Kurt knew he shouldn't have stormed out when Puck got upset with him. He let his temper get the best of him, and when the jock suggested he go spy on the Warblers, Kurt decided that was exactly what he was going to do. If his group wasn't going to at least consider his ideas, then he would just go out and see exactly who they were up against.

The Dalton Academy was a two hour drive, but it gave Kurt enough time to calm down from how frustrated he was with Puck, the rest of the guys for not defending him, and just McKinley in general. If only his dad could afford to send him to someplace better, like this Dalton school.

As Kurt pulled up to the main building, he realized this place was more than just some stuck up private school. It was as big as a college campus, with more buildings than Kurt could count, and everything just looked so perfect. He got out of his Navigator and zipped up his jacket, and grabbed his sunglasses and messenger bag before shutting the door. He had never done anything like spying before, and wanted to make sure he blended in with the rest of the students.

When he first walked inside, it became evident that class was in session. Kurt peeked in class windows to see if he could find a choir room, but then the bell rang.

Boys ranging from junior high to gorillas at least six inches taller than Kurt poured out into the corridors, heading to the main staircase and racing downstairs. Kurt turned quickly and decided to just go with the flow, trying not to appear suspicious.

It was obvious something special was happening. Kids at McKinley were never this excited to just go to class. Kurt pulled his sunglasses off as he walked down the stairs and pulled aside the closest boy to him.

"Excuse me," he said. The boy turned around at the base of the stairs and looked up at him. He was tan, somewhat short, but had the most dazzling eyes Kurt had seen. He looked friendly, too, like someone who was insanely popular without even trying. "Um, hi. Can I ask you a question? I'm new here."

Instead of responding in a typical manner, the boy stuck out his hand. "My name's Blaine." Hm, Kurt thought. Fitting. He had never met a Blaine before.

Kurt almost forgot what to do for a second, but then smiled a little and held out his hand in return. "K-Kurt."

Even though students kept filing past them, one giving Kurt an obnoxious shove, the two of them didn't move out of the way. It was then that he finally remembered what he had come to do.

"So, what exactly is going on?" Kurt asked, trying to sound casual and not too nosy.

"The Warblers," Blaine said, grinning widely as if they were the greatest words he had ever spoken. "Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the senior commons. It tends to shut the school down for awhile."

Kurt broke eye contact and looked around as all of the boys headed for the main room excitedly, and he was surprised at how eager they seemed to see the show choir perform. McKinley students would never be like that.

"So wait, the glee club here is kind of cool?" Kurt asked, still a little confused. He would never associate "glee club" and "cool" in his mind.

"The Warblers are like… rock stars," Blaine shrugged. The idea was baffling to Kurt. "Come on," Blaine went on. "I know a shortcut."

He reached down and took Kurt's hand, and Kurt knew he had no choice but to go with Blaine. Not that he was complaining. He tried to keep himself grounded, though. The boy was most likely straight, and Kurt didn't need a repeat of the Finn Incident from sophomore year.

Blaine took him down a hallway, still holding his hand, and they ran together all the way to the doorway of the commons room. Students crammed in every open space they could, talking in groups, moving furniture out of the way, the show choir organizing themselves.

"Oh," Kurt said, suddenly embarrassed and feeling like he was on display. His all-black attire didn't go with the Dalton uniform colors at all. "I stick out like a sore thumb." He looked around awkwardly, and was afraid his spy mission had come to an end.

"Next time don't forget your jacket, New Kid," Blaine said teasingly, folding down the collar of Kurt's coat. "You'll fit right in."

Kurt shivered a little as he clapped him on the arm, and smiled helplessly as Blaine walked over a few steps to set his bag down on a pushed-aside table. The crowd quieted, and some of the boys from the show choir started to sing a little.

"Now, if you'll excuse me."

Kurt didn't know what Blaine meant by that, but it took him about half a second to realize that Blaine was in the glee club. In fact, as the song went on, Blaine turned out to not only be a member, but he was the lead singer.

The group of fifteen or so boys sang "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry, and Kurt honestly didn't think he had ever been more impressed by a group of singing teenage boys. Their dance steps were simple, but Blaine's voice was what made the number. Kurt found himself tapping his toe along with the beat, even though they were the enemy.

As the song finished, Kurt clapped until his hands hurt, and his heart skipped a beat as Blaine winked at him before joining up with his show choir friends.

Kurt waited until the commons room was mostly cleared out before deciding to approach Blaine again. He couldn't just leave and go all the way back to Lima before finding out more about him.

"Come on," Blaine said enthusiastically, taking Kurt by the arm. "I want you to meet my friends. Let's go grab some coffee."

Kurt didn't have time to protest. Not that he would want to, anyways. Blaine led him outside and across the courtyard to a smaller building, which contained a small café, the library, and the freshman lockers.

"Go sit down," Blaine told Kurt. "I'll buy you a drink."

Kurt smiled and took a seat at a nearby empty table. Blaine had brought along two of his friends, and Kurt was honestly a little scared. What if they chewed him out for spying and didn't let him see Blaine anymore?

The three of them came over and sat across from Kurt, and Blaine slid a plastic coffee cup across the table.

"Latte?"

"Thank you," Kurt said meekly, feeling ashamed for spying on them when Blaine was being so nice to him.

"This is Wes," Blaine said, gesturing to the friend on his right. "And David."

"It's very civilized to invite me for coffee before you beat me up for spying," Kurt said, feeling slightly intimidated by the sight of Blaine's friends.

"We aren't going to beat you up," Wes assured him.

"You were such a terrible spy, we thought it was sort of… endearing," David added. That helped Kurt relax a little bit. Sure, his cover was blown, but at least he was safe. Unlike at McKinley.

"That made me think spying wasn't really the reason you came here," Blaine told him, setting down his coffee.

Kurt glanced down awkwardly, trying to figure out how the heck Blaine could read him so well. Yes, he came to Dalton to scope out the competition, but also wanted to see what life was like where students weren't being harassed on an everyday basis.

"Can I ask you guys something?" Kurt asked. He didn't feel comfortable continuing the conversation until he did so. Blaine nodded slightly, so he continued. "A-are you guys all gay?"

The three of them laughed, and Kurt suddenly felt like crying from embarrassment. He had humiliated himself in front of Blaine, who was straight, and he mentally slapped himself for letting himself get so carried away with the other boy.

"Um, no," Blaine replied, still laughing a little. "I mean, I am, but these two have girlfriends."

Kurt let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Blaine was gay. Maybe he could understand Kurt's struggle, at least to a certain degree. Plus, he was so cute…

"This isn't a gay school," David explained. "Dalton just has a zero-tolerance harassment policy."

"Yeah. Everybody gets treated the same, no matter what they are," Wes added. "It's pretty simple."

Kurt's mouth opened, but he didn't have words to say. He briefly imagined what his life would be like if he went to someplace like Dalton. No fear every morning when he woke up, a show choir with actual work ethic, Blaine.

"Would you guys excuse us?" Blaine asked his friends. Wes and David caught the hint and stood up.

"Take it easy, Kurt," Wes said, nodding at him before leaving with the other boy.

"I take if you're having trouble at school?" Blaine pressed once they were gone. "I'm the only out of the closet person at my school," Kurt confessed. His chin trembled a little, but he forced himself not to cry in front of Blaine. The threat of Karofsky had become so real, Kurt had a hard time wrapping his mind around the concept of a "zero-tolerance harassment policy.

"I-I tried to stay strong about it… but there's this Neanderthal who's made it his mission to make my life a living hell. And nobody seems to notice," Kurt continued. A single tear fell down his cheek, and the look Blaine gave him made him want to break down and confess it all.

"I know how you feel," Blaine sighed. "I got bullied at my old school. And it really pissed me off. I even complained about it to the faculty, and they were sympathetic, but you could just tell that none of them really cared. It was like, 'hey, if you're gay, your life's just gonna be miserable. Sorry, nothing we can do about it.' So I left. I came here."

Kurt couldn't imagine anyone else possibly being bullied as bad as he had. But seeing Blaine, another gay kid, opened up a door that helped him realize he wasn't alone.

"Now, you have two options," Blaine went on. "I mean, I'd love to tell you to just come enroll here, but tuition at Dalton is sort of steep, and I know that's not an option for everyone."

Kurt was satisfied with that option. Sure, it would cost thousands of dollars, but it meant peace of mind. Guaranteed safety, a regional show choir win, not to mention lots and lots of time spent with Blaine. He didn't see how it could get better than that, but Blaine kept talking.

"Or, you could refuse to be the victim. Prejudice is just ignorance, Kurt. And you have a chance right now to teach him."

"How?" Kurt asked, trying to grasp what Blaine was saying.

"Confront him," Blaine suggested. "Call him out." He sounded like he knew what he was talking about. "I ran… Kurt. I didn't stand up. I let bullies chase me away, and it is something that I really, really regret."

Kurt thought about that for a minute. True, if he didn't stand up to Karofsky, he probably would wind up regretting it down the road if he just hid at Dalton until graduation. But the idea of actually doing something, of responding to the next locker shove or hateful comment, terrified him.

"Listen, I have a class in about ten minutes I need to get to. Think about things, and text me later?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded eagerly, and Blaine jotted down his phone number on a napkin and slid it over to Kurt. "Do you know how to get back to your car?"

Kurt nodded again, and stood up with Blaine, who turned to leave. Kurt threw his cup in the trash and pushed his chair in, the gears in his mind already turning about a way to present the idea of attending Dalton to his dad.

"Blaine?" Kurt called. Blaine turned around. "Th-thanks."

Blaine smiled and waved before walking out of the building, and Kurt waited a few seconds before following him. He saw him disappear into a different building, and Kurt sighed, hoping he would see him soon.

He got to his car, and was surprised to see a group of boys standing next to it. Kurt recognized them from the show choir performance. They sang backup for Blaine, but weren't nearly as good.

"Hey, it's the spy!" one of them taunted. Kurt gave him a weak smile and brushed past him to unlock his car door.

"Excuse me," he said quietly. One of the other boys, who was almost as big as Karofsky, shoved Kurt away from his car door. It was so unexpected, Kurt lost his balance and fell backwards onto the gravel. He felt his hand start to bleed from the impact, and looked up at the guy who pushed him, shocked to see that kind of behavior from a Dalton boy.

"What is your problem?" Kurt asked, trying to push himself up. The first boy, who called Kurt a spy, kicked him in the side so he stayed down.

"Don't even think about trying to win Blaine over," he said to Kurt, kicking some dirt from the gravel into his face. "He would never date someone like you, a stupid McKinley kid who is too dumb to even spy properly!"

Kurt coughed the dirt out of his mouth and quickly tried to stand up and just get in his car, but a third boy pinned him down.

"Stop it!" Kurt yelled, trying to kick at him as he held Kurt's wrists above his head. "I'm sorry! I already apologized to Blaine!"

"Of course you did!" the biggest one teased. Someone kicked Kurt in the head, and his vision started to blur in the slightest, but he forced himself to fight through the dizziness and sudden nausea he faced.

"Maybe if we report him his school will get disqualified!" said the one who was practically on top of Kurt. "Or we could show him how fight club works around Dalton."

The other three laughed in agreement to that idea, and Kurt fought hard against them as the four boys swung at him like he was a living punching bag. He received blows to the nose, jaw, stomach, and ribs, until finally the whale-like boy grabbed him up from off the ground and cornered him against the backseat window of his car.

Kurt could hardly stand on his own from how much pain he was in, and it wasn't until Kurt heard a familiar voice shout "Hey!" that he was dropped.

Kurt fell forward and tried to break his fall, but landed all wrong. He could almost hear the snap of his wrist as it was crushed under his body weight. There was silence for a second, then more yelling, and finally footsteps running away, and Kurt felt a hand on his back.

"Kurt? It's okay, it's just me."

Blaine.

"Ow," Kurt moaned. "I'm s-sorry, Blaine." One of the guys punched him in the back, and Kurt felt it when Blaine touched him, even the light stroke of his fingers.

"It's okay," Blaine repeated. "It's okay, you didn't do anything. Can you sit up? I'll help you, but I don't want you to be in too much pain."

Kurt nodded, his head throbbing. Blaine helped him up, and Kurt leaned back against the tire of his car.

"I'm so sorry," Blaine apologized over and over, looking over Kurt's injuries. "Those guys are idiots. They were suspended from Westerville High, and were sent here and forced to be in the Warblers in place of doing community service. They're stupid. Do you think you can stand up? I'll drive you around to the nurse's office and we can get you cleaned up. I think your nose might be broken."

Kurt's eyes watered. He truly wasn't safe anywhere. Even if he escaped the dangers of McKinley and Karofsky, not even Dalton proved to be a safe haven from the bullying. Kurt started crying again, and he lost track of how many times he had cried in front of Blaine so far that day.

Blaine pulled him close, and Kurt laid his head on the other boy's shoulder, not feeling awkward in the slightest.

"It's okay, it'll be okay," Blaine soothed. Kurt held onto him tightly with his good arm, and just wanted, for once, a place to call home, where he would truly be safe.

Author's Notes:

I got this prompt from Tumblr, they wanted one where the Warblers actually do beat Kurt up, so I tried to tie it together with his bullying at McKinley. But seriously why would anyone want to hurt Kurt? He is precious and a literal angel and about 100% of people love him. But thankfully Blaine is there to save the day!