AN: Forget what I promised - there isn't as much fluff as hurt/comfort :( Kurt's bully will be revealed this chapter. I wonder if anyone had guessed who it is.

October - Part 2

Kurt was seriously regretting auditioning for Mark when he screwed up the choreography for 'Tango Maureen' yet again and Santana stormed out of the room muttering profanities in Spanish because he stepped on her toes constantly.

How was he supposed to get into a performing arts college when he couldn't even do a school musical?

Rehearsing with Harmony hadn't gone much better and Kurt was certain at that point that he must be the shittiest dancer in the group – probably even worse then Finn, because at least Finn didn't interrupt rehearsals because he couldn't get things right.

Mike had told him he was thinking too hard and to just let the music guide him, but he just couldn't stop analyzing each step he was supposed to take.

So it was in a fit of despair that he ran upstairs to his room, disregarding Blaine who told him to wait, and ripped his Julliard application to shreds. They wouldn't have to worry about Blaine's college situation anymore because Kurt Hummel was never getting out of Lima.

He collapsed onto his bed and started sobbing into his hands, hating himself for giving up so easily.

Warm hands were on his soon though and pulled them from his eyes, so he could meet Blaine's concerned ones.

"Oh Kurt," Blaine whispered. "Why did you do that?" his boyfriend asked pointing to the remains of his application.

"I'm not good enough," Kurt sobbed "and they are just going to think I'm a joke if I apply." It was a crazy dream to start with and it was time he realized it was nothing but a dream that would never come true.

"Hey, don't say that stuff about my boyfriend," Blaine admonished him. "He is incredibly talented and so strong."

Kurt didn't feel strong at all in that moment and he hated disappointing Blaine who probably only said what he did because he was his boyfriend.

He felt himself being pulled into Blaine's strong arms and let himself be held for a while, during which Blaine was stroking his hair and ran his hand up and down Kurt's back soothingly.

"You know, Ms Corcoran wouldn't have cast you if she didn't think you could do it," Blaine assured him once Kurt had calmed down a bit.

Maybe, but that was before she had seen him dance. Kurt shook his head. "Even Artie is better than me and he's in a wheel chair," he muttered.

Blaine kissed his temple before standing up and holding his hand out to Kurt. "Dance with me?" he asked and Kurt looked up in surprise before he shook his head. He didn't want to hurt Blaine's toes as well.

"Come on. You're trying to hard. I want to show you that dancing can be fun," Blaine tried again and Kurt let himself be pulled to his feet reluctantly.

Once Kurt was fully upright, Blaine went over to Kurt's iPod and plucked it into his speakers.

"Remember when we watched Moulin Rouge the last time and you force me to learn the steps to 'Roxanne'? We did alright back then," Blaine asked.

Kurt did remember, especially how happy he had been when he and Blaine had finally made it work. But back then no one had been watching him, so there was no pressure to succeed.

Suddenly the music started up and Blaine pulled Kurt closer, before dipping him back and spinning him around the room. Kurt lost himself in the feeling of Blaine's arms around him, their bodies pressed tight against each other, and just like that everything felt easy again.

He didn't trip or stumble and instead of counting his steps he let his body follow Blaine's as he led him through the music.

When the song was over they both fell on the bed panting, but the smile on Kurt's face was back.

"Thank you," he whispered against Blaine's lips who wasted no time and pressed them together. They kissed for a while but kept it chaste because his family was downstairs again.

Kurt must have nodded off at some point because when he woke up from his nap, Blaine was sitting at his desk, filling out some forms.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked as he stretched his sore muscles.

"I'm redoing you Julliard application," Blaine turned around to face him before he answered, "because I can't let you give up on your dream just because of a small hurdle."

Kurt gave Blaine a grateful smile. He knew he had to learn how to overcome obstacles if he wanted to make it on Broadway on his own, because he couldn't always expect Blaine to hold his hand when things got hard, but for now he was content to let his boyfriend take care of him.

"Let me take you out this weekend," he suddenly said because it had been a while since he had done something special for Blaine.

Blaine looked hesitant for a moment and Kurt wondered if he had done something else wrong.

"I'd love to, Kurt. But there is something we need to talk about before."

Blaine had been meaning to confront Kurt with the bullying situation as soon as he found out about it, but something always came up and Kurt was already so stressed out with rehearsals he didn't want to add to it. He had continued following his boyfriend around at school, but hadn't observed another incident, so he thought it could wait.

But then he saw Kurt look spooked again, when he entered the auditorium where they were rehearsing for the musical and he had decided it was definitely time to take action.

Rehearsal hadn't gone well for Kurt though, and before he could talk to Kurt about it, Kurt had ran up to his room and when he had caught up with him Kurt was sobbing on his bed, surrounded by the remnants of his Julliard application and Blaine's first order of business was to make sure Kurt was okay.

When Kurt had been cheered up sufficiently, Blaine moved over to Kurt's bed and took his hand into his own.

"Why didn't you tell me you were being bullied again?" he asked and Kurt looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"I'm not being bullied," he stuttered, but Blaine just raised his eyebrow.

"I saw it happen Kurt." Kurt looked down to their clasped hands.

"I don't even know his name and he's the only one who is doing it so I thought I could handle it myself," he whispered. "I don't even think he's homophobic because he has never said anything to me about that. He only ever pushes me around and says I have to pay for what I have done," Kurt continued, still not looking at Blaine.

Blaine had suspected that there was more to the story because he hadn't been targeted at all and now more than ever, he needed to find out what's going on.

"Then we need to find out who he is and what his problem is," he told his distraught boyfriend. "I also think you should tell your dad about it."

Blaine knew Kurt wouldn't like the idea because he and Burt still hadn't fully made up, but he was sure Burt would be willing to help if he knew what was happening at school.

"Not yet," Kurt finally looked up at him, a determined look on his face. "Like you said, let's find out what's going on first and maybe I can talk to him about his issues with me."

"Alright," Blaine agreed because he knew Kurt would be pissed if he went behind his back and told Burt. "But I'm coming with you when you talk to him."

Kurt immediately shook his head. "He told me not to tell anyone and if he sees you he might get even angrier. Please let me take care of this on my own, and I promise to tell you if I need your help."

Blaine didn't like that at all, but Kurt would probably find a way to do it on his own. He could enlist the help of someone else though.

He excused himself to the bathroom and went over to Finn's room, where he found Finn blasting zombies on his Playstation.

Kurt wouldn't be happy either that he told Finn but he needed another set of eyes in the hallways. To his surprise Finn already knew about what was going on, but had been sworn to secrecy as well.

"His name is Tim Karofsky and he's on the football teams as well. Only on reserve though, that's why he isn't wearing a letterman jacket," Finn filled him in and Blaine froze when he heard the last name. It had to be a coincidence, right?

He thanked Finn for the information and went back to Kurt's room where Kurt was busy cleaning up the mess he made.

"I described the guy to Finn and he recognized him as a guy from the football team," he explained when he joined Kurt.

"I'm not sure if it means anything, but his name is Tim Karofsky." Kurt's reaction was the same as Blaine's had been. He froze, before he said with a weary look on his face. "Of course it is."

Burt was home alone because Kurt and Carole had gone out grocery shopping and Finn was at football practice. So he was surprised to hear the front door open only ten minutes after his wife and son had left.

"Did you forget something?" he called out and walked over to the front door, only to come face to face with Blaine who looked like he had been crying.

"Is Kurt here?" his son's boyfriend asked and Burt shook his head.

"That's okay, I'll just wait for him upstairs." Blaine made his way over to the stairs but Burt stopped him. Since his argument with Kurt, Blaine had been distant as well, but he didn't want the boy to think he couldn't come to him anymore if he was in trouble.

"Come on, sit down. Let me get you a glass of water," he told him and led Blaine into the living room.

When he returned from the kitchen, Blaine was sitting where he left him, but he didn't lift his eyes from the floor.

"Want to tell me what's wrong?" Burt asked after handing Blaine the glass.

The room was silent for a bit and Burt was starting to think that Blaine wouldn't talk at all, when he finally spoke up in a dejected voice.

"My dad read the article that reporter wrote when we all had dinner here," he explained. Burt knew immediately what Blaine was referring to. They had invited the press to a Friday night dinner, to show he had absolutely no problem with Kurt or his boyfriend. How Blaine's father had gotten wind of it in Michigan, he didn't know.

"I take it he wasn't too happy about it," he prodded when Blaine didn't continue.

Instead of answering the question, Blaine handed Burt his phone, an email open on the display.

Burt felt his blood boil when he read what Mr. Anderson had written to his son. How could someone call his son a disgrace to the family name and wishing his child were dead? He wasn't father of the year, but that was even worse than the crap the man had said when he had run into him in Cincinnati.

When he looked up from the phone Blaine was crying again and so Burt did the only thing that felt right in this situation and pulled the boy into a tight hug.

Once he released him and Blaine had wiped away his tears, Burt looked him straight into the eye.

"No matter what that man said – and I'm not going to call him your father because he doesn't deserve that – you are certainly not a disappointment or weak. I'm glad to know you because you made my son happy and you are a good kid. And I would be proud to call you my son. So please don't ever listen to what he is saying. You deserve better."

This time it was Blaine who threw himself into Burt's arms and Burt let him cry into his shoulder. Like he had before, he wondered why anyone wouldn't be proud to be Blaine's dad, as the boy was smart and polite and always did his best to make the people around him happy. He wished Mr. Anderson could have learned what he had over time, but that message seemed to prove that the man wasn't going to change.

"I know you have your mom now, but I just want you to know that you're always welcome here and if you need someone to talk you can come to Carole or I," he continued comforting Kurt's boyfriend.

There was a choked sob coming from the entrance to the living room and when Burt looked up, he spotted Kurt standing there, clutching a grocery bag to his chest while a tear was streaming down his own face.

Blaine looked up at the sound as well and immediately launched himself at Kurt who dropped the bag at the force. Burt watched as Kurt guided Blaine upstairs before picking up the bag and carrying it into the kitchen where Carole was unpacking the rest of the bags.

"They okay?" she asked and Burt shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm sure they will be."

Suddenly there was a smile at Carole's face and she pointed at something behind him. Burt slowly turned around, only to come face to face with his son. Kurt closed to gap quickly and embraced his dad tightly and Burt never wanted to let him go.

"I love you, dad, you know that right," Kurt mumbled and Burt only hugged him tighter. "I love you too, kiddo. Now, why don't you go back upstairs and take care of that boy of yours. We'll let you know when dinner is ready."

Kurt gave him a water smile and left the kitchen to get back upstairs. Burt turned around to his wife with a sigh.

"Hey, come on. None of that," she told him. "You managed to avert another crisis, so we should celebrate."

Burt slumped down on his chair. "I know, but I feel really bad for Blaine. I wish there was something I could do."

Carole sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder. "I know Burt, but people have to be willing to change, because as much as we would like to, we can't force them. We'll just have to be there for all of our boys to show them they are loved. There's nothing more we can do."

Burt knew Carole was right, but he wished it didn't have to be like that. He just hoped his candidacy and new campaign would help a few people open up their eyes to love.

Finn had been furious when Blaine told him Kurt was still being harassed by the tall freshman, but had promised to let Kurt handle it nevertheless, because he knew he would probably handle the problem with his fists.

Still, when he saw Tim hang around after football practice was over, as if he was waiting for someone, Finn hid inside the locker room to observe what he was doing.

Not five minutes later, Kurt walked around the corner, probably on his way to meet Finn, and Tim immediately walked over to him. Unlike the last time he had seen the two of them together, Kurt immediately started saying something to the other boy, but Finn was too far away to hear what they were talking about.

At first it looked like Kurt was handling the situation well and Tim was actually listening to him, but suddenly he yelled at Kurt. "Shut the fuck up," before punching Kurt in the stomach, who promptly went down.

Finn immediately charged at the boy and tackled him to the floor and got a few good punches in before he was yanked back by coach Beiste.

"All three of you, principle's office now," she yelled before helping Kurt up who was clutching his stomach.

"Does either of you have to see the nurse before you go," she asked with a gentler voice when she noticed the state the three of them were in, but they all shook their heads.

In principle Figgins office, Kurt and Finn sat on one side while Tim was sitting opposite them, glaring at them from time to time.

"Please explain," the principle ordered, but Finn decided it would be better if he kept his mouth shut because he didn't really know what Kurt and his bully had talked about.

"Fine, if you are not going to talk, I want to see you here tomorrow with a parent, understood," principle Figgins told them and both Kurt and Finn nodded their heads while the other boy was refusing to look at the principle.

"You too Mr. Karofsky," the principle ordered and Finn noticed that Kurt flinched next to him when he heard the name.

The three of them left the office, but Finn ducked back inside the office for a moment. "He has been hurting Kurt for a while now and I only tried to defend my brother, " he told the coach who was still there as well.

"Why haven't you come forward with this then?" she asked and Finn shrugged. "Kurt told me not to and I've only seen him do it once. But Blaine Anderson has seen it too."

"Then I need to see Mr. Anderson in here too tomorrow morning," the principle told Finn sternly and Finn left quickly now that he told the teachers what had been going on.

Finn quickly texted Blaine as he walked out to Kurt's car and told him to meet them at the Hudmel house. It was time to take care of the issues once and for all.

Carole was doing her best to calm down her husband after he received a call from the school telling him to come see the principle the following morning about a fight Kurt and Finn were part off. Carole couldn't believe Kurt would get involved in something like this, so she wanted to hear their side of the story before she made any rash judgments.

Half an hour after they had received the call, Finn, Kurt and Blaine arrived at home, Kurt leaning on Blaine, while Finn's right hand was wrapped in ice.

"You three, living room now," Burt ordered and Carole was actually getting worried about his blood pressure when she saw how red his face was.

The boys sat down next to each other in a show of solidarity, but neither of them offered an explanation as to why they had gotten into trouble.

"Can you tell us why we got a call from the school about you?" she asked gently because she didn't trust Burt to keep his calm.

Blaine shot Kurt a look but when her stepson didn't speak up, Blaine did instead.

"There is this guy who had been bullying Kurt. Finn caught him when he hit Kurt and punched him in retaliation," he explained quickly.

Burt turned over to where Kurt was sitting. "Why didn't you tell me about that?"

"I wanted to know first what his problem was and thought I could handle it myself," Kurt whispered.

Carole sensed that there was more to the story than the regular bullying Kurt and Blaine had been subjected to in the past.

"And did you find out why he didn't like you?" she asked him, moving forward and putting her hand on his knees.

Kurt nodded and Carole saw Blaine give him an encouraging look.

"He is Karofsky's younger brother. I don't know why he thinks that but he is convinced I led his brother on and broke his heart when I rejected him. He also thinks that I outed him to their dad and says it's my fault his brother hasn't been home since his dad found out."

From the corner of her eye Carole saw that Finn looked confused, but they had never told him about the time the boys ended up in a bar. Burt had filled her in however, and for a moment she wondered if it had been Burt who had outed Kurt's former bully.

As if he could read her mind, Burt addressed Kurt again. "Kurt, I did not tell Paul Karofsky. I might have threatened to do that, but it was never more than an empty threat."

"Well, someone must have. And now his brother thinks I have to pay for that," Kurt responded angrily.

"So wait, this is all about a guy with a crush on Kurt?" Finn finally voiced his confusion and if looks could kill, Carole would have one son less.

Luckily, Burt explained the situation before Kurt could harm Finn and by the time Burt was finished, Finn looked pissed as well.

Burt sighed next to her as he took another look at the three boys in front of him. "Kurt, Finn, I want you to stay home tomorrow so I can get a chance to talk to Paul about this all. Blaine, I think you have to come with me, so you can tell the principle what you know about the situation."

Kurt looked like he was about to protest, but Burt cut him off. "You tried to handle it on your own and got hurt. I know you're not a child anymore, but sometimes you have to let the adults take care off things."

Kurt snapped his mouth shut and gave him a court nod that turned into a look of relief soon after.

Feeling the tension in the room slowly dissipate, Carole clapped her hands and stood up.

"Why don't I order us some take out so we can forget about this whole thing for the night. Pizza okay for everyone? Blaine, you're welcome to stay."

It was a testament to how exhausted Kurt must be because he just went along with it not even demanding they get some healthier options as well.

Carole released a sigh of her own once she was out of the living room. Why couldn't her boys just catch a break for once?

AN: I'm not too happy with the ending but I got sick and have to take antibiotics (for the first time since I was a kid) which make me sleepy and I wanted to finish this before I fell asleep again. The first part of November could be up tomorrow if I feel better.