, doing his best to stay strong for Blaine.

"Not - not too bad." Blaine's mouth opened for a second, then he whispered, "Kurt, he kicked me out."

Kurt felt the sentence hit him like a kick to the gut. "Can you tell me what happened?"

So Blaine told him. Haltingly and with tears still flowing down his cheeks, Blaine told him about how he had come home, expecting it to be a simple weekend, but his dad had other plans. "He invited over his friend and his daughter for lunch and I knew straight away what he was trying to do." Blaine's head was on his shoulder and he couldn't keep eye contact with Kurt for very long. "So they all sat together and sent us away to 'get to know each other.' I told her I was gay straight away because I didn't want her to get hurt too -"

His voice broke and Kurt pulled him a little closer. "It's okay," he whispered, because what else could he say?

"So they went home and - and I guess he must've called D - Dad and told him." Blaine's voice trembled again and he shivered. Kurt pulled the blanket around him tighter, knowing he had to get him out of his wet clothes soon.

"I was in my room and he came up and - Kurt, he screamed at me. He said all he wanted was a n-normal son. He said I was nothing but a - a waste of s-space and that was why I stayed at Dalton because they d-didn't want to see me. I - I couldn't handle it anymore."

Kurt could hear the guilt in Blaine's voice and rushed to reassure him. "Nobody should have to hear that sort of thing, Blaine. You're allowed to be upset."

Blaine nodded slightly before continuing. "I yelled back. I told him I am who I am and I wouldn't b-be changing for anybody, especially not him. And then he -" Blaine gestured to his jaw. "Then he told me to pack my bag and l-leave. And I didn't know where else to go..."

"You're always welcome here, Blaine. Always."

Kurt put everything he had into those words, trying to make Blaine see that he wasn't a burden at all, but he knew it hadn't sunk in properly. "So where's your bag?"

"Outside, I think." Blaine sniffed and wiped his eyes.

"Okay, how about I head out and grab it, I'll give you a minute to get changed out of those clothes." Kurt grabbed the pile of clothes that Finn had left at the end of the sofa and put them next to Blaine. "I'll be right outside and I'll come back in a couple of minutes, okay?"

Blaine nodded, sitting up as Kurt unwrapped his arms. Standing up, Kurt made his way into the dining room, shutting the door behind him and facing his anxious family.

"He's as okay as he can be. Dad, he needs a place to stay. Can he -?"

Burt's eyes had hardened and Kurt knew he had figured out what was going on. "Of course he can. Do I need to make a call?"

Kurt shook his head. "That'll only make things worse right now. Give him some time to cool off, give Blaine some time to - to cope. And then we'll handle it."

Burt nodded and Carol reached out to draw Kurt into a hug. "You're just what he needs right now, Kurt. But if we can do anything, let me know."

Kurt felt the lump forming in his throat and pulled away. "He's probably going to need to eat soon," he murmured.

"I'll get it ready and leave it by the door."

Kurt nodded before heading to the front door. He stepped out, noticing that the rain had eased, and grabbed the duffel bag sitting by the front doorstep. Making his way back to the living room, he knocked on the door and heard a muffled affirmation before entering.

Blaine was sitting on the couch in a pair of Kurt's sweatpants and an old t-shirt, holding onto his wet clothes. Kurt immediately took them from him and dumped them in the laundry before returning to find Blaine staring at the bag, looking horrified.

"Blaine?"

"I didn't get my guitar... or my phone.. or my wallet, or any of my school stuff... Kurt, what if they're not going to pay for me to go to Dalton anymore?" Blaine was starting to get worked up and Kurt wrapped an arm around him again.

"Blaine, it's okay. Anything else you need to pick up, we can go and get tomorrow or whenever you like, during the day if you don't want to see them. My dad will come with us so there won't be any issues. And if they do stop paying, then you can come to McKinley with me.'

Blaine calmed slightly but was still breathing heavily. "Where am I going to live?"

"Here, of course."

"But -"

"Blaine." Kurt didn't want to be stern but Blaine needed to understand. "You're staying here, at the very least on weekends if you're still at Dalton."

There was silence, then the sentence that shattered Kurt's heart -

"Why do you care?"

And Blaine truly meant it. He was actually at the point where he thought nobody cared about him. Kurt knew if he ever met Blaine's father, he wouldn't be able to hold back.

"Because I care about you, Blaine. We all do. You're my best friend, you helped me through my own difficult times, I want to help you." And I'm in love with you, he added in his mind. "Don't let his words poison you, Blaine."

As Blaine looked away, Kurt could see the look in his eyes that Kurt had seen in his own during his darkest days at McKinley, and he knew Blaine had given up on being cared about. Kurt didn't know how long his dad had been saying these things about him, but it seemed Blaine had been living with the thought that he was a disappointment for a long time. But when Kurt was at his lowest, Blaine was the one to pull him out. And now it was Kurt's turn to return the favour.

"Blaine, look at me." Obediently, Blaine lifted his eyes to Kurt's, attempting a smile that didn't quite cross his face.

"Kurt, I'm sorry. I can't believe I've just come here and thrown all of this at you. I promise, once I find somewhere else to go, I'll be out of your hair -"

"Blaine." Kurt couldn't keep the emotion out of his voice and knew it was about to break. "Blaine, shut up. You are not a burden. You are my friend and I care about you and - damn it, Blaine, I love you."

Taking Blaine's chin in his hand, careful to avoid the bruise, Kurt ducked his head and kissed him. And even though he wanted so much for it to mean more, Kurt knew that right now it was simply the comfort and reassurance that Blaine needed to know he was loved.

Pulling away, Kurt smiled gently, trying to keep his tears at bay. "I'm here for you, okay?"

"Okay," Blaine whispered, and Kurt saw the light returning to his eyes. He knew things were a long way from fixed - even tonight there was still so much to be dealt with - but at least Blaine knew he was loved.

"And Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

Blaine swallowed. "I love you too."

Kurt smiled, letting the words store themselves in the back of his mind for later. Right now, Blaine was his focus, getting the boy some food and then a proper night's sleep. Tomorrow would bring its own challenges and there was much more to work through.

But later that night, after everyone else was asleep - Blaine in the guest room where Kurt could hear if he had a nightmare - Kurt allowed himself a few moments of happiness. Maybe it wouldn't be until much later down the track, but he knew that something had started between himself and Blaine that was going to change their lives forever.

As out of character as it may seem, this is a method one of my friends has used on another friend - it was completely platonic too - to snap them out of their feelings of worthlessness. I copied it from her.

MusicalEscape:

So Burt's reaction was more than a little scary. Blaine's parents were somewhat fine. But what about New Directions?

Mercedes: I'm so happy! *hugs*

Puck: My boy's getting some!

Brad the pianist: Good job, kid.

Later that day...

"Hey, I got a text! Who's Brad?"

Text reads: "Don't hurt Kurt. I happen to know piano's are very painful when dropped on one's head."