Kurt couldn't focus at all through Glee club that afternoon, he was way too fucking nervous to sing or dance or anything like that. It didn't seem like Mr. Schue was all that invested in the class either. He kept shooting pitying glances towards Kurt and Blaine, who refused to let go of Kurt's hand all throughout class. When it came to an end, Kurt's stomach was in knots.

"Come on, Kurt," Mr. Schue said gently, waiting for them by the doorway.

Kurt sucked in a few deep, shuddering breaths and stood with Blaine, following Mr. Schue out of the room and down the hallway to run into Mr. Paige, Blaine's government teacher.

"Mr. Hummel, is it?" Mr. Paige asked cordially.

Kurt could do nothing but nod. He felt like his throat was sewn shut.

"Let me just say that when I read over your test, I was very impressed with your answers. If nothing is resolved during this meeting, rest assured that I would welcome you with open arms into my class," the tall, African-American man said.

Kurt smiled and lowered his head as they made their way to Mr. Price's government classroom. Mr. Paige was the one to knock on the doorway.

"Ah, Robert, do come in," Mr. Price greeted. "And William too! I don't see you around these parts very often."

Mr. Schue followed Mr. Paige inside the room, Blaine and Kurt following as well.

"…What's this?" Mr. Price wondered, the smile falling from his face immediately.

"I hate to say this, Jameson," Mr. Paige spoke first, his deep voice filling the room, "but it has come to our attention that you've perhaps not been acting in a manner fit for this institution in regards to one of our students."

Mr. Price's eyes immediately narrowed, trained on Kurt, who moved to stand a little behind Blaine rather than beside him.

"Is this so?" Mr. Price asked flatly.

"I looked over Mr. Hummel's test and-"

"No, Robert. If a student has a problem with the way I teach or the way I mark tests, I think I'd like to hear it from his own mouth. Especially seeing as I haven't heard him speak in my class yet and we're already two months into the semester," Mr. Price drawled.

Kurt swallowed loudly around the sudden lump in his throat. No, no, that was okay. He didn't have to say anything. That was the whole point of getting other people involved wasn't it? So he didn't have to say anything?

"Go on, Kurt," Blaine said (unhelpfully, thought Kurt) gently.

Kurt looked at him with an odd expression as if to say 'you traitor' and took another deep breath before stepping out from behind his boyfriend.

"I-"

Everyone seemed a bit surprised at how squeaky his voice came out. He cleared his throat and kept his hand in Blaine's, desperate for any kind of support he could find. Mr. Schue put his hand on Kurt's shoulder as well.

"I was…I feel like…you've been really unfair when it comes to…me," Kurt finished lamely.

Why couldn't Blaine have taught him how to speak eloquently like he did?

"Unfair? Mr. Hummel, life is full of people being unfair," Mr. Price returned.

"You've hated me since the first day I set foot in your classroom!" Kurt burst out.

Oh, okay, maybe that wasn't the wisest choice of wording.

"What on earth would make you think that?" asked Mr. He almost sounded sincere in his confusion.

"You…you always look at me like…like I'm less than a person. And you grade me so unfairly and I…I studied for that test for an entire week and I've never made a C much less an F in my life until I took your class!"

"There are first times for all of these things, Mr. Hummel. If you expected to enter college and continue making all As and Bs, perhaps you out to reconsider that path," Mr. Price said.

"How – how dare you!" Blaine finally spoke. "Kurt is a good student, an excellent student, and Mr. Schuester here can verify that. I've see Kurt study, he's very diligent and very smart. And he most certainly doesn't deserve a B minus on an essay when he corrected everything you pointed out! And he sure as hell doesn't deserve an F on that fuc-"

"I think that's enough, Blaine," Mr. Schue said quickly.

Oh, so maybe Blaine wasn't always eloquent and level-headed.

"However…passionate Blaine's speech was," Mr. Schue decided to say, "I can definitely back him up. Kurt is a good student and he doesn't deserve any discrimination from you."

"Why would I discriminate against anyone?" Mr. Price asked.

"Jameson, Mr. Anderson brought me Kurt's test. Your grading was…quite off the mark," Mr. Paige put in. "I read all of his answers and they were quite well written. I see you put incomplete here," Mr. Paige said, handing the test to the other teacher, "when in fact that answer was possibly the most complete out of all of them."

"Grading is subjective to the instructor, Robert, you know this. Just because you view his answers as thorough doesn't necessarily mean I do."

"Jameson, what's really going on here?" Mr. Paige asked quietly.

"There is nothing going on here," Mr. Price said defensively, standing and shuffling around a few papers. "Hummel deserved his grade."

"Oh he deserves an F?" Blaine piped up again. "I kind of think you're equating the F on the test to another little word that starts with an F that you probably relate to Kurt."

"And what word might that be, boy?" Mr. Price asked harshly, his eyes narrowing.

"I think you know exactly what I mean," Blaine said, lowering his voice.

Blaine would have taken a step towards the man's desk if Mr. Schue hadn't stopped him first.

"Blaine, calm down," their show choir teacher said.

"No, he shouldn't have to calm down!" Kurt finally said loudly.

That was it. He had HAD it up to HERE with this shit. He knew he'd be entering the real world soon and things were going to change drastically, but he shouldn't have to be subjected to this in high school by an educator, of all people. Hell, even Sue Sylvester was nicer to him than this man!

"Kurt, maybe you-"

"No!" Kurt shouted, shrugging off Mr. Schue's hand. He kept his own hand in Blaine's warm, sure grip, but he took a step forward. "I think you're discriminating against me due to my sexual orientation and that is just…not okay! Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I don't deserve a proper education and it CERTAINLY doesn't mean you can fail me just because I didn't put my NAME in the right corner of the page!"

"You have absolutely no proof that I'd ever discriminate against someone simply because they're f…gay!" Mr. Price returned just as loudly.

Everyone heard the near slip.

"All I need to do is compare my answers to those in the class who received As or Bs. If it turns out my answers were similar, or even better than those, you'll be fighting in a battle you're sure to lose."

"My parents are extremely wealthy," Blaine said. It caught Kurt off guard very because he knew how reluctant Blaine was to talk about his wealthy family. "My father knows quite a few good lawyers."

"And a friend of mine has two gay dads who are very active in the community and I'm sure they know a few too," Kurt put in. "Not to mention, my dad will put up a very good fight with the school board so he can get you fired."

Mr. Price looked…outraged. That was probably the best way to put it. There seemed to be a fire in his eyes and he looked to Mr. Paige who simply shook his head.

"I have nothing left to say to you people," Mr. Price said, shoving a few things into his bag.

"Jameson," Mr. Paige said just as Mr. Price reached the doorway. "I think you should hand in your resignation today. It might be best."

Mr. Price stared at the group of people in his classroom, hatred in his eyes, and then he walked out without another word.

Kurt's entire body went slack, his adrenaline from the confrontation gone, and he would have fallen to the ground had it not been for Blaine's strong arms encircling him and holding him up.

"It's okay," Blaine said softly into his ear. "It's over."

"I think it would be alright for you boys to head home now," Mr. Paige said, his hand on Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine nodded and guided Kurt out of the classroom, leaving Mr. Paige and Mr. Schue alone. Mr. Schue heaved a deep tired sigh and leaned against one of the student desks.

"Mr. Anderson seems to care a great deal for Mr. Hummel," Mr. Paige remarked.

"They've been through a lot together," Mr. Schue agreed.

Mr. Paige was quiet for a moment before he spoke his parting words. "I'm sure my husband will be glad to hear about how much they support one another."

"He WHAT?" Burt Hummel asked later that evening when Kurt and Blaine were retelling the story of the day's events.

"It doesn't matter now dad," Kurt said tiredly. "I don't think he'll be coming back."

"Well you – you should have let me know, Kurt!"

"Sir, we honestly had no evidence until Kurt got his test back today," Blaine tried to explain. "Nothing could have been done before."

"You still should have told me, kid," Burt said, pulling Kurt to his chest for a hug. "I'm your dad. You know I'd stick up for you."

"I know," Kurt assured. "I just…"

"I think Kurt wanted to deal with this on his own, more or less," Blaine said.

Burt nodded and kissed the top of his son's head. "You've got a lot of strength, Kurt."

Kurt very nearly cried.

Mr. Price did not return the next day. A substitute showed up to take over his classes until a replacement could be found. Kurt, however, found himself in Mr. Paige's government class.

The teacher greeted him with a smile as soon as he walked into his classroom.

"Is it true?" Jared asked, bounding up to Kurt during lunch.

"Is what true?" Kurt asked.

"That Mr. Price quit because of you?"

"Jared, maybe you shouldn't-"

But Kurt stopped Blaine from finishing his sentence. "It's okay," Kurt said. "If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say yes."

"Because you're gay?" Jared attempted to clarify.

"Yes. He was…not very fair when it came to me. Because of that."

"Dude!" came Finn's voice from across the table. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Or any of us?" Puck put in. "You know we'd have kicked his ass for you!"

"Mr. Price wasn't a bullying jock, Noah," Blaine reminded him. "He was an educator and he was taking advantage of his power by making Kurt suffer the way he did."

"Still," Puck grumbled.

"You're willingness to beat people into oblivion for me is very touching," Kurt said with a smile to Puck. "And Finn, I didn't want to worry you."

"But I'm like, supposed to worry," Finn replied. "I'm your brother."

"I know," Kurt said quietly. "Thank you."

Finn responded by shoving a handful of French fries into his mouth.

"I can't believe he did that," Jared continued. "That's so…I mean…"

"It's very wrong," Quinn finished for him.

"Did you make sure to tell him about my gay dads?" Rachel asked quickly. "Because you know they'd-"

"I did, actually," Kurt said with a huge smile. "He seemed appropriately terrified."

"He should be," Rachel said with a nod.

Kurt smiled. He really did have very good friends. They kept proving themselves to him over and over again. He felt Blaine's arm around his shoulder and decided he had a very good boyfriend as well.

October seemed to fly by that year, at least until the last week of the month. Things were going so well for everyone. Kurt and Jared's friendship flourished. They went for coffee at least once a week, discussing anything and everything that came to mind. Kurt was very glad to have another male friend and Blaine didn't seem to mind them hanging out. In fact, he often encouraged it. Jared even came over to his house for the first time to listen to his insanely large collection of Broadway musical soundtracks.

"Wow, you have so many," Jared remarked, perusing the track listing on Kurt's itunes on his laptop.

"Sure you're straight?" Kurt teased, seating himself on the sofa.

"Pretty sure," Jared returned with a nervous smile.

"Not many straight men love Broadway musicals," Kurt commented.

"I'm just special like that."

"So it would seem."

"How's Blaine?" Jared wondered, his eyes still on the computer screen, still scrolling through the songs, finally picking a song from Spring Awakening to play.

"He's fine," Kurt said.

Jared eyed him speculatively. "You sound thrilled."

Kurt shrugged. "There's not much to say.

"Are you…bored with him or something?" Jared asked, leaning back in the desk chair.

"No, not at all," Kurt was quick to say. "There's just…we're pretty drama free these days."

"Well that's a good thing, right?"

"I like to think so."

They boys were quiet once again, Jared looking at him with concern. Kurt squirmed a little where he was sitting because…well to be quite frank, what Jared had said during one of their first outings was beginning to make him think.

"What if you're right?" Kurt asked quietly.

"About what?"

"About…Blaine and me."

Jared's face twisted into what looked like confusion. "What do you mean?"

"What if I…what if I can't know he's the one for me when I haven't…when I don't know anything else?"

"Kurt," Jared said quickly. "When I said that, I didn't know anything about your relationship with Blaine at all. You shouldn't…I mean you and Blaine are good together. I don't want you think that I don't think that."

"I know that we are," Kurt said softly. "But what if I'm missing out on something?"

"Like what?"

"I have no idea," Kurt confessed, stretching out on his sofa.

"Now I feel like your therapist," Jared said, smiling.

Kurt snorted and let his arm rest over his eyes. "I love him so much."

"Of course you do."

"Why do you say it like that?"

"I just meant that of course you love him. You guys have been together for a long time and from what you tell me…you've been through a lot together. It's admirable. I'm glad you two trust each other so much because there's like, so many couples that don't work as well as you and Blaine."

"I just hope I'm not limiting myself," Kurt said. "I mean, I know I'm going to meet tons of other people in my life. But Blaine, he's…he's Blaine."

Jared nodded understandingly and he was quiet for a few moments before finally speaking. "Sometimes…you make me question myself."

Kurt let one eye peek out from under his arm. "What does that mean?"

"Like…I don't…I've never even thought about…"

"Jared," Kurt said, sitting up. "You can talk to me about anything."

"I've never even thought about being gay," Jared admitted. "But then I see you and how happy you are and how – how proud you are."

"Just because I'm happy with who I am…that shouldn't make you question your sexuality. If you aren't attracted to men then you aren't attracted to them," Kurt told his friend.

"But how can I know if I never even considered it?"

"It takes time," Kurt assured him. "It doesn't just happen overnight."

"Yeah," Jared said quietly.

"I'm here, though," Kurt said. "If you need to talk about anything."

Jared smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Kurt."

The next day, Kurt had to run back to his locker before Glee class because he'd left his sheet music inside. Blaine sat next to Mercedes in the classroom and then he realized that he had to pee like, really bad, so he excused himself. When he was done washing his hands, he left the men's restroom and made his way towards his and Kurt's lockers, hoping to catch a few moments alone with him in the empty hallway.

He rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks.

Kurt was there alright.

With Jared.

Jared had him pressed against the lockers, his hands clasping Kurt's above Kurt's head.

Blaine simply stood there, watching in horror as Kurt did not push the guy away from him.

The hall was deserted except for the couple at Kurt's locker.

Blaine couldn't tear his eyes away.

Kurt…he wasn't doing anything to stop Jared.

When Blaine was finally forced between confronting the two and bursting into tears, he turned quickly and ran back to the choir room. He was panting, clutching his chest, forcing back the tears that began to well up in his eyes. He double over, trying to get his breathing under control before he stood straight and ran a hand through his hair and walked calmly back into the room to sit again.

Kurt followed a couple of minutes later.

He didn't even look fazed. He smiled brightly at Blaine and clutched his sheet music to his chest as he walked in and sat next to his boyfriend. Blaine did not smile back.

"You okay?" Kurt asked with what sounded like genuine concern.

"I'm fine," Blaine returned levelly.

Kurt tilted his head, surveying Blaine's features, but figured they would simply speak about whatever was bothering him later.

"So am I still coming to your house this weekend?" Kurt asked conversationally.

The muscles in Blaine's jaw clenched visibly. He turned his head ever so slowly to look at Kurt, whose eyebrows shot up in shock.

"What?" Kurt wondered.

Blaine's mouth opened to speak but then he snapped it closed. He stared into Kurt's eyes, searching for any sign or guilt or remorse or some kind of acknowledgement that he just fucked up royally.

He found none.

"Are you seriously going to sit there and pretend that you didn't just have another guy's tongue down your throat, not five minutes ago?" Blaine asked, pain evident in his words.

Ah. There it was. Kurt's eyes widened in shock, his mouth forming a small O. He understood now.

"How did you-"

"I saw you," Blaine declared, attempting to not raise his voice. "I saw you in the hallway. Against the lockers."

"Blaine it – it wasn't like that at all."

"Then please. Explain it to me," Blaine all but demanded.

"He…he just…he came up and asked if I would help him study again for physics and I said sure and he – he just kissed me."

"So you stopped him right?"

They had gained the attention of the entire class now, including Mr. Schue, who looked on with shocked faces.

"I – yes. I did."

Blaine's face crumbled and he had to turn his head away. He had hoped…he had seriously hoped that Kurt wouldn't lie to him. Maybe then…maybe then…

"Why are you lying to me?" Blaine whispered.

"I'm not! I – I pushed him away," Kurt said.

Blaine's head snapped back around to face his boyfriend. "Not during the ten or fifteen seconds that I saw."

"I – you – oh god," Kurt put his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Didn't know I'd be watching. I get it."

"Blaine, I'm so sorry!"

Blaine stood and just…he couldn't sit next to Kurt right now. He moved over to the piano and touched the ivory keys with reverence, finally allowing the tears to fall.

"What exactly are you sorry for?" Blaine asked, still not facing Kurt.

Kurt watched Blaine's back, trying to figure out the answer to the question. But one had to understand the question first.

"I don't…I don't understand what you're asking," Kurt admitted, still seated in his chair.

Blaine released a strangled, harsh laugh. "The question is very simple. What exactly are you sorry about? Are you sorry about the fact that you kissed him? Or are you sorry that you got caught?"

"I didn't kiss him, he kissed me!"

"But you let him!" Blaine countered loudly, whipping around.

"I didn't – I didn't let him kiss me!"

"By not immediately pushing him off of you, you were effectively allowing him to kiss you!" Blaine said, gesturing wildly with his hands.

"I – Blaine I was confused!"

"Confused about what, exactly? You said you were already talking, you were already facing him, you knew it wasn't me sneaking up on you. After the first fucking second you should have figured out something wasn't right."

"But I – I didn't – I didn't even know he was gay! He said he wasn't! I didn't even know he liked me! And he…he was confused too!" Kurt cried desperately.

"Oh, so that's your excuse?" Blaine replied angrily. "You didn't know he was into you? They guy's been asking you to tutor him like, every day of the week. He always wants to go out with you, take you to movies and to get coffee and because you didn't realize that any of these were clues…it's okay to let him kiss you? I trusted you! I never thought-"

"I – Blaine I didn't understand!"

"Then I don't understand."

"He just…I was shocked and I was confused and I – I-"

"You what?"

"I'd never kissed anyone else before," Kurt whispered brokenly. "I didn't…I didn't think it would have been a big deal if I just…let him."

"Oh my god," Blaine's voice cracked and he turned away, almost feeling like he was going to throw up.

"I'm sorry! I was stupid and I – I didn't understand!"

"So you…you let all of this happen so that you could kiss someone else because…you haven't?"

"I – I-"

"You could have come to me!" Blaine finally yelled. "Hell, I'd have let the kid join in on a make out session if that's what you wanted!"

Kurt looked thoroughly caught off guard. "Wha – what are you talking about?"

"I love you! And I'm not stupid! I understand that you've never kissed anyone else, that you've never slept with anyone else! If you'd come to me we could have worked something out, Kurt! Like we have EVERY OTHER TIME something bad or weird came our way! We've always talked about everything!"

"I – I couldn't! You'd have been so jealous!"

"Oh, right, more jealous that I am now?" Blaine asked in outrage. "I'm truly baffled, Kurt. I'm really confused as to why you thought it was okay to just…go out and kiss someone instead of coming to talk to me. Christ, I'd have let you fuck the guy if that's what you wanted!"

"Blaine!"

"I would have! If you wanted to know what it felt like to be with someone else, if you needed some affirmation as to why you're still with me, I'd have let it happen! I'm actually a pretty reasonable person last time I checked. And if you'd have told me and we worked something out, at least I could be sure that I wouldn't have lost you."

Kurt's lip trembled and tears were rushing down his flushed cheeks and his eyes, god they were so beautiful. He was so god damned beautiful and Blaine couldn't – he couldn't.

"You haven't lost me," Kurt stated. "You haven't."

Blaine stared directly into his eyes and that was it. "You've lost me."

With that, Blaine turned and headed towards the door. "Blaine, please, don't do this!" Kurt cried.

Blaine turned back towards Kurt and threw his arms out in defeat. "I'm not doing anything. You did this."

"Please don't leave me," Kurt pleaded, racing over towards him and grabbing at Blaine's shirt desperately. "Please. Please don't leave me."

Blaine looked on at Kurt sadly. "I'm not leaving you. I can't leave you. I told you that I wouldn't leave you. I told you there wasn't a great enough force to keep us apart. But I can't do this right now," Blaine said miserably. He took a deep breath and… "You still smell like him." He made to leave again but Kurt kept a fierce hold on his hand.

"When you – when you gave me this ring you said you'd always love me," Kurt reminded him. "Please."

Blaine pulled Kurt closer to him and brought his hands up to frame Kurt's wet, tear-stained face.

"I still love you," Blaine said with deep conviction. "I will always love you." He pressed their foreheads together. "I've loved you for so long, I love you right now, and I will love you until I'm stuck in a box and shoved six feet under a tombstone."

He pulled away from Kurt and released his hold on his face. "But I can't even look at you right now without my heart breaking."

Blaine left.

When he rounded the corner and Kurt could no longer see him, Kurt's legs gave out from under him and he fell to the ground in a heap of tears, sobbing loudly with his head in his hands.

Everyone else in the room looked on with utter shock, frozen to their seats, until Mercedes dashed to Kurt's side, wrapping him in her arms.

"I'm…I'll be back," Santana said, running after Blaine.

He didn't seem to get very far. He was at the end of the hall near the front door of the school. He didn't seem to be faring any better. Blaine's back was to Santana, but she could she his shoulders shaking from crying and he had his arms wrapped around his middle, attempting to comfort himself. She walked slowly up to him and touched his shoulder.

He jerked away, turning around quickly to see who it was.

"I'm sorry," Blaine said, his voice nearly gone.

"You don't have to be sorry," Santana said sadly.

"Why are you even talking to me?" Blaine wondered, wiping at his cheeks. "I already knew that if something like this happened, I'd lose you all. You were his friend first."

"I really don't think anyone's taking sides in this. That was…really awful to watch."

His face screwed up in pain and he squeezed his arms tighter around himself. He needed comfort. He needed someone to hold him, but he was too damn proud to ask. He'd never felt so…broken. A fresh wave of tears began to fall and Santana quickly wrapped her arms around him.

The tender action caused Blaine to break down completely in that deserted hallway. He let his arms wrap around her back, clutching desperately at the material of her Cheerios uniform. His wet face pressed into her warm neck and he cried and cried. He hadn't cried this hard since he told Kurt about his nightmares.

Oh god, he couldn't think about Kurt.

But then…Kurt was all he could think about.

He pulled away from her embrace and wrapped his arms around himself again, shaking his head with his eyes squeezed shut.

"I don't…I don't even know what I'm doing. Where is…I can't breathe, I can't…I don't know where I am," Blaine said, his throat thick and his chest heavy.

"What's wrong?" came another voice.

It was Anthony, Mercedes' boyfriend. "Is he…okay?"

"No, he's not. He…he needs to go home, but I don't think he can drive," Santana explained. "Blaine, do you have your house key?"

Blaine shook his head, his breathing still ragged. "My…my bag…where's my bag?"

"I'll go get it. Don't move," she turned to Anthony. "Watch him."

Anthony nodded and she darted back into the choir room. "Where's his bag?" she asked.

"Here," Quinn said, holding it up.

Santana walked over and grabbed it, making for the door once again. But Kurt's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Tell him I…that I love him too," Kurt whispered desperately.

Santana shared a look with Mercedes and then focused her eyes back on Kurt. "Baby, he doesn't…he doesn't even know where he is right now."

"Oh god," Kurt said quietly. "Please, let me talk to-"

"No," Santana shook her head sadly. "He needs to go home and sleep."

Kurt swallowed hard and gave a shaky nod.

"I think Anthony's going to drive us," Santana informed Mercedes.

"Okay."

She rushed out of the room again.

"What am I going to do?" Kurt wondered, looking up into Mercedes eyes. "I can't…he's…he's my…"

"I know. I know what he is to you."

He's my everything.