A/N This just got out of control. It's the longest chapter so far. I had something else in mind for this one but I've decided to leave it for the next (should be up by Thursday).
One more thing. Something I haven't really mentioned since the first chapter.
I own nothing. Ryan has Glee, CP has Shane and Reed and I. Have. Nothing. *breaks down in hysterical tears*
So here you go. Read and remember. Reviews make Reed's paper cuts heal faster.

Reed was walking with Kurt as they talked about classes, fashion, music and basically anything they could come up with.

These walks became their thing since the minute they realized they both enjoyed fresh air and long walks, and Blaine finally admitted to Kurt that he actually hated them but was joining just so he wouldn't have to go alone.

Kurt pretended to be angry for about five minutes, but decided to release Blaine from that duty and ask Reed to take over.

The blond boy was happy to join him and they were now walking along one of the paths in the garden. The air was getting colder as November started to approach. Leaves were long gone from the trees and most of the gardeners were absent because the constant rain made watering the plants unnecessary.

Reed couldn't believe that it's been almost a month and a half since his arrival to Dalton. Time just flew by in between doing homework, hanging out with Kurt and Blaine, working in the Art hall and even talking to some of the kids there about his paintings and techniques he used. The last time his mother called him he told her he loved it at Dalton and she couldn't have been happier. He was pulled from his thoughts when Kurt nudged him lightly and stopped walking.

"Reed there's something that I wanted to ask you."- he said as he sat down on one of the benches in the garden -"and I want you to know that, if you do say no to this, it's going to be just fine so you really don't have to feel pressured to do anything and if…."

"Kurt! You're rambling. Just ask me ok?"- Reed interrupted his friend and giggled a bit at how funny Kurt was struggling to find the right words.

"Well Blaine and I were wondering if it would be ok with you if we sat with some of our friends at lunch."- Kurt said this in a quiet voice.

"Oh….y-yes of course. I'm sorry I got in the way of you hanging out with them."- Reed said, feeling his eyes stinging a bit at the realization that he would be left alone, because even though he spoke to some of the kids in the Art hall Kurt and Blaine were his only friends at Dalton, and now he was losing them.

But he wasn't really surprised. Kurt and Blaine were both quite popular so it really made no sense they waste their time with a skittish little sophomore who was afraid of his own shadow.

At the sight of the small boys sad expression Kurt got a bit confused but then Reeds words replayed themselves in his head and he realized just what he meant by them.

"Reed, what are you talking about. You didn't get in the way of anything trust me. We don't want to stop hanging out with you we just thought that you might want to meet the rest of our friends. It's mostly the Warblers…and…um…and Shane."-Kurt explained hoping that his friend will understand and believe that they really liked him and wanted to be his friends.

Reed locked his eyes with Kurt's with the expression of infinite surprise, and gratitude and something Kurt couldn't quite name but he was sure was hope.

"You want me to meet your friends?"- the small boy asked looking away from his friend and carefully thumbing away a single stray tear that escaped.

"Only if you're comfortable with that. Blaine and I see plenty of them so don't worry about saying yes just because you think we miss them or something."-Kurt smiled gently at his friend who was now staring at the floor.

"I would love that..I think but…..what if they think I'm weird?"- he voiced the concern he felt the moment he realized that Kurt wanted him to meet more people.

"They won't think you're weird. Mainly because our friends are the biggest weirdoes around so really you have nothing to be scared of ok?"- he patted Reed knee lightly and stood up because the sun was almost down and it was getting cold.

"Okay. So tomorrow then?"- he followed Kurt who just nodded in response and they walked into Windsor together.

They said their goodbyes and Reed walked into his room to finish his homework. He felt like his nerves are going wild at the thought of a bunch of strangers being close to him. But he promised his mom, his therapist, Kurt and Blaine, and mostly himself that he would try and make friends so that is exactly what he's gonna do. Making friends never killed anyone. Right?
-

Kurt practically skipped into Blaine's room and pounced on his boyfriend kissing him happily. Blaine was shocked a little but who was he to say no to Kurt kisses. He wrapped his arms around his waist and held him closer, deepening their kiss until he heard a sarcastic cough from the other side of the room.

"Guys, I love free live porn as much as the next gay guy but not when my older brother is the star."- Shane grunted from his bed. He didn't really mind all the PDA he had to endure from Blaine and Kurt or Nick and Jeff. He just couldn't help but feel jealous of them. They were loved and had someone to love back.

Shane was a good looking guy and he had the attention of a lot of boys who wanted to take him out on a date but he said no to all of them. And he had a reason for it. A miniature, curly, blond, angelic reason. Call him crazy, but Shane still dreamed of Reed.

"Wow someone's not happy today. Maybe I can do something about it."- Kurt walked away from Blaine and threw himself onto Shane's bed ruffling his curly hair.

"Please do. My day sucks."- the dancer complained swatting Kurt's hand away from his hair.

"Well…would you be happy to know that someone is sitting with his special boy tomorrow at lunch?"- Kurt asked, faking curiosity, as if he didn't know that Shanes reaction is going to be anything but subtle. And just in time Shane jumped on his feet, still on his bed, chanting a disbelieving string of "REALLY? REALLY?" and jumping up and down like a five year old, Blaine always claimed he was.

"Yes really. I talked to him today and asked if it would be ok with him if some of our friends joined us. He said yes. So he's meeting the Warblers. I hope they don't scare him away. Crazy bunch of idiots."- Kurt said with fondness in his voice that showed that his insult were just a joke. He really loved all of them.

"Oh my God that's so awesome. Wait! I'm not a Warbler! So I don't get to sit with him?"- Shane finally caught on the one part that really didn't make sense to him. Just because he chose dancing over singing meant he doesn't get to meet his Bambi? Well that wasn't fair at all.

"If you promise to behave yourself and not do something stupid like propose to him or proclaim your undying love for him you can sit with us. I wouldn't deny you the chance to get to know him."- Kurt got up from his bed and walked to his boyfriend again who was still standing and watching the two boys interact.

He took Kurt's hand with a grateful look. Shane was pretending to be ok for the past few weeks. He got to a point where the blond artist knew who he was and smiled at him sometimes. But they never talked to each other, and Blaine was sure they were never even properly introduced.
And as much as he loved to tease his brother whenever he liked someone he just couldn't bring himself to do that with Reed because it was different. Shane was different.
He talked about the blond with so much respect and awe Blaine was sure he never saw his brother like this. He just wanted a chance. And now his gorgeous boyfriend gave him one.
He pulled Kurt closer and kissed him again twining their fingers.

"Guys…I'm still here."- Shane took a break from jumping on his bed to scold the lovers again.
"Shut up Shane!"- they said against each others lips not pausing for a moment.

"Fine. I'm taking a shower. When I get out, the two of you will be acting decent."- he said and walked into to bathroom smiling secretly.
He's meeting him tomorrow.
-

Tomorrow came way too fast for Reed. He was nervous, he already had five new bruises and one of them was on his cheek so there was no way he could cover it.

He barely paid attention to his teachers, slept through the breaks in between classes and then… it was lunch time.

Blaine stopped picking him up once he managed to find his own way to the cafeteria so now he was standing in line glancing around the tables until he spotted Kurt's perfectly styled hair.
He was sitting surrounded by a group of very loud and obviously extremely close boys. He took his food, even though he knew he wasn't gonna eat much, and carefully walked over to Kurt.

Blaine saw him first and got up to help him with his tray. He knew Reed just a short amount of time but making sure the boy doesn't get hurt was one of the first things he picked up. He took the tray from his hands and placed it on the table.

The rest of the boys fell silent watching the petite blond fidget on his feet and looking afraid and uncomfortable.
Kurt was the one to break the silence.

"Guys this is Reed. We told you about him."- they all nodded at him and he turned to Reed. "Reed these are the Warblers. This is Trent, Wes, David, Thad, Cam, Nick, Jeff and our honorary member and choreographer Shane."- he recited pointing at the boys and Reed tried to politely nod and smile to every one of them. They were all looking at him, and he felt a bit self-conscious, but the looks they were giving him were all warm and seemed friendly.

"Um…h-hi…it's nice to meet y-you all."-he said quietly as he sat down between Blaine and Kurt. He failed to notice that the two of them saved him that spot because they thought he would feel safer like that.

When he sat down the boys just started shooting questions at him and he was surprised to notice he felt good among them. Oh, and Kurt had a point. They were insane. But nice so he started answering their questions.

"I transferred from New York."
"Yes, I do paint."
"I guess my wardrobe is a bit like Kurt's is."
"I don't really know how I manage to be smaller than Blaine."
And so on, and so on….

The only person who didn't ask him anything was Shane. He just sat there next to the ever composed Nick and his overly excitable boyfriend Jeff (and Jeff was now swooning over how incredibly adorable Reed was, and Shane just wanted to strangle him), and watched as his Bambi talked to his friends and he could tell he was winning them over. He felt proud for some reason. He was picturing the same ambient, lunch with his friends, only in his head Reed was sitting next to him, and occasionally resting his golden curls on his shoulder.

He was so far gone in his fantasy that he completely missed the glances that a certain curly haired boy was stealing at him.
Lunch hour was over way too soon.
-

Over the next few weeks Reed sat at every lunch with his new friends and he just loved them.
Kurt and Blaine were as amazing as ever, making sure he felt safe and comfortable. By the fourth day Reed could sit next to anyone and feel good.

Trent was in his Art class as well so the two of them spent a lot of time talking about art.
Nick was somewhat quiet but Reed liked to hear his opinions on the more serious topics they discussed because the older boy was extremely intelligent.

His boyfriend Jeff was like a living ball of energy. He could talk for hours, he could never sit still and the only person that could keep up with what he was saying was Nick. Reed thought the two of them were the most perfect couple he'd ever seen.

David, Wes and Thad were all very nice and genuinely interested in Reed's art and his interests but they also spent a lot of time teasing Blaine for a lot of things (mostly being short, and jumping on furniture while singing). They also asked Reed's opinion on what to get their girlfriends for Christmas.
Cam was loud, with a twisted sense of humor. At first Reed didn't think he liked the gigantic Warbler all that much, but after a couple of days he found himself laughing like crazy at one of his legendary stories of picking up girls and he decided Cam was just as amazing as the rest of them.

But as much as he liked all of them he found himself wondering if Kurt and Blaine had told Shane to leave him alone because the boy barely said two words to him. Reed caught his eyes once or twice.
He didn't know why but every day he would sit at their table and he couldn't resist but looking at the tall dancer.

He remembered the first time he saw him and how scared he was. But now, looking at him Reed had a problem remembering why. He was tall, and curly and seemed strong…but the more the painter looked at him the less he reminded him of Marcus. His eyes were more golden then they were brown, his curls were the color of dark chocolate and his smile was so warm and never seemed to leave his face.

Reed was snapped out of his daydreaming when he felt a finger twirl one of his curls and he turned to face Jeff who was staring at him with a smile so big Reed was sure it hurt.

"Nick look at how bouncy his hair is. He is sooooo cute!"- the blond Warbler was squeaking and Reed felt a blush creep on his face.

"Jeff leave the poor boy alone. Not everyone can deal with your…Jeffiness okay honey."- Nick scolded his boyfriend who swatted his shoulder playfully and then just curled himself into Nick arms mumbling a barely audible "Sorry Reedy".

From his seat Shane watched all of this wishing with all his heart he could be as crazy as Jeff and just run his fingers through the soft curls. He kept his eyes trained on Reeds face imagining what it would be like to bury his face into that silky hair while holding the small painter flush against his body, and in that moment the boy of his dreams looked up at him and locked his eyes with him. Shane felt like the entire cafeteria just stood up and left the two of them alone, and he kept his gaze hoping it never ends. He flashed a small smile in Reeds direction and the tiny boy blushed so adorably and bit his lower lip, averting his eyes to his hands.

And if it wasn't official until then, it most certainly was now. Shane Anderson was madly in love.
-

Reed hated Fridays. No school meant a lot of free time to think about things….and there were some things he didn't want to think about. Like what happened to him in the past, or should he still be afraid of his new friends hurting him.

But the thing he really didn't want to think about was Shane. The younger Anderson was first the star of his nightmares, then he was someone he was recognizing in the hallways, then he was someone who was a part of the group of his friends and then, for reasons Reed was not familiar with, he became the main motive of his paintings (obviously the ones he kept in his room not the ones he painted in class…because that would be all kinds of embarrassing).

He walked into the cafeteria, took a suspicious looking sandwich and a juice box (because soda cans were like death traps for him), and sat at their usual table that was strangely empty. He took out his cell phone and saw he received a text that morning while he was in class.

From: Kurt (8:46)
Thad has gone mad (sectionals are close). We have an emergency meeting during lunch hour. You gonna be ok on your own for lunch?

To: Kurt (12:15)
I'll be fine. Don't worry. Have fun with crazy Thad

He smiled to himself and took a bite of his sandwich.
-

Shane walked into the cafeteria after he just stood at the door for the last 10 minutes. He knew the Warblers had a meeting. He also knew that that means Reed is in there…alone.
And if he ever gathers his courage he could be with him…alone.

He took a deep breath and walked in. He just walked past the counter with sodas and took a Coke. He was way too nervous to eat anyways.

Reed was sitting at their usual table, back turned to him and he had a sketch pad in front of him.
Shane rounded the table and stood in front of the small boy that haunted all of his dreams for nearly three months now.
He carefully sat down.

"Hi. Do you mind if I join you?"- he asked cheerfully and mentally high-fived himself for sounding very confident and calm.

The angel in front of him looked up at him sweetly and Shane was sure it was impossible for a regular human being to be so beautiful all the time.

"I…no I don't m-mind."- Reed answered and his usually pink cheeks now turned bright red.
"I don't want to disturb you if you're working on something important. I can just sit here and be quiet and act like I'm not even here ("well done Shane. That was just so articulate")- he said to the boy in front of him pointing at his sketch pad.

"Oh…um….no it's not important…I was just…I had nothing to do so I was doodling a bit."- Reed answered trying to cover his sketch.

Shane glanced at the paper and reached for it looking at Reed and raising his eyebrow to ask if it's ok.
Reed just nodded shyly and let go of the pad. Shane took it and looked at the sketch of what seemed to be a dark wood, but the branches looked more like intertwined hands than anything else. Shane was amazed.

"This is you doodling out of boredom?"- he asked looking back from the sketch at the boy in front of him.
"Yes…well it's not very good, and it's…it's not really finished yet so…I mean I didn't mean for it to be done, it was just a pastime…"- the painter got twisted in his own explanation and then just decided to shut up when he saw Shane looking at him an chuckling lightly.

"Reed this is amazing. If this is you "not trying to paint something good", then I fear for all the painters out there, because they clearly have nothing on you."- he gave the sketch pad back as the boy looked at him with a disbelieving expression.

"Y-you like that?"- Reed asked him, eyes wide and lips slightly parted.
He clearly had no idea what he was doing to the taller boy who was now fighting the urge to just climb across the table and kiss him until they can't think anymore. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"How can I not like it? I mean I don't really know much about art but I like that sketch a lot. I'd love to see some of your "I meant to paint something great" stuff sometime. If you're ok with that. You don't have to show me if you don't want to."- he said quickly, silently praying for his angel to say yes and just give him a chance to be around him more than just this one hour a day.

"I…s-sure…I mean if you want to see it I have some of my paintings in the Art hall. You could c-come I guess. (and wow Reed…bold much?)"- he answered quickly not really sure if he wanted to spend some more time with the older boy or not. He was making him feel weird. Not bad weird, just…he didn't really know what it was.

"Great. I'd like that very much. So you can just tell me when it's good for you and I can stop by. The dancing studio is in the same building so it won't be a problem."- he said hardly able to believe what was going on. He pulled a notebook from his messenger bag and scribbled something on a piece of paper.

"Here. That's my phone number. I don't really want to impose on you when you're working so you can just text me whenever is convenient for you."

He held the paper and Reed eyed it carefully for a moment before nodding and taking it in his small hand. Shane noticed a band-aid on his index finger.

"Did you hurt yourself? What happened?"- he asked taking his fragile hand in his own and lifting it up to his eyes.

Reed was startled by his action but did nothing to move from the touch. Shanes hand was warm and strong and for the first time in a long time Reed felt ok being touched by someone who wasn't that close to him.

"I-it's nothing. I'm just really accident prone. I think t-that's a paper cut."- he blushed and trained his eyes on the juice box in front of him.

Shane smiled and let go of his hand, admiring the soft tingles he felt on his skin from the touch.
He was about to say something when the bell rang. He never hated anything more than that sound in his life. He saw Reed getting up and disposing the rest of the food into the trash can behind him.
He threw away his half-empty can and turned back to the blond boy who was still standing next to their table.

"Reed…would it be ok if I walk you to your class?"- Shane asked looking into his eyes and feeling slightly lightheaded. His Bambi was just so incredibly perfect he wasn't even sure he was awake right now or it was all just one of his dreams.

"S-sure. That would be nice thanks."- Reed answered trying not to blush to much but the heath he was feeling was enough of a proof that he was failing.

They headed to the door side by side, and Shane could feel his thin arm brushing against his own.
It took him all the self- control in the world not to reach out and intertwine their fingers. But he knew that moving too fast would scare the boy away from him and after spending an hour talking to him and realizing there's so much more to him than his angelic looking face, pushing him away was the last thing he wanted to do.