Woah, Chapter 7 already! This is the fastest I've ever written a multichapter fic! xD
Once again, thank you to everyone who has reviewed and subscribed (almost at 100 subscribers now! whoop!)

I actually had other plans for this chapter and I didn't intend to spend too much time on this part but here it is, a whole chapter to itself! I guess I'll have to save what I had originally planned for chapter 8.

Kurt breathed yet another sigh of anxiety as he took a glance at the white plastic clock above the teacher's desk. He nervously tapped his pen against his workbook in French class, much to the annoyance of several classmates who sat beside him. He didn't care however. He just continued to glare at the ticking clock, willing the seconds to go by faster and to slow down at the same time. Fourth period ended in just 20 more minutes and then lunch.

Kurt was nervous to say the least because in 20 minutes, Blaine Anderson had promised to make a guest appearance at McKinley high school. The very same Blaine Anderson who had kissed him the night before, who he had pushed away harshly. Kurt finally tore his gaze away from the tortuous clock, he couldn't understand why Blaine cared so much anyway. He had technically only known him for less than a day and he had offered to do this.

Lowering his gaze, Kurt rested his head on his arms. He didn't need to pay attention anyway, French was his best class. Instead he considered Karofsky. How was it that he was able to ruin his life without even being near him? He had ruined what could have otherwise been the most amazing night of his entire life so far. Blaine had kissed him. It wasn't forced or rushed, and it was most certainly not one-sided. Kurt's brows furrowed at the memory. Blaine had kissed him, a boy who was actually gay and whom he actually had feelings for. It was perfect.

Or, it would have been.

Perhaps if Blaine hadn't done it so suddenly, he would have had a moment to compose himself and not have the sudden shock of their lips colliding bring back certain memories. Perhaps if he had kept his eyes open and focused on Blaine, he could have forced the image of him to remain in his sub-conscience instead of letting it be overwhelmed by the face of Karofsky. Perhaps if Blaine's gentle hand hadn't caressed his jaw, holding it in the same way that Karofsky had done that same day…

Or perhaps if Karofsky hadn't kissed him at all.

Not only had he stolen his first kiss, but he had sabotaged his second.

Maybe it wasn't the best idea to tell Blaine about Karofsky. He hadn't told anyone, not his teachers, father or even his best friends. And then there he was, spilling his life story to a guy he'd known since Monday, and who had known him for significantly less. He couldn't describe why, but he knew that Blaine would be able to offer him comfort. Blaine was, after all, gay and was most probably at some point in his life in the same boat as he was. Homophobia was everywhere.

When he had told him, Blaine had enveloped him in the warmest of embraces as Kurt's tears fell. It wasn't romantic and it wasn't the sort of hug you would give a friend, it was just a comforting I'm-not-going-anywhere-so-don't-you-worry sort of hug. Kurt smiled slightly at the memory, he had felt completely safe in Blaine's arms. He had wanted nothing more than to start over. Kiss him again and think only of Blaine but he knew that wasn't possible.

He wasn't even sure where their relationship stood. Were they boyfriends? They'd only been on one date, though it was clear that Blaine had shown an interest. Kurt knew that he wanted nothing more than to be Blaine's boyfriend but after what had happened, he wasn't sure if that was something he could currently deal with. Karofsky had clearly left him much more traumatized than he had first thought. Could he handle having a boyfriend at such a time? After what had happened when Blaine had kissed him, the answer seemed obvious.

But maybe that was just what he needed, someone who would be there no matter what.

A lot of the previous night after he had confessed to Blaine was a blur, he remembered Blaine repeating something about courage. He hadn't been sure what he meant though. People with courage don't sit on a tarmac floor and cry their eyes out to guys they've just met. Though Kurt was sure that after he pulled away Blaine would lose interest; he wasn't expecting to be pouring his heart out to him in the middle of the parking lot that night. And he certainly didn't expect Blaine to offer to actually come to his school and confront Karofsky with him.

Now, sitting in the dull French classroom, his teacher still lecturing on about the importance of masculine and feminine verbs to a non responsive class, Kurt found his heart beginning to beat faster as the clock came nearer and nearer to 1pm. He had no idea what Karofsky would do, he only had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that this was going to end badly.

Soon enough, 1pm came and the sound of the ringing bell filled the classroom, waking Kurt from his thoughts. Well, it was now or never. He rose to his feet, quickly shoving his things into his school bag, and walked steadily to the courtyard.

Sure enough, there stood Blaine at the top of the steps, looking somewhat out of place in his Dalton Academy blazer. Kurt froze, they hadn't spoken since the previous night and he found himself feeling somewhat embarrassed. He shook away the feeling however and greeted Blaine with a sheepish smile.

"Hey," he said quietly, not looking him directly in the eyes. Blaine smiled and turned to him. "You came."

"Of course, I said I would, didn't I?" Blaine replied.

"You really didn't have to…" Kurt started but Blaine interrupted before he could continue to protest.

"Don't, you've been fighting this all by yourself for too long, I want to help. And who knows, maybe we can even help Karofsky come out of the closet," he said hopefully. Kurt nodded in reply as the two started walking aimlessly, Kurt wasn't sure where Karofsky would be, though he wasn't entirely certain if he actually wanted to find him.

An awkward silence fell as they walked. What was there to talk about? The night before there had been no trouble falling into conversation yet now they were both at a blank. Kurt stole several glances at Blaine as they walked. He honestly could not understand why he was going to so much trouble to help him; this only made him fall for the other boy even more. Yet his heart broke as he knew that he would have to face up to his fears if he ever wanted an opportunity to be with him. Kurt's situation had left him like a fragile doll and he knew that a simple touch from Blaine could shatter him. He had to take things slowly.

Kurt's hand brushed against the metal mesh that lined the steps as they walked upwards. He came to an abrupt stop however when the familiar sight of Karofsky's red letterman came into view just above them. His heart froze and his breath caught in his throat. Blaine, seemingly noticing Kurt's behavior, gently took his hand and squeezed.

"That's him, isn't it?" he asked quietly, though it was more of a statement than a question. Kurt nodded slowly.

"I've got your back," Blaine released his hand and stepped forward. "Excuse me."

"Hey Ladyboys," Karofsky retorted, coming to a stop before them. "This your boyfriend Kurt?" Kurt stood still, not saying a word and just accepting the insult. He did notice however how Blaine did not deny the boyfriend remark.

"Kurt and I would like to talk to you about something," Blaine continued, un-phased. Kurt looked to him at the mention of his name, Blaine had promised him he wouldn't have to say anything.

"I gotta go to class," Karofsky stated, shoving past the two, though Kurt knew he had no intentions of doing so. Blaine stayed focused and continued the conversation.

"Kurt told me what you did."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" This had certainly gotten Karofsky's attention.

"You kissed me," Kurt replied, speaking up for the first time. He had completely engaged Karofsky's attention with this statement. His eyes grew wide as he checked the area, ensuring that no one had heard before giving Kurt a threatening glance. He could feel his hands trembling but he willed himself to stay strong, especially in front of Blaine. It should have been obvious that Karofsky would deny it, especially with all of the other students around so it came as no surprise when he refused to understand what they were talking about.

Kurt knew it was hopeless to get him to come out, to come to terms with who he was. This was Karofsky after all. Blaine however clearly did not know him as well as Kurt did and continued in the hopes of getting him to confess. It seemed he had gone into generic, inspirational 'you're-not-alone' mode as Kurt stood by knowing it was in vain.

It all happened in a flash and suddenly, Blaine was against the wire mesh as Karofsky lost his temper.

"Do not. Mess. With me," Karofsky growled. Blaine raised his hands to signify that he did not wish for a physical confrontation, still managing to keep calm despite being held up against the fence. Kurt recognized that temper but he knew he had to step in, he needed to show Blaine that he wasn't completely defenseless.

"You have to stop this!" he cried, pushing Karofsky away from Blaine. Silence filled as Karofsky's anger dissolved and he regained control. Not another word was said between the three of them and Karofsky finally left. Kurt stared after him as he left, wondering what on earth was going through his mind. This confrontation was supposed to make him feel better yet he couldn't help but feel he had made things so much worse for himself.

"Well he's not coming out any time soon," Blaine said with a laugh but Kurt was in no mood for jokes. Instead, he let out a long sigh and took a seat on the concrete step. Blaine sensed Kurt's mood and his features immediately softened.

"Hey, what's going on? Why're you so upset?" he asked sympathetically, taking a seat next to him. Kurt sighed again, he might as well tell him, he already knew the rest of the story anyway.

"Because until yesterday, I had never been kissed," he said sadly. Blaine had already felt guilty about kissing Kurt the night before after finding out what Karofsky had done, this only made his guilt multiply tenfold. Blaine said nothing in reply so the two sat in yet another uncomfortable silence as students came and went.

"I think…we should talk," Blaine finally spoke up, speaking softly "About last night."

This is it, Kurt thought dejectedly. He's gonna break things off now he knows how pathetic I am.
He didn't dare to look at Blaine and kept his eyes focused solely on his polished shoes against the gum-infested grey steps. He braced himself for the worst.

"I like you, I really do and I had a lot of fun last night," Blaine fidgeted with his tie nervously whilst Kurt continued to concentrate on his feet.

But… Kurt thought to himself

"But…I'm not sure if us dating is such a good idea," he said softly. Kurt breathed a heavy sigh and nodded in understanding. "Don't get me wrong, I'd love for us to try it out and just…see what happens," he continued as Kurt finally took a chance and raised his eyes to meet Blaine's "I'm just not sure if that's the best thing for you right now."

Well Kurt was definitely not expecting that. He stared at Blaine dumbly, his mouth hung slightly open as he processed his words.

"You…want to be with me?" He said so quietly that Blaine only just managed to hear. Blaine smiled nervously as he blushed.

"Why do you think I kissed you last night?" he replied with a sad smile. "But I see the way you flinch away now and last night you clearly weren't comfortable with…" his voice trailed away as silence fell upon them once again. The sound of students chatting happily mingled with their soft breathing.

"I'm sorry I pushed you away," Kurt said, breaking the silence this time. Blaine looked up, a confused look on his face.

"No, don't be. I shouldn't have…If I'd known I would have never…" he stuttered as Kurt returned his gaze to his shoes.

"Oh," he said sadly.

"I didn't mean it like-"

"Blaine," Kurt interrupted, summoning up every ounce of courage he had. " I…I like you too. A lot. And maybe you're right, maybe…I'm not ready for a relationship after everything," he paused and Blaine said nothing, sensing that Kurt was going somewhere. "But then that's just yet another thing that Karofsky gets to take away from me. It's just another way that he gets to screw up my life. No one seems to notice the constant misery he puts me in and I feel like you not only notice but can actually understand what I'm going through."

Kurt wanted to say more, so much more but he was interrupted by the obnoxious ringing of the school bell. He looked to Blaine in the hopes that he would answer him as the two rose from their seated positions.

"I should probably get going," Blaine said instead. Kurt studied his face for any clue as to what he was thinking. "I'll call you tonight…if that's okay?" He offered a brief nod as Blaine began to leave. He was getting in way too deep. He slowly began heading towards his next class, where he planned to sulk miserably when he suddenly felt a soft vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and confusedly opened a text message he'd just received from Blaine. The one worded message left him utterly lost for words and instilled a sense of giddiness to fight back his miserable mood.

Courage-Blaine.

Because how could I not include a courage text from Blaine somewhere?
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