Authors Note: I think this is the first note where I don't have much to say except thanks to all my readers and reviewers. This is a pretty short chapter but has a big realization from Karofsky! Oh and the song is Ever Fallen In Love by The Stiff Dylan's. It's amazing! I still don't own Glee, in case you're wondering.

Kurt really had no idea what he was supposed to do when he saw David come home the next day with a black eye, bloody nose, split lip, and bloody knuckles. He looked up from his spot on his bed, headphones falling from his ears as he gaped for a moment.

"Can you help me out?" Dave asked, and something inside Kurt clenched at just how broken Dave looked. He nodded mutely and stood up, walking with Dave to the large bathroom in silence. He had him sit on the toilet as he went into the medicine cabinet to pull out rubbing alcohol, bandages, cotton swabs, and an ace bandage. He turned to look at the jock, whose gaze had been on the floor since he walked into their room.

"What happened?"

"A couple guys beat the shit out of me."

"Well I can see that." Kurt thought to himself but he just pulled up the stool to sit in front of his friend. "I mean, who did this? Why?"

"Azimio and a couple of the other guys from the team."

"What? Why would they-" Kurt stopped, staring at Dave, his mouth open to form a small 'O' shape.

"Because I came out." Dave whispered.

Kurt chewed his lip as he just stared for a moment. He never would have imagined that Karofsky's old friends would have turned against him so easily. Then again, they mercilessly picked on the openly gay kid, so why not another guy who came out? But Dave was their friend! This was just ridiculous.

"I know what you're thinking Hummel. Don't worry about it." Dave sighed, flinching as it sent a pain through his chest.

"Take off your shirt." Kurt whispered.

"No, I'm fine Kurt. Can you jus-"

"I said; take off your shirt David."

The jock sighed and pulled his shirt off, wincing at the movement. Kurt covered his mouth with his hand to keep from gasping at the large, purplish bruises running down Dave's side and stomach. He closed his eyes tightly and looked down at the tiled floor. This was his fault. He convinced Dave that everything would be fine if he came out. And now look at him! He looked like a human punching bag!

"Don't think like that, Kurt. I'm fine. They just roughed me up a bit."

Kurt looked up at him. He'd said that out loud?

Dave chuckled softly. "Seems like you've got a bad case of word vomit, Hummel."

Kurt forced a smile before gingerly touching the bruises. Dave leaned into the cool touch of Kurt's fingertips. Neither of them were really thinking of Kurt touching Dave's bare chest. The obvious pain there was too much for either of them to really get worked up.

"I'll get you some icepacks in a minute, I think it looks worse than what it really is." Kurt spoke softly. 'I would know.'

"What do you mean you would know?"

Kurt silently cursed himself. He really had to learn to shut his mouth instead of blurting his thoughts. "Nothing, Dave." He spoke with a smile, reaching forward to grab the rubbing alcohol but Dave caught his wrist.

"Kurt."

"Sometimes the guys at school would beat me up like they did you. It was only once or twice. And I just happen to bruise easily." Kurt spoke in a rush, trying to get the words past Dave without having too much meaning to them.

Dave looked at the smaller boy. He really wanted to just take Kurt in his arms and hold him close. But Kurt was already patting a wet cloth to his face and chest to get rid of the dried blood. Next he took a cotton ball of rubbing alcohol and used it on Dave's knuckles , lip, and nose.

"Have you noticed this is the second time you've patched me up?"

Kurt smiled faintly as he wrapped Dave's hand in the ace bandage. "Stand up." He spoke. Dave obeyed and tried not to grab the boy as he slowly wrapped the bandages around his torso where the bruises were. Dave followed when Kurt beckoned with his fingers and he lay down where Kurt told him on his bed, staring at the ceiling as he heard Kurt leave the room.

He couldn't believe that his own friends had turned against him because he was gay. But he was positive this was a one-time thing. Just to show the newest gay kid where he belonged on the social ladder. As he heard Kurt coming back up the stairs he decided that Kurt was worth everything. Losing his bad boy persona and even getting beat up. He swallowed hard.

He was in love with Kurt frigging Hummel.

"Dave, this might hurt. But I promise it'll get better, okay?"

"Mhhmmm" Dave murmured, afraid that if he opened his lips he would spill every realization he just had. He could remember holding Kurt close to his chest the day before as the small boy cried and thanked him over and over for getting him a nightlight. He couldn't believe how much it meant to him.

Then again, Dave had never lost a family member, so he didn't know how much Kurt suffered without his mom. Even though he didn't see his own mother that often, he still saw her. And Kurt never would again. He swallowed hard as he felt Kurt press the icepacks to his side gently.

"Hey Kurt, can I tell you something?"

"Of course." The soprano smiled as he continued patching up Dave.

"I just wanted to tell you that I lo-" Dave shut his mouth, looking away and staring at the ceiling.

"What, Dave?"

"I wanted to….thank you…for helping me today."

Kurt smiled down at him sweetly, shaking his head. "It's the least that I can do after everything that you've done for me. Especially yesterday." He spoke; the last two words almost a whisper as he looked over at the nightlight above his bed. "It means a lot to me."

Dave just smiled as Kurt walked over to the radio, turning on his IPod playlist and shuffling it. Dave heard a familiar beat and had to restrain himself from groaning as Kurt turned to him.

"You should stay in bed for a little while so you don't strain anything. I'll go get you something for lunch, okay?"

Dave nodded and Kurt walked out of the room, leaving him with lyrics that seemed to echo through his mind.

Ever fallen in love with someone, ever fallen in love in love with someone?

Ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't have fallen in love with?