Slamming the front door behind him, Kurt made his way into the kitchen, where he smelled chicken cooking. He entered the room, taking his jacket off and placing it over the back of a chair.

"Hey, sweetie," Carole said quietly, smiling at him fron the stove. "Dinner's almost ready, if you're hungry."

"Okay," he said. He wasn't really in the mood to talk. He was so exhausted and tired from the day's events. He felt like he could sleep for an entire week.

His father walked in the room. He paused in the doorway at the sight of Kurt, and said, "Kurt, can we talk please?" His voice seemed calm, but the look Burt gave him was enough for Kurt to know he had screwed up.

Carole gave her husband a warning glance, but didn't say anything. She gave Kurt a pat on the shoulder as he passed her and turned back to the stove.

When they sat down in the living room, Kurt found that he couldn't look at his father without feeling guilty. Instead, he stared at his shoes. "I'm sorry," he started.

"Where were you?" Burt bluntly asked. "Finn came home over an hour ago, Kurt."

He shrugged, "I was with Blaine. We... we went out for coffee. He wanted to be there for me, because I was so upset about what happened today." It wasn't a total lie. After they left the warehouse, they did go out for coffee, and Blaine insisted on buying Kurt's drink. He just wasn't going to tell his dad that he spent most of his afternoon at an abandoned warehouse, alone with someone his father didn't know, other than pulling his son out of a smelly gym locker.

Taking a deep breath, Burt said, "I was worried about you. After what happened today..." he trailed off, his eyes became unfocused. Kurt knew everything that had happened was taking a toll on his father. He hated that. It was exactly what he wanted to avoid. It's why he didn't tell Burt anything about the bullying.

"Dad, it wasn't a big deal," Kurt told him. He had to be strong for his father. He knew this wouldn't be easy. Burt worried about him too much, and things weren't going to relieve him from that stress now. 

"It was a big deal... it still is," he took his baseball cap off and ran a hand over his head. He then replaced the cap and said, "Kurt, he shoved you in a locker and left you there for hours."

Kurt shrugged, "it wouldn't be the first time though." It had happened several times before. The only reason this was different was that he had never been left in a locker that long before, and it had never been taken to the principal.

His mouth fell open, "the fact that you can say that so casually scares me, Kurt. You shouldn't be so used to this." He sat back in his seat, looking over his son with worried eyes. It made Kurt feel so self-conscious. "i really think you should leave."

He couldn't believe he was hearing this again. They had the same discussion a hundred times the previous year, and Kurt refused to change his mind then. Did Burt really think he would change his mind now, when the school year just started? It was his last year. He wanted to finish his high school career with his friends. "I'm not going anywhere, dad... You can't suggest Dalton either," he added, when Burt opened his mouth to protest. "We don't have money for that. You only had money for it last year beause you had saved money for your honeymoon. I can't let you put out the money you don't really have."

"I would find a way to pay for it. I would do anything to keep you safe," Burt said calmly, his eyes locked on Kurt. He seemed so sure of what he was saying that it broke Kurt's heart. Sometimes they cared about each other a little too much.

Shaking his head, Kurt said, "I know that, dad. I just don't think it matters where I go, I'll always be different. Even though the kids at Dalton can't physically hurt me, I still wouldn't fit in. It doesn't matter that I'm safe, i won't be safe from everything. I'll still have people hating me for being gay. I'll still get funny looks because I sound like a freaking girl. I'll still get judged for the way I dress. All the judgment will still hurt me." He looked into Burt's eyes. His father knew he was right. He hated it, but he knew it was true. "I have friends at Mckinley," his voice cracked, and he had to bite his lower lip to keep himself from crying. Why did he have to be so emotional? "I know that most people there don't like me, but dad, there are people who do care. Don't take that away from me. I don't want to be alone again." He knew that'd strike hard. Burt hated how lonely Kurt used to be just as much as he did.

His father's response surprised him. "Like that Blaine kid? He can't protect you from everything," Burt said, still watching Kurt intently. "I know he helped you today, but that didn't stop this Karofsky kid from shoving you in that locker in the first place."

He had a point.

But the thought of Blaine only made Kurt want to stay that much more. Blaine had left Dalton, he must have had a reason. Blaine had told Kurt he just needed a little courage. Maybe Kurt just needed the courage to stand up to Karofsky. Was he a coward for running away? He had to convince his dad to let him stay, "I didn't say Blaine would protect me. It's not just him anyway. It's Mercedes, and Tina, and... Rachel."

"I thought you couldn't stand her," he replied.

"Rachel's... insane, but I'd miss her," Kurt told him. "Just... give me a little time, okay? I'll figure something out. Give me a month, and if things get worse in that time, i'll leave." It was something, right? His father had to give him that. He had already dealt with so much. What was one more month?

Silence followed this for a long time, and neither of them took their eyes off each other. Burt eventually stood up and said, "a month. Fine, but you have to stay honest with me, okay? I want to know that you're getting pushed around. I don't want to wait for another phone call from the school before I know anything."

"I will, promise," Kurt smiled at him.

He had a month. Now he just had to find some courage.

"Where will you go?" Blaine asked him, as they sat at the Lima Bean the following day. Kurt had just told him about the conversation with his father the previous day, and Blaine could hardly believe what he was hearing. Why was the one person he knew at Mckinley being threatened to leave?

Kurt took a sip of his latte and said, "I don't know. He still wants me to consider Dalton, but I don't really know if we can swing that. Maybe I'll look around and see what else I can find. There has to be a school that doesn't have someone that wants to make my life a living hell."

"Dalton would be good for you. I loved it there." Blaine told him, thinking about how much he loved everything about Dalton. If kurt was going to go anywhere, Dalton would be his best option. It was just a matter of his family affording it.

Kurt looked at him curiously, "why did you leave, if you loved it so much?"

Blaine sighed. This question kept popping up. He had to say something. "My, uh, dad left, and my mom was really lonely without him... I had originally transferred to Dalton because I had been bullied." He adjusted his bowtie, feeling Kurt's gaze on him. Blaine didn't usually talk about the days he had been bullied. This was a new step for him.  "I was safe there, but it was almost too safe, you know? My mom missed me, and I thought I could have a second chance at a normal life, instead of hiding in a sheltered life, so I moved back here, and I'm staying with her now."

Kurt's deep blue eyes didn't leave Blaine's face. He sat there, taking him in. He didn't speak for a long time, and when he did, his voice was quiet, "so you were bullied."

Blaine nodded, his fingers tracing the rim of his cup. He felt so uncomfortable talking about it. "it was pretty bad, That's why I'm so into helping you... I didn't have anyone there to help me. I can't tell you how nice it would have been to have a friend there for me..." He took a deep breath, before he continued, "I ran, Kurt, and I wish I had the strength that you do to keep going every day."

He shook his head, closing his eyes. "Blaine I'm not that strong." Kurt opened his eyes again, and this time, avoided Blaine's gaze. "I have been... dealing with this for so long, I've thought about running from it. I just tough it out, living from day to day, but I'm not strong."

Blaine gave him a weak smile, "you're trying. To me, that proves you have strength." Kurt had no idea what it meant to actually run from everything. He had done enough of that himself. It was hard, and he beat himself over it every single day. Kurt had no idea just how much Blaine admired his strength. He had no idea how much Blaine wished he had the courage to stick out his own problems.

Being at Mckinley was his second chance, even if it simply meant helping Kurt through his problems.

Something gently smacked Kurt on the shoulder and he jumped, thinking it had to be Karofsky. He hated how easy it was to make him jump.

"So I found this song for glee that I have to sing, but it's a duet, and I wanted to know if you'd sing it with me," Rachel peered around his locker door.

Grabbing his history book from his locker, Kurt shut the door and said, "Um, you do realize that I'm not in glee club anymore, right?" he rolled his eyes, realzing who he was talking to. "Probably not, too busy singing your own solos."

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows at this, "Kurt, come on. We miss you!" She reached out and grabbed his arm, giving him puppy eyes. "I was sort of hoping you'd come back and- "

"No."

"But why? Did we do something wrong?" she followed him down the hall. She didn't take her eyes off him.

He couldn't tell her the truth: that he was a coward, and didn't need another reason to be harassed. If Rachel knew, pretty soon everyone would know, and he didn't need that rumor flying around school. People would start bending the truth and make it sound even worse than it was. 

Maybe he should lie.

"Yes," he simply said.

Rachel seemed startled by this. She stopped in her tracks for a second and then raced to catch up with him, "what did we do that was so horrible to you? I thought we were pretty good to you."

Having to think on the spot, Kurt stuttered, "Y-You, uh, you, um..."

"You know what? I don' t want to know!" Rachel held up her hands in protest. "If you're going to be that way, Kurt Hummel, fine. All we ever did was be there for you. We're a family, and if you want nothing to do with that fanily, then I guess it's your problem." She turned on her heel and stormed down the hall.

Kurt sighed heavily, leaning against the wall. Everything was turning into such a mess, and he hated that his senior year was coming down to this.

His phone buzzed and he saw that he had a new message from Blaine. Did you come today?

Curious, he replied, Yeah, why? Are you hoping for a free coffee today?

He made his way into his history class. Blaine replied, just as Kurt had sat down and set his bag on the ground.Hardly. I was actually hoping you could handle being late for class? I have a problem. Before he could finish typing his reply, Blaine sent another message. J'm in the bathroom.

Smiling to himself, Kurt couldn't resist saying Don't forget to wash your hands when you're done. He then grabbed his bag and made a dash for the bathroom just as the teacher arrived. She called after him, but he didn't hear what she said.

He glanced down at his phone and saw that Blaine said, You. Are. Ridiculous. Now get in here and help me before I get stuck in here forever.

Bursting through the bathroom door, Kurt took one look at Blaine, who was covered in sushie, and said, "you are such a drama queen, Anderson. Forever? Really?"

Blaine gaped at him. "I'm actually kind of surprised you even showed up. Can you do me a huge favor?" His expression grew serious and he said, "I have to leave early. I have a doctor appointment and I'm covered in slushie. I forgot to grab clothes this morning. Do you have anything I can change into?"

 Kurt almost laughed at this, looking over Blaine's drenched outfit. He definitely didn't want to walk into a doctor's office looking like that. His red jeans and blue shirt were a shade darker because of the slushie, and his hair stuck to his head even more than it did with his hair gel. "Blaine, do you actually think anything I wear will fit you?"

Blaine smiled, "why? Because i'm short, or because you wear jeans so tight you can barely move?"

"I... what?" Kurt felt his cheeks grow hot. He turned away from Blaine, hoping he didn't see Kurt blush. Did Blaine really notice the way he dressed? Did Blaine really pay that much attention to him? He shook his head, thinking he was stupid. It didn't matter. It's not like he stood a chance with Blaine anyway. "You know what? I actually do have a pair of jeans that aren't super tight you can wear."

"Oh really?" Blaine raised his eyebrows, trying to act surprised.

Kurt nodded, "Mhm. But if you mock me, should I let you wear my clothes?"

With pleading eyes, Blaine begged, "Kurt, pleeease. This is important. I'll even buy you a coffee for it."

 Waving his hand, Kurt said, "fine, fine. Let me just run and get it." He made a dash for his locker, thankful that he didn't see anyone. It was a nice change, making it through the hallway without being threatened. He quickly ran back to the bathroom, once he had his extra set of clothes and shut the door behind him, leaning against the door.

Blaine took the clothes from him, and asked, "can you keep guard real quick?"

Blushing again, Kurt nodded. He was a little surprised Blaine didn't slip into a stall to change.

"Thanks," Blaine said, pulling his shirt off. He took a long look at Kurt's green shirt, before he put it on and said, "i actually could see myself wearing this."

"Huh, sure," Kurt said, rolling his eyes. It was pretty simple, but definitely not Blaine's type. He then watched, still surprised, when Blaine pulled his pants down, tossed them on the floor, and changed into Kurt's tight jeans. They didn't fit perfectly, but at least he wasn't covered in red slushie.

"Um, Kurt?" Blaine said, taking a step toward him. He looked a little uncomfortable, ike he wasn't sure why Kurt had been watching him. It's not like he meant to, he just thought...

"You know, you're sort of beautiful," he blurted out, watching Blaine zip his pants. Kurt slapped a hand over his mouth. Apparently he wasn't just thinking that.

Blaine laughed at this, and Kurt felt his cheeks burning again. Why was Blaine so good at making him blush? He felt so stupid for saying that out loud. He didn't mean for it to come out of his mouth. Kurt didn't even mean to watch Blaine change, he was just so mesmerized by Blaine that he didn't realize what he was doing. His hand moved up to his forehead, "I am... so sorry," he said quickly.

"Why are you sorry?" Blaine said, picking up his clothes off the dirty floor. He didn't even seem bothered by it.

Kurt caught his reflection in the mirror. He looked pale and fearful. He hoped Blaine didn't notice that too. "Um, you're not used to gay guys making comments like that at you? Some people get really offended by it." He trailed off, glancing at the floor.

Stepping closer to him, Blaine said, "I'm not most people, Kurt."

His stomach flipped. He hated this. If Blaine knew that Kurt thought he was gorgeous, (and he definitely was gorgeous) he might think Kurt didn't really want to be friends, that he just wanted more. Sure, Kurt liked Blaine, but he didn't know him that well, and he definitely didn't think Blaine would want anything more anyway. "I just feel really... um, stupid." He couldn't help but think about how horrible things had gotten with Finn, when Kurt had a crush on him.

Did he have a crush on Blaine? Would things get that weird between then?

Blaine was now standing right in front of Kurt, and he looked at him like he didn't know what was going on. "Kurt, don't worry about it, okay? I'm not like Karofsky. I'm not going to throw you into a dumpster because you're gay."

That comment brought Kurt back down to his senses. This was Blaine he was talking to, the kid that repeatedly reminded him that they met in such an odd place. He looked into Blaine's hazel eyes and said, "So you still want to be my friend?"

Blaine gave a soft chuckle, "of course I do. Honestly, it's no big deal..." He checked his watch, "I do, however, need to get out of here. I have that appointment."

Dazed, Kurt moved away from the door, "right." he felt so embarrassed, he couldn't propery look Blaine in the eye. 

Blaine gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and said, "I'll meet you for coffee tomorrow, okay? We're still friends after all. See you later." He swept from the bathroom without a glance back.

Kurt sank to the floor and rested his head in his hands.

Blaine didn't care that he was gay. Blaine didn't care that Kurt had called him beautiful. It didn't seem to phase him at all, which was so weird. Even if Blaine wasn't straight, and Kurt was pretty sure he was, then why would Blaine find that okay? Wasn't he worried that Kurt crushing on him would ruin their new friendship? Was Kurt hoping for too much? No one else would be okay with this. Why was he?

Or was Blaine lying? 

Lying on the rooftop of the warehouse that night, Blaine tried relaxing his mind by searching for stars in the sky. His finger gently ran across the fabric of Kurt's shirt, and he continued to ignore his mother's phone calls for an hour.

Everything had been such a blur that day.

Blaine felt like he could stay there for hours. It wouldn't be the first time he had done that. Before his parents had broken things off, Blaine spent most of his time at the warehouse, occasionally staying through the night. It drove his parents insane, because they never knew where he was, but sometimes he liked that. It meant he was truly alone for a little while.

After a couple hours, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw that he had eight missed calls from his mom and a new text message from Kurt. The thought of Kurt made his stomach flip. He thought about ignoring it, but couldn't. His curiosity got to him.

Just so you know, I won't be at school tomorrow, so keep an eye out for Karofsky.

He sighed heavily. Watching out for Karofsky was something he always had to do. It wasn't anything he had to be warned about. 

On the other hand, it was nice that someone at Mckinley cared so much. He never had that at his old school. It was a nice change, especially now that he knew just how much Kurt cared. He never had someone tell him he was beautiful before, and although it had been a little uncomfortable for both of them, it made him feel a little special.

I was hoping to take you out for coffee tomorrow. I have to thank you for saving me with that slushie today.

Kurt replied a few moments later. Meet me at my dad's shop after school tomorrow.

Once Kurt sent him the address, Blaine agreed to meet him there and set his phone back in his pocket. He didn't really feel like calling his mom back at the moment. She could wait until he got home, like she had so many times before.

Making his way through the shop the next day, Blaine found Kurt sitting on a desk in the back. He had his legs crossed, with an apple in his hand. His hair sat tall on his head, perfect as aways. The moment he saw Blaine, a smile danced on his lips. "Hey, stranger," he said.

Blaine waved, stopping in front of Kurt, "hey," He studied Kurt's tall figure for a moment, taking in the tight brown pants he wore. Kurt's eyes were a bright blue that day.

Wow. Did he really pay that much attention to Kurt?

He shook himself from his thoughts. Hopefully Kurt didn't notice how much Blaine payed attention to him. "Are you ready to go?" Blaine asked.

Kurt sighed, "I don't know. I was hoping I was getting my car back today, otherwise I was hoping for a ride from you. I'm just waiting for the okay from my dad."

Blaine scanned the shop, finding Kurt's father talking to a short woman with her hands on her hips and anger in her eyes. He looked back at Kurt and said, "how long do you think he'll be?"

Kurt shrugged, "they've been talking for a while now. She's pissed about something." He took a final bite of his apple, dumping the core in a trash can next to the desk. Sliding off the desk, he said, "oh, wait. i think she's leaving."

Sure enough, she turned on her heel and left the shop. Burt sighed and turned to look at Kurt. He walked over and said, "Blaine, right?" He held out a hand to Blaine, who took it.

"Yeah, sorry we didn't have a proper meeting before," Blaine felt Kurt's gaze on him and looked in his direction. "I was just picking up Kurt."

Burt raised his eyebrows at this, and Kurt quickly responded with, "unless my car's finally ready?"

Stretching, Burt smiled, "it is. you can have it back, but be careful, okay?" He eyed Blaine for a moment, who avoided Burt's gaze. "Is this, like, a date or something," he asked uncomfortably.

Blaine quickly shook his head, "no, no. We're just grabbing coffee." Was it really that hard to hang around another gay guy without people assuming you were gay too? Keeping it a secret was going to be harder than he thought in such a small town. 

Burt nodded and Kurt blushed, looking at the ground. "well, uh..." Burt cleared his throat. "have a good time, son. Will you be back for dinner?"

"I should be," Kurt told him. He held out his hand and Burt placed a set of keys in his hand. "Thanks so much for fixing my car, dad. I love you," he gave burt a hug and then looked at Blaine. "I'll see you at the Lima Bean then?"

Blaine nodded, "sounds good."

he drove to the Lima bean after saying goodbye to Burt, and Kurt stayed close behind him. When they finally got there, Blaine met Kurt by his car, and waited while Kurt rummaged around for something in the floor of the backseat.

"So what's the story anyway?" Blaine asked, when Kurt shut the car door.

Kurt glanced at him, "what do you mean?"

Motioning toward the car, he said, "what happened to your car?"

A pause followed this, as they made their way inside. Kurt held the door open for Blaine, and followed him in. He stopped by the counter and ordered their drinks, which Blaine payed for. Kurt remained silent, until they received their drinks. Pulling them off the counter, he handed one to Blaine and said, "Karofsky, big surprise. Some of his friends thought it'd be fun to sabotage my car, so they did." He pulled a chair out at a nearby table and sat down across from Blaine.

"Did they do a lot of damage?" he asked, eyeing Kurt.

He shrugged, "I guess so. My dad had to work on it for a while. I don't know that much about cars, so don't ask me. I can't give much of an answer... i couldn't drive it though." He pursed his lips, looking at Blaine intently. "Karofsky's really horrible," he said quietly. "You have no idea what he's really capable of."

He didn't know what to say to that. Of course Karofsky was horrible. most of the kids at Mckinley knew that. It didn't answer a question Blaine had been wondering for a while though. "Is there..." he paused, not sure if Kurt would be offended by this. "Is there a reason he's so horrible to you? I mean, it just seems like he's... worse with you."

Kurt gave a dry laugh. "Yeah, there's a reason... I can't really talk about it though." His long fingers tapped the end of the table, as he said, "I guess we can just go with the fact that I'm the only openly gay kid at school."

Blaine's stomach turned. Of course that was the reason.

He had been in those same shoes before. It's exactly why no one at Mckinley knew that he was gay. He couldn't bare to face that again, especially after seeing the way Karofsky treated Kurt. He couldn't go through that again.

Maybe that made him a coward.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked, after a long silence.

Blaine looked up and met his bright eyes. Kurt was watching him with concern, and that's when Blaine realized his hands were shaking. He coudln't do this. He couldn't go through that again. He was a coward. "You know..." he hesitated, looking into Kurt's eyes again.

The door to the Lima Bean and a few people from Mckinley came trickling in. One of the girls met Blaine's eyes and gave him an odd look. Was she judging him? Did people really think he was seeing Kurt? They spent a lot of time together.

maybe befriending the one openly gay kid at school wasn't the way to keep himself out of trouble.

Feeling like he was going to be sick, Blaine stood up and said, "I... have to go."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed. "But we just got here..."

He hated that he did this to Kurt. He liked Kurt, more than he was willing to admit. He just couldn't deal with this again. "I'm sorry I just... have to go." He dashed out the door without a glance back at Kurt.