Monday morning dawns, as does the school day. When Kurt arrives, not much seems out of place, though he does gain a few more stares than normal. He ignores them, of course, striding down the hallway to his locker. Blaine isn’t there yet. As soon as he walks in, though, Kurt mentally promises to greet him like any other person would greet their boyfriend.

Stares be damned.

Just as he opens his locker, a loud crack echoes through the hallway. Kurt looks up to see Finn stumbling backward around a corner, clutching his cheek and looking completely appalled.

“You jerk!” a female voice shrieks and at once, Kurt knows it’s Quinn.

His theory is spot on. She advances on Finn, rage evident on her face as they come to a halt in the middle of the hallway.

“Is this what you wanted?” she shouts, throwing her arms wide and gesturing to the crowd of onlookers. “You wanted to break up with me in front of everyone?”

“No!” Finn replies hastily. “No, I just – I didn’t wanna do it over the phone or something, that’s not right. You don’t deserve-”

“What I deserve is someone who is twice the man you’ll ever be!”

With that, Quinn turns abruptly and storms away, ponytail swinging as she goes. Finn rubs his cheek in pain, catching Kurt’s eye and walking toward him.

“Well,” Finn says, stretching his jaw to make sure it isn’t permanently injured, actively ignoring the stares and whispers, “that actually went way better than I thought it would.”

“I was expecting more violence,” Kurt agrees. “Looks like you got off easy.”

“I guess.”

“Don’t look now,” Kurt says, peering around Finn, “but I think Rachel is officially swooning over you from her locker.”

Finn ignores Kurt’s initial advice and turns in excitement. “She is? Really?”

“Finn!” Kurt hisses under his breath as his stepbrother waves over at the girl, who returns his greeting with wide, crazed eyes and a nervous smile.

“What?”

“Look, it might not be the best idea for you to start flirting with another girl less than ten minutes after a break up.”

“Why not?”

“Because Quinn will think you broke up with her for Rachel and she’ll make both of your lives a living hell.”

“Oh,” Finn says flatly, eyebrows furrowing in consideration. “But, I mean, I can still talk to her, right? Just like, friend talk.”

“Just don’t start making heart eyes and holding hands with her right away,” Kurt advises.

“Right,” Finn says, glancing over the top of Kurt’s head. He lowers his voice and a dopey grin appears on his face. “Don’t look now, but I think your nerdy boyfriend might wanna say hi.”

“He’s here?” Kurt wonders, whirling around as Finn sneaks away. Sure enough, Blaine’s standing at his locker with a blush high on his cheeks and hope in his eyes. He sees Kurt from his position behind his open locker door and immediately returns his attention to gathering his books. Kurt saunters over, noting Blaine’s pinstripe trousers and his chosen green sweater today. “Hey.”

Blaine looks at him, probably reveling in the fact that this is the first time they’ve really greeted each other in the middle of the hallway surrounded by their classmates.

“H-hi,” Blaine replies, a bright smile lighting up his face. “Um, what’s up?”

“Nothing much,” Kurt says. “Finn just broke up with Quinn.”

“Wha – in front of everyone?”

“Finn lacks tact. This is no surprise to me,” Kurt says with a shrug. “I’m just trying to convince him that immediately jumping into a relationship with Rachel probably isn’t the best idea.”

“Especially since, from what you told me, Finn and Quinn were together for over a year,” Blaine adds.

“I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see if he actually takes my advice.”

Blaine nods, plucking out the last of the books he needs from his locker. It’s kind of nice like this, Kurt notices. They just get to talk, you know? They get to have a silly conversation, they get to gossip about mundane, high school things like who’s dating who, normal things that kids their age should get to chat about.

Kurt didn’t just gain a boyfriend. He gained a true friend.

Blaine slams his locker. Just as he’s about to shrug his backpack off his shoulders to jam his books inside, Kurt stops him, placing his hand on Blaine’s arm.

“Do you – do you want me to carry your books for you?” he asks softly.

Staring up at him with shocked eyes, Blaine gapes in surprise and says, “Are you sure?”

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have asked,” Kurt states, taking the stack of textbooks from Blaine’s hands and into his own. He holds them against his chest with one arm and offers Blaine his other. “I’ll walk you to class.”

Blaine’s lips work in silence, as if he’s trying to say something but can’t really come up with the words. Finally, he takes hold of Kurt’s free arm and allows Kurt to walk him to class, much to Kurt’s delight. He purposefully ignores the whispers of his classmates, scowling at Quinn and Santana as they pass. Blaine’s eyes dart around, on the lookout for any type of attack that might come.

“You – you know, this isn’t like, the fifties,” Blaine says eventually. “You don’t have to do this.”

“If I had a school ring or a pin to let you wear,” Kurt says, “I’d give either one freely.”

“But if this is making you-”

“It isn’t making me anything,” Kurt promises when they reach the door of Blaine’s classroom. “I told you that I would-”

“Make me proud of you,” Blaine recalls with a soft smile. “I know. But you don’t have to try so hard.”

“I do,” Kurt assures. “I have a lot of mistakes to make up for. I’m starting with you.”

“Kurt,” Blaine says quietly, taking his books back when Kurt offers them up.

“And when I get a letterman jacket for being on the Cheerios, you’ll be the first to wear it. After me, of course.”

Blaine blushes fiercely, ducking his head, and he looks so completely adorable that Kurt can’t help but lean over and press a kiss to his forehead.

“I’ll see you later.”

As Kurt walks away, leaving a besotted Blaine is his wake, he doesn’t see Mercedes Jones peering around a corner, concern etched deeply into her features.