DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee, nor am I associated with it or Ryan Murphy. I am just an out-of-college daydreamer who sometimes gets into these writing funks and ends up tossing out a story after letting the idea sit in my brain for a few days!

Sometimes You Need More Than Courage

By: xSlythStratasfaction

Characters: mostly Kurt and Blaine (w/ mentions of OCs, Warblers, and New Directions)

WARNING: There's some language in here that may be offensive!

"Look guys, it's LAME ANDERSON!"

He should've been expecting them: the hecklers. They followed him down the street every morning and every afternoon, calling him names, throwing things at him, whatever they could do to make him miserable. Unfortunately for Blaine, the neanderthals who insisted on making his life a living hell lived in his neighborhood and rode the same school bus as he did. He endured the taunting and the teasing all day, every single day.

And for what?

These kids thought he was gay. He wasn't… or so he thought he wasn't. However, there happened to be a couple of times where he'd be sitting in class and find his stomach churning every time his friend Joshua walked into the room. He liked the way Joshua dressed, how kind he was, and the way his black hair fell in front of his blue eyes. It was cute…

Blaine could never tell whether or not the feelings he felt when he saw Joshua were feelings of jealousy (because Josh had it all, of course) or if it was because he had what they called a 'crush' on the boy. He never wanted to dwell on it though, for the fear of the fact that someone would think of him as a 'queer.'

"HEY GIRLY BOY! HEY LAME!" Someone behind him was yelling again, "LAME ANDERSON! HELLO? We're talking to you!"

He could hear the crowd of kids behind him sniggering with each catcall and insult. Someone was trying to explain to another why they called him 'Lame' instead of Blaine (some stupid play on his name, obviously). They taunted him more and a few of them started kicking rocks at his feet. Laughter was heard from all around.

"Look guys! He's SCARED!"

The short, curly haired boy sped up his walking pace and clutched his book bag closer to his body. The last thing he wanted was to get picked on today, especially on one of the most important days of the year: school picture day.

If he had to admit it, Blaine thought he looked rather, umm, dapper for the occasion. His outfit was spiffy and casual and he knew he was going to look great in his school picture. His curly, black hair was gelled down perfectly and he looked like a handsome, young gentleman in his opinion.

Now, if only he could keep the bullies away from him for a few class periods. Then he could get his picture taken and they could have a field day with him afterwards. All he wanted was to get a great picture and impress his parents, that was all. Nothing more, nothing less.

"HEY LAME! Why ya running?" One of the bigger boys started to jog; Blaine could tell from the sound of heavy feet hitting the pavement. "Come 'ere!"

As the boy started to catch up to him, Blaine's running skills burst into gear and he sped around the corner as quick as he could. He didn't know which boy was behind him, but he seriously hoped it wasn't one of the cross country boys he ran with. He knew they could catch him easily and that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

"HEY FREAK! I'LL ASK YOU AGAIN! WHY YA RUNNING?"

There it was: the bus stop. Blaine could see it clearly. No one was there yet (usually he was the first to arrive, considering whether or not he got there safely), but he was hoping that at least one of the neighbors who lived next to the stop would come out and get the hecklers to leave him alone.

As always though, no one came.

He could hear the footsteps behind him get closer and closer and his heart was racing. He just had to get to the bus stop! Then he'd be safe… hopefully. With a burst of energy, he sprinted up to the corner where the bus would pull up.

He was almost there!

Then he felt it: two large hands grasp onto his shoulders for dear life, squeezing hard and pulling him backwards. He tried to pull away from the death grip on his arms and all that got him was a huge shove from whoever grabbed him. Blaine's body jerked forward in a fast motion and he felt himself lose his balance quickly.

And then as quick as it started, it ended.

Blaine's body smashed into the ground, his face taking the brunt of it as he skidded forward on the pavement. His hands, which he threw outward to help brace his fall, burned as they scratched against the cool, rock hard ground. His goal to make it through the day unscathed went down with him. He had lost.

The boy who shoved him snorted when he saw Blaine's small body curl up on the ground in sobs. "Why ya crying, fag?" He kicked some dirt into the smaller boy's face and turned on his heel to high-five the other kids who came cheering up behind him.

"Teach you to run away from me again, faggot." The boy jeered again and then he and his friends walked away from the crying preteen. Blaine just stayed locked in the fetal position, half of his body in severe pain and the other numb.

His outfit was ruined. His hair was ruined. There was no yearbook picture for him that year.

Kurt's blue eyes grew big as he listened to Blaine tell about one of his first bullying experiences. His heart also grew sad as he listened to the emotion in his crush's voice as his friend discussed what had happened after he had been pushed.

Blaine had fallen out of the line of sight of the bus driver, so when the bus pulled up, the bullies all boarded and left him out there, bloody and hurt. A neighbor who had been on their way to work spotted Blaine's curled up form on the side of the road and he pulled over and took him home. His parents took him to the hospital and he had to have some stitches on the side of his face from a cut he received when a rock had punctured his cheek. He spent a few days at home and when he went back to school, he was made fun of for having a black-eye and for having to wear bandages on his face and hands.

He never told anyone who had pushed him either. According to what the bully had told Blaine in the hallways one morning before class started, "Snitches get stitches." So, Blaine never told.

Kurt was heartbroken to hear what had happened to the boy he cared so dearly about. Halfway through Blaine's story, he had sat up on the bed and started rubbing one of his hands up and down Blaine's back. Blaine had rolled over onto his stomach before he started to talk and had turned his face away from Kurt's, probably to hide any bit of emotion away from the other boy. As much as it hurt Kurt to have Blaine turned away from him while he talked, he knew he shouldn't pressure someone during a time such as this. Blaine would look to him when he wanted to.

"Kurt?"

The blue eyed boy looked down at the person laying next to him, "Hmm?"

"Do you mind if I go to the bathroom?"

The question shocked him. Blaine wanted to go the bathroom? Was he getting upset? Had Kurt pushed him too much? "Are you okay? I didn't push you too hard, did I? Because if I did, I'm really, really so-"

Blaine interrupted with a smile, "No. No, you didn't push or anything… I, uh… I just have to pee." He chuckled a bit when he felt Kurt's hand shove his shoulder playfully. "What?" He turned his head to face the taller teen, "Sometimes nature calls! And you know if I don't go, my bladder will explode."

"You mean to tell me that you're gonna go from telling me this intense story about your past into cracking jokes about urinating?" Kurt placed his head into his hands and rolled his eyes. "Do what you must."

The weight of the bed changed and Kurt almost toppled off when Blaine's weight disappeared as he rolled off of his side of the bed. Luckily, Kurt braced himself by rolling into the center of the mattress, thus saving himself from a face full of floor.

"I'll be back," Blaine started towards the bathroom, but stopped when he suddenly jumped to the side. "What was that?"

Kurt raised a brow at the dark haired boy, "Huh? What was what?" And then he heard it. The sweet, but muffled chorus of 'I Want To Hold Your Hand by the Beatles filled the air. It was his phone. Blaine must've heard it vibrate first before it rang. He turned to the stunned boy and asked, "Do you care if I answer this?"

Blaine calmed a little, "Uh no, I don't mind. It's probably your dad. And I bet he really wants to talk to you." With a laugh, the elder Warbler disappeared into the bathroom and locked the door.

Blushing, Kurt opened his phone and spoke softly, "Umm hello?"

"Kurt?"

"Hi dad."

"You're staying with that boy?" Burt Hummel sounded a little annoyed when he spoke. "Why did you call and tell me sooner?"

"Well, umm, the Warblers got back late from performing and I wasn't feeling very well so Blaine offered to let me stay in his dorm."

"With him?" Burt's voice grew a little darker.

Kurt pressed his fingers onto the bridge of his nose, feeling an argument coming on. "Yes dad, with him. But in separate beds though, ok? He has a blow-up mattress set up on the floor now as we speak. I'm going to sleep there." He lied, but he knew he had to. He didn't want to explain to his dad that he was sleeping in Blaine's already slept in, comfy bed while Blaine slept on the blow-up cot.

"Plus," he continued, "I thought I told Finn to tell you. He was the one who answered the phone earlier when I called. I would've called sooner but I fell asleep on the bus. I wasn't feeling too well…"

"Do you want me and Carole to come and get you? You can ride back with Carole and I'll drive your car." Burt seemed like he was going to try everything to keep Kurt from spending the night with Blaine.

Kurt sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair, "No, dad. Everything's alright. I'm gonna drive back to Lima tomorrow morning as soon as I get up. Blaine offered to ride back with me just in case I wasn't feeling well."

"And I suppose you'll want him to spend the night here since he doesn't live in Lima?"

Kurt paled. He hadn't really thought about that. "Umm, maybe. It depends on how I feel, dad. Right now, I feel a bit better, but I don't think me driving back tonight is a good idea. Plus, I don't want you and Carole driving two hours from Lima just to come and get me. I'll come home in the morning."

Burt sighed, "What about Blaine? He's not going to try anything, is he?"

At the mention of the boy in the bathroom, Kurt turned beet red and then proceeded to try to listen to see if he could hear anything coming from the other room. All he heard was the toilet flush and then the sink come on. Crap, I'm gonna have to end this convo soon…

"He's not gonna do anything, dad. You've met him before. He's a great guy…"

"And you like him," Burt stated this matter-of-factly, so much so that it scared Kurt a little bit. Had he been that obvious about his feelings towards Blaine?

"…yeah, I do, but-"

Blaine leaned forward and rested his head against the mirror. He didn't know if he was going to be able to come out and tell Kurt all the things he dealt with while he was in public school. Kurt was still mending from his problems, so the last thing Blaine thought he needed was to take on more problems as well. Speaking of Kurt, Blaine stepped away from the sink and headed closer to the door leading to his room. He didn't want to barge in and cause Kurt to have to end the phone conversation he was having with his father, so he decided to wait until he heard Kurt say goodbye.

In the meantime, just to make it seem like he wasn't listening, Blaine turned the water in the sink back on and stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"He doesn't feel the same way about me, dad."

Blaine turned his head towards what he just heard come out of Kurt's mouth. Despite the fact that water in the sink was running rapidly and despite the fact that Kurt was trying to talk as quiet as he could, Blaine heard him say something that made his stomach flip-flop.

"No, I promise… yes, I read those pamphlets! Goodness! Dad, no! Nothing's going to happen. He doesn't like me like that."

Honestly, Blaine wondered what they were talking about out there. If he was going by what he had heard Kurt say, he would probably guess that Burt was asking Kurt if the two Warbler guys were planning on 'getting together' or something. Just the thought of such an intimate interaction with Kurt made Blaine's heart race and his throat lock up. Flashbacks of Kurt's strange gaze earlier, the backward stretch of his body showing off the smooth skin of his stomach, and the way he gently consoled Blaine during their talk filled the Blaine's brain.

Where were these odd feelings coming from? What was happening?

Deep down, he knew he felt something for the boy, but he just didn't know what it was. He cared very deeply for Kurt and he got a lot of flack for it too. The other Warblers poked and prodded at him numerous times for supposedly 'flirting' with Kurt during practice. They also got on his case the day after he asked them to help him with the Gap attack; Wes claimed that Blaine wasn't in love with the guy from the Gap, but that he was in love with someone else. Some other Warblers agreed with him, but they all went along with the attack anyways. Hell, even after the Gap attack failed, Kurt basically came out and said that he liked him. When the other Warblers heard about this (after Blaine accidentally let it slip out one night over coffee with the guys), they told Blaine he should go for it… and 'it' meant Kurt.

But Blaine didn't think Kurt was ready for something like that. Hell, he didn't even think he was ready for something that. He did care for Kurt very much, but he couldn't say he was in love with him. He loved him, no doubt, but he wasn't in love.

Sighing, he turned his attentions back to the closed door leading to his bedroom. He had shut off the water long ago and was now debating on whether or not to exit the bathroom.

"I love you, dad. But I think Blaine is waiting for me to get off of the phone until he comes out of the bathroom."

SHIT! Had he known that Blaine was waiting for him to finish up on the phone? Blaine felt like his eyes were going to bug out of his head. He sat down on the toilet seat and ran a hand through his messed up hair. He had been caught.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow then dad. And thanks, you know, for understanding. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you!"

A few moments of silence occurred after Kurt had supposedly hung up. Blaine remained in the bathroom, sitting quietly as he prayed under his breath that Kurt didn't realize he was creeping on his phone conversations. He was about to think he was in the clear until he heard,

"You can come out now, Blaine! I'm off the phone!"

Blaine closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and walked over to the bathroom door. He imagined a verbal assault would be the first thing he'd get as soon as he entered the bedroom. Kurt probably knew he was listening in. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!

He opened the bathroom door…

A/N: Okay, I lied. I thought I was going to be able to put the whole story into just two chapters, but because my mind races throughout the day with the most random of thoughts, I wasn't able to fit everything into just one more chapter. So, I imagine there will be a chapter or two after this and then I'm done… hopefully. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them! I haven't written in a long time (since I graduated last May actually) and I was worried I had gotten really sloppy!