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'Why haven't you told anyone?'

Kurt only flashed the paper up for a second but Blaine still managed to read it, possibly because he had been peering, ever so secretly, over Kurt's shoulder.

"Why haven't I told anyone what?" Blaine questioned, intrigued by what Kurt could have meant. What was there to tell? That Kurt had very protective friends? That Kane probably had a large bruise now in memory of Puck which could most likely get him banned from campus? That every time he looked at him, invisible butterflies rose in his stomach?

'About my bruises.'

Blaine gazed at Kurt tenderly, had Kurt been wondering about that since Friday? To be fair, Blaine had pushed them to the back of his mind so he didn't have to think about them although he couldn't prevent himself from constantly feeling worried about him.

"Kurt.." He reached a hand up, ignoring the other boy's slight drawing away, and lightly held Kurt's in his own, "Kurt, I'm not going to say anything about them if you don't want me to. It's your secret to tell, not mine."

Silence.

'...thankyou.' Kurt held up his notebook, keeping eye contact with. It was oddly comforting that Blaine still hadn't let go of his hand- odd because usually, he let no one touch him nowadays.

"Don't mention it- I wouldn't have liked it if someone told everyone my story...although Coop still did."

'Coop?' Kurt's eyebrows furrowed and Blaine smiled, happy Kurt was getting more confident with asking questions.

"Yeah, Cooper- he's my brother. But unlike yours seemed to be, he's rather...Well...I can't really describe him. He's just Cooper."

Kurt nodded, not wanting to delve deeper in case Blaine thought he was prying and got annoyed.

"Anyway, I should go find Wes and the rest of the gang- they were looking for you as well and are probably wondering where I am. Will you be alright here?"

'Can..can I come with you?'

Blaine grinned, he had been hoping Kurt would say that and trust him enough to go with him, "it would be a pleasure."

Slowly, in case he accidentally scared Kurt just when he was coming out of his shell, Blaine stood up. He frowned slightly, missing the heat of Kurt's hand after he let it go once he had helped the porcelain boy to his feet and almost reached down to pick it up again. Of course, he didn't though- that might be considered inappropriate and invading Kurt's space, although part of him was willing to risk it.

Kurt mused silently as Blaine led him out the door, disbelief aimed at himself and the other teenagers he had met clouding his thoughts and sticking in his mind like chewing gum. Had Blaine really said some of the other warblers were looking for him or had his ears been mistaken? And if they were, what did they want to do with him once he'd been found? Were they going to slushie him (did they even do that there?) or worse? Why did he even ask to go? Hell, why was he even communicating with people now? Karofsky would kill him...or worse...

"Kurt? Are you okay?"

Kurt hadn't realised that his breathing had increased until he felt Blaine's hand resting on his shoulder with a strong look of concern on the boy's face. Instinctively, Kurt shrunk away, but not before Blaine recoiled his hand, apologising but still watching Kurt as if he was afraid the nervous scholar was about to have a panic attack. Actually, after what happened on Thursday, he was probably expecting one. Kurt nodded reassuringly, plastering his face with a rather small- yet extremely fake- smile.

'I'm fine, you just made me jump,' he wrote, forcing his hand to stop shaking so he could write, a difficult feat to say the least.

"Well, if you're sure."

Kurt nodded.

"Are you sure you want to come? They won't mind if you want to stay in the dorm or go somewhere else."

Kurt shook his head, starting to walk again so he had a moment to breathe properly before Blaine followed his lead. Hang on, he'd just been offered the perfect opportunity to take so he could leave- why hadn't he taken it? Kurt bit a tiny part his lip inconspicuously so Blaine didn't notice. Of course, he was socialising for his dad's sake...He just hoped the other boys didn't judge him too much. After all, the last time they had officially met, he had had a panic attack and run out of the room. He seemed to had been developing a habit of that recently.

Jeff, Nick, Wes and David stood in the Windsor kitchens, eyeing the ingredients they had gathered and placed on the counters. The gremlins had run off after their meeting earlier having not owning any patience for standing in one place for two long. Jeff had always suspected it was because if they did that, the teachers would catch them and lock them in detention forever for all the pranks they pulled un the past. However, as Wes had pointed out, they could probably escape anyway if they were ever trapped somewhere- seriously, the pair put Houdini to shame.

The four had gathered in the kitchen, which had thankfully been cleaned and rid of the smell of smoke the twins had filled it with earlier, with the intention of baking cookies as they hoped it would pass the time quicker. At first, Theo and Fors had merely told them to pull a few pranks as 'time flies when you're having fun', but one look from Kane as he passed and they hurriedly dismissed that idea, much as it further convinced the gremlins to persuade them more. In the end, they gave up after Wes threatened to remind a few teachers of their long list of detentions the two had missed in the past. And by a few, he meant all of them. Which meant Theo and Fors having no free time ever again in their high school lives.

"So how are we gonna do this?" David asked, breaking the silence as the boys realised just what they had let themselves in for. Like the twins, none of them had any cooking experience except for Jeff from when he had made chicken noodle soup for Roddy when he was ill- it all went surprisingly well until he remembered the teen was a vegetarian.

"I think we should sort out what we want to make first," answered Wes, taking charge of the group.

"Ooh, pancakes!"

"Cakes?"

"Cookies?"

"Chocolate!"

"Jeff, you can't make chocolate.."

"Really, Wes? So it just grows on trees then does it? Excuse you, but I'm not stupid enough to believe that. I'm guessing you'll be saying bananas are fruits next."

"...they are though."

"Not true actually Wes," said David, smiling at the confused look on his friend's face, "bananas are actually a herb. I read it in a book."

"You read books on bananas?"

"No! ...However did you also know we share about fifty five per cent of DNA with them?"

"Guys, we're never going to get anything done if we carry on like this- now, what should we make?"

"I vote something with bananas in."

"How about banana cookies?" Jeff suggested.

"Is there even such thing?"

"Of course! Blaine made them for me once."

"Well, do you have a recipe?"

"No...but there are three of us- we should be able to figure it out."

"Fine then," sighed Wes, shaking his head to hide his smile, "banana cookies it is!"

Blaine watched Kurt fondly as they walked down the empty Windsor corridor, following the sound of laughter and singing. He felt so proud- no, privileged- that Kurt had seemed to be letting the world in more; Puck and Finn's visit had really seemed to help the boy, and buying Kurt a notebook was pure genius.

"NICHOLAS DUVAL! Have you no common sense?!"

Kurt wasn't the only person who jumped at this loud outbreak, and Blaine hurriedly had to regain his composure, fearing Kurt may have a panic attack. Thankfully, his concern wasn't needed as instead a look of curiosity fell on the other teenager's face. Of course, Kurt must know by now they were heading to the kitchens as the twins had brought him there before. Blaine quietly wondered however how safe it would be to let Kurt around his friends when they were baking. He knew from experience how crazy they could be- when cooking, the boys usually held competitions on who could sneak the most creative and disgusting ingredients into the bowl without Wes spotting. One time, Nick had even gone so far as to put sawdust in them, luckily, it was clean but that still didn't stop Wes shouting at them when he took a large boy into a cupcake. Nowadays, the asian kept a close eye on the mixture so it was harder to spike. That didn't stop them trying though.

Kurt hesitated as they approached the door, glasz eyes locked on the doorknob as Blaine reached out to open it. Hazel eyes met blue, silently asking if Kurt still wanted to go in. Kurt swallowed a deep breath and nodded slowly but with enough emotion to reassure the lead warbler and make him twist the handle, opening the entrance to the madness within.

"Hey, Blainers! And Kurtie!" Jeff said loudly over the other shouts as a handful of flour flew straight into his face. He spun around, spluttering as the ingredient fell into his open mouth and was breathed in, "guys!"

"Crap, sorry Jeff! I was aiming for Nick- the idiot decided that when the recipe says to 'add egg', it would be a good idea just to check a whole one in without throwing out the shell," said Wes, a hand only partially hiding his cheshire cat grin as Nick laughed unapologetically at the shocked expression on his boyfriend's face.

"We were making cookies," added David, watching as Kurt's confused expression turned into one of horror,(what kind of person put eggshells in any cooking mixture?) "However, these three clowns can't cook to save their lives...nor can I."

"-but that's what ready meals were invented for!" interrupted Nick, silencing however as David shot him an exasperated look.

"Help us?"

Kurt sent a panicky look at Blaine who automatically gave a reassuring nod of the head, too small for the other boys to register it, but big enough to encourage Kurt to help cook. The porcelain skinned teen's lips flicked upwards for half a second before he gingerly stepped forward, accepting the white apron which Wes held out, matching the ones all the other boys were wearing. That was, except Blaine who was now wearing a light pink with (in Kurt's opinion) disgustingly purple polka dots which Nick had offered him under the proclamation that none others were left. Of course, he had been sure to subtly hide the others in the saucepan cupboard first.

"How about we throw this out first?" Blaine suggested as he joined Kurt at the bowlside, curiously peering in as Kurt transformed his face into one of pain.

"Why? It's not that bad, is it?"

"There are eggshells in there, Wes. What do you think?"

"Oh yeah...and eggshells are inedible?"

Kurt bit back a grin and started to remember what the ingredients were for sugar cookies. They were easy enough and tasted nice- that should hopefully keep the other teenagers happy for longer and might even make them like him. It was probably the only way he could get them to anyway.

Once Nick and Blaine had gathered some clean equipment, all the boys began to look slightly lost at what to do next, each head eventually turning to look at Kurt in the hope he might have some idea. Blaine was glad to see Kurt still looking happy- he was extremely grateful to his friends for thinking of this and made a mental note to buy them all coffee soon.

Luckily for them, cooking was Kurt's element, well except for fashion but nobody liked when he wore eyepopping outfits at McKinley, especially not Karofsky, so he had toned it down. Cooking, however, was good. Cooking could be considered manly. Look at Gordon Ramsey, nobody hurt him and he did it. So Kurt had started to bake more and more.

He looked around, wondering what people would say if he got out his notebook and wrote down some instructions. Taking orders from him, doing what he said...since when did anyone listen to what he said though? Karofsky hadn't stopped when he said no; Puck didn't believe him when he said it wasn't his fault; Mr. Schue hadn't helped him when he asked.

"Please Kurt? Do you have any ideas?" Wes begged.

"Kurt, it's okay if you don't, but we'd greatly appreciate any of your input," said Blaine, reaching out to, well he didn't really know what he was going to do. Hug him? Hold his hand? Link arms? He just wanted to comfort the boy, but whatever his intentions, he stopped himself just as he remembered Kurt's issue with personal space. Kurt gave him a small smile, knowing Blaine was just trying to encourage him to open up and so, obligingly, he pulled out his notebook. It was best he helped them anyway, or so he told himself. If Theo and Fors had managed to nearly set the kitchen alight just making toast (he still didn't understand just how they had managed to,) then he feared what these other ones could.

'Could you please weigh out 250g of sugar..?'

"Sure Kurtie!" Jeff said, bouncing over to Blaine and stealing the caster sugar the boy had just picked up.

"Hey!"

"Hello..?"

"What?"

"Umm..." Jeff gave him a confused look before running back to the scales and pouring out the desired amount, under the careful eye of Blaine. He didn't want him messing up Kurt's progress though, of course, Jeff had more sense than that.