AN: I really want to thank everyone for their support through this fic, the fact that I got four reviews on the last chapter is not only incredibly motivating for this chapter, but for future chapters as well. Thank you, really, thank you.

Chapter Four

Sharing the past

Kurt watched as Blaine looked around the house. Somehow Kurt felt scared, he was pretty positive that Blaine wasn't someone who would judge him, but he still wondered what Blaine would say. Family photographs were set out on different surfaces and there were all these clues to who this young teenage Kurt was.

Blaine moved forwards before pointing to a picture of an eight year old Kurt who looked depressed, he was carrying some roses. "Y-You l-look sa-sad here" he stuttered as Kurt walked forwards to him and nodded as he picked up the framed photograph.

"This is a picture that was taken when I visited my mother's grave with a friend of my father's," he commented as Blaine looked at him with such sadness and sympathy in his eyes. Kurt was used to people his dad knew looking at him with pity, feeling sorry for his situation, but he knew in Blaine's expression (because he had learned Blaine's expressions by heart) that this was sympathy.

"Sor-sorry," he said before looking at the roses. "Y-Your mother li-liked roses?" he asked as Kurt took a deep breath in.

"Yeah, I mean she loved all kinds of flowers, we always had flowers around the house. There was a time when I spilled over a vase of…" his voice slowed as the memory played in his mind, it somehow seemed so important, "red and yellow roses. It was one of my mother's favorite vases as well."

"Oh," Blaine said softly, "M-my f-father doe-doesn't do tha-that. O-one time I g-got h-hit beca-cause I broke a pl-pl-plate."

Kurt's eyes widened as he looked at the love of his life, well the younger version of him, "You got hit because you broke a plate?" he asked as Blaine closed his eyes and gave a firm nod, tears appearing in his eyes. "I really…really am sorry that happened to you, can I ask if it was an antique?"

Blaine flinched before shaking his head, "I-It wa-was a din-dinner plate. M-my d-dad hi-hit me with his bel-belt."

Kurt formed a fist and looked down angrily, how come Blaine had never let him into these stories? He knew that after Blaine had come out of the closet, his dad had tried to convert him to being straight and when that didn't work, he distanced himself from his son. He hadn't heard Blaine talk to him about physical abuse.

"That's horrible. It really sickens me that he put you through that, I know it doesn't help, but I'm so sorry that that had to happen to you," he said as he looked at the younger teenager.

Blaine's eyes widened which led to Kurt noticing (and once more taking comfort in) those honey-amber eyes. Blaine shook his head wildly.

"I-It happ-ppens all th-the ti-time, it-it's n-not that b-bad. N-Not li-like the day-days so-spent lock-ocked in th-the clo-closet," Blaine tried to defend his dad.

Kurt looked at him again. That was horrifying and the way that Blaine was just defending his past as if it was no big deal made it all the worse. All those scars, all that pain, it really made Kurt realize why Blaine always seemed so dependent and as if Kurt's words and actions meant everything to him.

I hate you coming home late. I know you need to do it for your Vogue internship and NYADA. I still hate it, I hate that I prepare you dinner and you don't even call ahead, I hate waiting by the phone and wondering where you are. I hate it that you don't tell me everything as if I can't take it, as if I won't love you through all of it. I hate how you distance yourself in class and make me feel as if you don't even care about us being together.

Blaine, I'm not going through this with you again and you're not in charge of my life. It's not as if you really need me to do those things and I'm sick of feeling to blame for the fact that you don't have a life. You have your own work with June, just because you offered me the chance to do that duet with you, doesn't mean that we're tied to the hip. Sometimes I wonder whether I really love you.

I don't give a damn what you say, because I know that you love me. You might not show it all of the time I'm sorry to admit, but I know that you love me because you have never hurt me. You're perfect Kurt, you make me so happy, is it my fault that I care about you!?

Will you stop telling me that I'm perfect, it makes me feel that I have to fit this imaginary role in your life. Maybe you should find someone as weak as you are most of the time now.

Kurt felt tears in his own eyes as that fight replayed in his head, he saw Blaine looking at him in both curiosity and guilt, as if he had done something wrong. Why had Kurt been so aggressive during that argument and said things that he definitely didn't mean? Why hadn't he stopped to think why Blaine had said these things to him?

He hadn't been completely honest with Blaine because of his own walls and it was only considerate to notify Blaine on what he was doing if it actually interfered or made a difference in Blaine's own life. Love wasn't something to take away whenever he felt like it, and he definitely shouldn't have called Blaine weak. It seemed that these were two things from his childhood that were rooted in Blaine from early childhood.

Suddenly he felt Blaine touch his arm before flinching and pulling back again.

"U-Umm so-sorry abou-about the physi-sical conta-act but a-are you o-okay?" Blaine asked nervously as Kurt turned towards him and nodded.

"Blaine, you shouldn't feel worried or scared about touching me, I'm not your dad and I would never ever hurt you. I'm not trying to be your friend out of pity, I'm trying to be your friend because you seem like a good guy and I'd love to have a friend right now, I don't have many friends of my own. I'd really like to spend time with you."

Blaine blinked, staring at Kurt as if he was an alien who just materialized out of a bucket full of slime, or at least a Flubber who turned human. "Wh-Why?"

"Because," Kurt smiled, "I like meeting new people. You're very sweet, very kind, and I could tell by that huge pile of textbooks that you were carrying around that you're very intelligent. I just know that we could be really good friends."

Blaine stared at him with so much hope in his eyes as a smile appeared on his face, "Re-really?"

"Absolutely," Kurt grinned, "So, let me help you, tell me one thing you are uncomfortable about. Helping you through everything might be too overwhelming for you at first, so let's take it one step at a time."

Blaine looked down, he moved his foot side to side nervously before finally deciding, "M-My hair," he said as he ran his fingers through the curls.

Kurt smiled. He loved seeing Blaine's curls, but maybe Blaine had a point. Brittany had once called him Mr. Broccoli Head.

"Let me try something, just sit down here for a moment," he said as Blaine nodded. Kurt led him into the living room and Blaine took a seat on the couch. His body was rigid, his posture perfect and he just sat there putting his hands on his knees as if at a formal occasion.

Kurt wanted to tell Blaine to be comfortable, but maybe that was too much for him.

As he returned from his bedroom, Kurt carried a pot of hair gel and a mirror. He wasn't too big a fan of the gel, but he would do it if it made Blaine more comfortable, if he started to enjoy life more. "Close your eyes please," he asked softly and Blaine nodded.

Enjoying the feeling of actually being able to touch Blaine so gently, Kurt worked the gel in and smiled as he saw more of the Blaine Anderson that he recognized. He came to the front of Blaine and handed him a mirror, "What do you think?" he asked.

Blaine smiled and he didn't stutter this time, "Better."