Chapter 3

Blaine couldn't believe how different Dalton Academy was compared to Westerville High School. He actually didn't mind getting up the half an hour earlier than normal because he was beginning to understand that he wasn't going to get hurt. Nobody was going to yell words of abuse at him because of his sexuality. He no longer had to eat his lunch alone, he was always found with Kurt, Nick and Jeff at his side and most of the time Wes and David. There was always somebody that he could walk to class with and somebody to sit with in class and talk to. Despite the school being ten times stricter than his previous school, he found it a lot more enjoyable.

Blaine spent every evening in the library for the first week of school trying to do extra studying so that he didn't struggle in class but on the second night he was hiding in a corner with books surrounding him on the desk, Kurt found him. Instead of asking why he was alone, Kurt dropped his own book on the table and began studying himself sending a smile to the new student.

"You not going home tonight?" Kurt asked Friday night as the pair were in the empty library together.

"My dad's picking me up tomorrow morning, he had to work late tonight and my mum couldn't come as she's meeting up with some friends from college." Blaine explained never looking up from his books. "What about you?"

"Nah, Wes has scheduled a Warbler practice tomorrow so it would be pointless. It's supposed to start at ten but we know if we're not there by half nine we're considered late and regardless of him saying it'll only be two hours, we're bound to order in pizza for dinner."

"He seems like a slave driver." Blaine muttered and Kurt chuckled.

"He is very passionate about it, that's certain. But practices never seem to be serious, Jeff always does something to distract everybody and half of the time we just tease each other. You should really think about joining, I saw that guitar in your room the other evening and Jeff said your mum told him you can sing."

"A mum's supposed to think their son's a good singer if that's what they like to do."

"Trust me, it's not. Finn is the worst dancer in history. Carol's told him repeatedly not to attempt it in public or anywhere with fragile items but he ignored her. Well, he did until he hit a girl in his glee club, his ex-girlfriend just to make matters worse, and he broke her nose. Rachel nearly got a bloody nose job because of it."

"Are you serious?" Blaine asked finally looking up.

"One hundred percent." Kurt grinned. "Anyway, just think about joining. If you don't want to audition if you don't feel confident that's fine but Jeff says you haven't touched your guitar and if you're like Finn and his drum kit, he has to play every evening to get out anger. One of the good things about boarding here. It's not that he's bad, he's just very, very, very loud."

It took Blaine two weeks before he had the guts to play his guitar. He made sure it was an evening that Jeff had Warbler practice so the overexcited teenager was out of the room. The brunette wanted to make sure that he wouldn't disturb anybody or have somebody tell him that he was bad. It took him about fifteen minutes to get the guitar tuned as it had been nearly a month since he last played it.

Blaine played several different chords to get the feel for the guitar again and he felt like a big weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Letting out a huge sigh, Blaine began playing random melodies before attempting different songs. He must have switched songs every minute or so until he found one that he was happy to settle for.

All those days watching from the windows
All those years outside looking in
All that time never even knowing
Just how blind I've been
Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight
Now I'm here, suddenly I see
Standing here, it's oh so clear
I'm where I'm meant to be

And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted

All at once everything looks different
Now that I see you

All those days chasing down a daydream
All those years living in a blur
All that time never truly seeing
Things, the way they were
Now he's here shining in the starlight
Now he's here, suddenly I know

If she's here it's crystal clear
I'm where I'm meant to go

And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog is lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted

All at once, everything is different
Now that I see you,
Now that I see you!

By the end of it Blaine was breathing heavy but with a huge grin on his face when the door burst open and three teenage guy's came in but surprisingly they were silent. Blaine froze. Did they hear me singing? Oh my God, I was awful wasn't I?

"You have to join the Warblers Blaine! I don't know how you haven't already. Come on Blaine. Please, please, please," Jeff begged and pleaded with him until Nick hit him round their head, something that Blaine had gotten used to as it seemed to happen on a daily basis.

"Don't listen to him Blaine, if you still don't want to join then that is your choice but you are amazing at singing, like mind blowingly good." Kurt commented.

"Thanks," Blaine muttered, "But um, I'm still not sure. I mean, I still have to study extra hard and I won't have the time." There, I've been able to come up with something to get me out of joining but why am I feeling guilty about lying?

"That's fine, but just say the word Blaine and you'll be in," Nick added.

"Anyway, we came to see if you wanted to watch a film with us. Wes and David are picking one now and we said we'd meet them in the common room in a minute," Kurt explained. "You never know what sort of film their going to pick when it's their turn. Cameron, Joe, Evan, James and Nathan are joining us too. They've gone to hunt down food. What do you say?"

"Sure," Blaine smiled quietly putting his guitar away before leaving. Nick and Jeff ran off wanting to make sure Wes and David didn't pick something soppy leaving Blaine and Kurt walking together side by side. Occasionally their arms brushed against each other causing shivers to ripple up Blaine's spin just from the simple touch. It was only a short walk there and only Wes, David, Nick and Jeff were present. Kurt quickly spotted the last chair and grabbed Blaine's hand when he noticed the other boys desending on them, food in hand, and the pair raced to the chair. Kurt dropped down in it insantly before pulling on Blaine to join him, ensuring that there was plenty of space for him. The seat could only just fit two people but those two people would have to be touching and squashed together. Reluctantly Blaine joined him but not before noticing the butterflies in the pit of his stomach at the thought of being that close to the older boy. He's just a friend, one of your first ever friends. You can not have a crush on him and spoil everything.

Wes and David had decided to watch We're The Millers, a recent DVD that David had bought. The rest of the guys had settled on the floor each grabbing a handful of popcorn. When the bag made its way to Kurt and Blaine, there was barely anything left. Blaine offered the remaining pieces to Kurt but he adamantly refused and made sure Blaine ate the remaining pieces.

In the first ten minutes of the film, Kurt adjusted himself in the seat and wrapped his arm around the back of the chair. Due to Kurt's new position, Blaine found himself falling into his side. Once he realised what he had done, the smaller boy tried to move back but Kurt's arm was there, wrapped around him and holding him in position. Kurt gave him a small smile before turning his attention back to the TV.

Unlike Kurt, Blaine found that he could no longer concentrate on the film. Every now and then Blaine could feel Kurt squeeze him slightly. Blaine tried to keep his eyes open and focus on the DVD but he was really comfortable where he was and his eyelids were feeling heavier and heavier. It had been a long day of lessons and it wouldn't hurt if he just had a little nap, surely?

It was quiet. It was too quiet in a way. There was an eerie feeling about that evening, something that wasn't right. Out of nowhere Blaine could hear a footstep on the gravel behind him and before he had a chance to turn around, he felt something hard hitting him on the back of the knee. Blaine tried to let out a scream but a hand was covering his mouth and almost covering his nose. Blaine's knee gave way several seconds after it happened but as he collapsed on the floor Blaine spotted another guy approaching while a third guy was kicking him in the ribs.

"You don't deserve to be alive you bloody fag!" The one covering his mouth said spitting in his eyes. "Your parents should never have had you in the first place you freak."

"You prance around that school trying to make everybody else a homo just like you, don't you?" The second guy shouted to him.

Blaine tried to ignore the insults that they were shouting at him but when he tried to ignore the words, the pain from the physical abuse became too much. There was a baseball bat hitting his legs when suddenly two hands were around his neck. He couldn't get the oxygen in properly. He couldn't breathe. They wouldn't stop. The words and the hits kept coming. He was getting light headed. Is this how I'm going to die? Did I even see my parents today? Who's going to find my body? Why won't they stop? Why are they doing this to me?

"Blaine, it's OK Blaine," a voice came and Blaine's eye lids snapped opened. He was alone in the common room with Kurt and he had been asleep. Blaine's legs were now wrapped over Kurt's lap and his head resting on his chest. One of Kurt's arms was stroking his back with the older was holding him in place. "You're OK, it's OK Blaine. It's just me, Kurt."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Blaine said trying to pull away but Kurt held him still. "I didn't mean to fall asleep on you, I'll go to my room," he begged still trying to move but again Kurt was having none of it.

"It's OK sweetie, I don't mind, I promise," He muttered reassuringly. "Just calm down OK B? Just take nice, deep breaths for me. Follow me Blaine, OK? I don't want you having a panic attack on me." Blaine followed Kurt's lead and ten minutes later he could find he could breathe properly again.

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, I promise you. Do you want to talk about it?" Kurt asked however before Blaine could say anything, tears started falling down his checks and forgetting who he was with, Blaine buried his face in Kurt's neck and let them fall.

I didn't cry when I was getting the abuse at school. I didn't cry when they attacked me. I didn't cry when I woke up from my coma and my parents told me that I had died twice. I didn't cry when Cooper apologised for not being there over the years. I didn't cry when the three guys were arrested. By I'm crying over a nightmare?

"Let it out, it's OK. I'm not going to leave you, I'm right here. I won't leave you sweetie. I promise," Kurt whispered in his ear holding him tight in his arms. It took Blaine half an hour to calm down but when he did Kurt refused to let him go, holding him in the same position and if anything, his hold was tighter. "Do you want to talk about it sweetie?"

"They hated me," Blaine whispered.

"Where? Who hated you? You can tell me as much or as little as you want Blaine. I'm not going to judge you at all, I promise." With that, Blaine let all his barriers down and told him everything. All the abuse that he had suffered at his previous High School, the night of the attack and how he feared that he would die, all about his time in hospital and the physical therapy that he had been through, about the court case that his father and Cooper had sorted for him and how Dalton was the first place (apart from his home) that he felt safe and where he made his first real friends.

Kurt couldn't understand how anybody would want to hurt Blaine, sweet, innocent Blaine. Kurt held him through his explanation, not interrupting once, letting him get it off his chest. When Blaine finally finished his story Kurt had tears falling down his check. With a weak smile on his face, Kurt lifted Blaine's face from his neck and cupped his check in the softest touch possible.

"You, Blaine Devon Anderson, are the strongest man I know. To go through all that and come out the other side, I am so proud to call you my friend." Kurt said before letting Blaine snuggle into his side again.

"I thought you would judge me and think I'm weak."

"I would never think that about you. Have I ever said that about Nick? No. And despite all that Nick went through, you have been through so much more Blaine. I will never judge you, I promise sweetie. Do you have nightmares most nights?"

"Jeff's a heavy sleeper, he hasn't noticed. I only have them a couple of times a week at the most but then I can never get back to sleep."

"Is that why you live on coffee? Because you don't sleep properly?" Kurt asked and Blaine nodded embarrassed.

"I don't like the dark. At home I even make sure a light's on. I have naps sometimes in the afternoon."

"You do know Jeff wouldn't care if there was a lamp on right?" Kurt questioned but Blaine shock his head.

"I'm not ready to explain yet, please don't tell him."

"I won't I promise but you're not going to class tomorrow. I'm telling the nurse you're ill first thing so you can sleep in the day before you go home for the weekend." Kurt said and Blaine just nodded.

"Did the other guys see me when I was having the nightmare?" Blaine inquired embarrassed.

"They already left, it was only me. Now it's nearly one in the morning so I am going to walk you back to your room and then you are going to leave the lamp on," Kurt said giving Blaine a stern look before continuing "and are going to sleep. If you have another nightmare I will have my phone on loud and I want you to ring me. I couldn't care less if it woke Nick up, the amount of times he wakes me up." Blaine easily agreed and they were soon walking back to Blaine's room holding hands in silence.

"Thank you Kurt, for listening," Blaine said giving the taller boy a tight hug.

"I will always listen to you sweetie, I promise. Now go get some sleep and I'll bring you breakfast in bed." Kurt smiled before quickly kissing Blaine on the cheek and leaving to go to his room.

Even though Blaine was completely exhausted, he kept replaying the kiss that Kurt had given him. Maybe if I think about it enough, it'll be like he's kissing me again and again. Oh crap, Cooper's right! I have a crush on Kurt. I totally fancy Kurt. Is that why he kissed me? Does he feel the same way? What the hell am I supposed to do?

True to his word, Kurt brought Blaine breakfast in the bed the next day, much to the disgust of Jeff, as well as a note from the nurse allowing Blaine to miss lessons that day. With a grateful smile, Blaine drank the hot chocolate that Kurt had brought along with his breakfast before going back to sleep. After replaying the kiss hundreds of times in his head, he barely got two hours sleep.

After that evening Blaine and Kurt became even closer. Every time they walked together, hands were clasped together. When they were sat in the common room together or relaxing in a dorm room, Kurt would hold Blaine in his arms and after a couple of minutes, Blaine relaxed into the embrace with a soft smile on his face.

Blaine had told his parents that he wanted to stay boarding at school. He didn't know what made his mind up but after revealing his past to Kurt, he felt a lot closer to the boy and wanted to make the most of being together, so continuing boarding at the school seemed like a good plan.

If any of their friends noticed a change in their relationship, nobody mentioned it to the pair of them. Blaine knew that nobody cared about them being gay (only the other day James was trying to get Wes and David to kiss to send a photo to his extremely odd-fashioned and homophobic grandfather hoping to give him, in his words, 'a good old stoke so he can crock already) but if Blaine didn't understand his relationship with Kurt, how the hell was he supposed to explain it to his friend? I need to talk to Coop, he'll know what to do.

A/N

I can't believe I've already got the next chapter up! I don't know when I'll be able to do the next one as I'm working over time this week and I'm going on holiday on Saturday. I've got to suffer an eighteen hour car drive to Italy with my parents, sister and her best friend. I don't know how I'm going to cope.

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