He didn't need anyone fighting his battles for him. If anything, that was the last thing Kurt wanted. But here he was, standing next to Blaine, hoping that they would both make it through this. Together.

Karofsky stepped toward them with his two friends. Kurt was pretty sure their names were Chad and Nick. "So..." he cracked his knuckles. "You squeal on your little boyfriend and then come to protect him? Isn't that sweet." His friends laughed.

Blaine cleared his throat, "at least I had the decency to face the consequence for my actions." He kept his hand on the small of Kurt's back, rubbing circles with his thumb. If Kurt hadn't been feeling like he was going to faint, it might have helped. However, he couldn't remain calm. He knew this would not end well, and he couldn't stop his hands from shaking.

"Maybe you never should have said something in the first place," Karofsky sneered. He was so close to Blaine's face that Kurt was sure he was going to hurt Blaine right there. 

But Blaine held his ground, as he retorted, "you're the one who provoked me while I was drunk in the middle of a crowded room. That was not my fault, David."

Shoving Blaine backward, Karofsky barked, "shut up, Anderson." He then rounded on Kurt and said, "Hummel, this is all your fault." He stabbed a finger into Kurt's chest. Kurt could feel his hot breath, sending chills down his spine. If his heart could beat any faster, it would explode. "How dare you tell Anderson something that was never your business to tell. How dare you go around spreading things that shouldn't be spread in the first place? I told you what would happen if you said anything. Surely you remember?"

Of course he remembered. How could he forget the threatening words Karofsky spoke to him? It was a day that still haunted him, the reason he refused to step in the boys' locker room anymore. It was the reason he felt like disappearing every time he saw Karofsky walking down the school hallway.

He was so sure his heart was going to beat out of his chest. Could anyone else hear it thumping against his ribcage? "David, you have to hear me out," he started, his breath was shaky. He hated how weak he sounded.

Karofsky grabbed him by the collar, "I don't have to listen to anything you say. You obviously didn't hear anything I said last year."

Blaine stepped forward again and said, "why does it even matter? I mean, if everyone knows now..."

The piercing look Karofsky gave him made Kurt's heart ache for Blaine. "No one knows, you idiot. Do you actually think anyone around us went to Mckinley? Do you actually think I'm going to tell these two idiors?" he pointed behind them. "I didn't say anything for a reason."

"Then why are you angry, if no one knows?" Blaine asked, making Kurt mentally slap himself. Blaine had to learn to keep his mouth shut around Karofsky.

Tightening his grip on Kurt, Karofsky said, "because Hummel never should have told you in the first place, and I need to make sure no one else is going to find out.I need to make sure he knows not to go babbling other people's business to people like you."

Blaine crossed his arms over his chest, "then why are they here? Were you afraid you couldn't handle Kurt alone?"

Raising an eyebrow, Karofsky replied, "actually, they're here for this." He snapped his fingers at them and said, "take care of him. Do what you want, I don't care. Hummel's mine."

With that, Chad and Nick settled on either side of Blaine. They hoisted him into the air, which didn't take that much effort because Blaine was so small, and they moved out of Kurt's sight. The last thing he saw was Blaine writhering and kicking, trying to break free from their grasp.

He swallowed hard, knowing there was no escape now that he was alone with his worst nightmare.

Karofsky shoved him against the wall behind him and leaned in close to him, "I'm going to make you regret you even met Blaine Anderson."

Ducking another blow, Blaine slid under Chad's arm and ran right into Nick, who swung at him. His fist collided with Blaien's jaw and he flinched at the contact.

Chad came up behind him and pulled him into a headlock. He punched Blaine in the stomach several times. It completely knocked all the air out of him, making him cough.

Bending over, Nick got right in his face and said gruffly, "so what are we going to do to teach you a lesson?"

"Hasn't this... been... enough?" Blaine choked out. They'd been at it for a few minutes now and his body felt tired.

Chad's hold on him tightened, "what fun would that be?"

Nick took a few more swings, before he stopped and said, "I'll tell you what, Anderson. You get out of here. Leave Hummel to fight his own battle, and we'll leave you alone. Don't go calling for help. Don't try to get back in that school to save him. Just. Leave."

The strong hold Chad had on him was making him dizzy. He didn't have a choice, he had to agree to it, and come up with a solution to save Kurt. "Fine. I'll go," he mumbled, struggling against Chad. 

"Good," Chad shoved him away, and Blaine hit the ground, grazing his arm on the cement as he went. "Now get out of here before we change our minds."

Grabbing his arm, Blaine quietly nodded and took off toward the parking lot. 

He stopped halfway to Kurt's car, realizing that he didn't have a way to get anywhere anyway, not even to seek help. He had agreed to ride with Kurt to school that morning, and obviously didn't have keys to Kurt's car. Blaine wouldn't leave until they left together.

Blaine took his hand off the arm he was cradling, which was now covered in blood. "Damn," he breathed heavily. He quickly dashed toward the front doors and ran for the bathroom. He had to figure out a way to find Kurt, but he also had to avoid getting caught by Chad and Nick.

This was a nightmare.

Grabbing a paper towel, he stuck it under the faucet and placed it on his arm. He took a moment to breathe, which hurt a bit. There was no doubt that his ribs were bruised.

Once he caught his breath, he knew he had to find Kurt. He couldn't wait for his arm to stop bleeding or tend to his other injuries.

He had to find Kurt now.

Slowly opening the bathroom door, Blaine glanced down the hallway. There was no sign of Chad or Nick, so he made his way down the hall.

Fear began to consume his mind when he saw nothing but empty classroom after empty classroom. He checked the janitor's closet and found nothing. "Shit," he panicked. Where else could they be? The gym? The cafeteria?

Finally, he tried peering into their history classrooom at the end of the hall, but the shade was over the door window. Reaching for the handle, Blaine swung the door open. "You asshole!" he shouted, as soon as his eyes landed on the sight in front of him.

Panting heavily, Kurt rolled over on to his side and closed his eyes. His head was spinning and he felt like he couldn't pick himself up off the floor. He just wanted to stay there forever... or until someone found him.

Coughing, he heaved until his lunch came up. 

He could hear David behind him, also panting. Just the sound of his loud breath, the thought of him being in the same room as him, made Kurt want to puke again.

Slowly sitting up, he saw Karofsky reach for his shirt and pull it back over his head. As soon as he did, he slumped against the wall and moaned, burying his face in his hands.

At that moment, the door opened and he heard Blaine yell, "you asshole!"

in an instant, Karofsky jumped to his feet, ready to fight. "get the hell out of here, Anderson." he was yelling too, which made Kurt put his hands over his ears. It was too much. He didn't want anymore fighting. He didn't want Blaine to get hurt. He didn't want any of this. He just wanted to go home.

"You get the hell out of here!" Blaine tripped over a chair, making his way toward Kurt. "I can't believe you were that stupid. was that your idea of revenge, huh? I can't believe how disgusting you are." He turned away from David and knelt down beside Kurt, who still held his hands over his ears, even though it didn't do much over the shouting.

He looked up to see Karofsky head toward the door, before another figure appeared in the doorway: Mrs. Francis.

if he wasn't embarrassed before, he was now. 

She took one look around the room and started shouting. Kurt tried drowning her out, but it was enough to know she wasn't happy.

His head was spinning. He rested it on Blaine's shoulder. He felt Blaine gently kiss the top of his head, as he wrapped his arms around Kurt, and a little warmth spread through him. 

"I'll get you home soon, don't worry," he heard Blaine mumble to him, his voice deep but soft.

He couldn't respond, didn't want to. He felt numb and shaken from everything that had happened between him and Karofsky. 

Mrs. Francis bent down in front of him and placed her hand on his knee, "Kurt? Are you alright? Did he hurt you, sweetie?" Her voice was gentle, and he wasn't even sure he heard her correctly. Maybe his brain was just fuzzy. "Did he...." she glanced down at his bare chest, "did he... touch you?"

Swallowing hard, he tried to speak but nothing came out. He shut his mouth again and simply nodded.

Blaine took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Mrs, Francis, can I just take him home? I think he's pretty... exhausted from everything. It's not like we can take this to Figgins or anything. Can we just wait until tomorrow and discuss it with everyone then?"

She seemed to be in deep thought. Mrs. Francis studied Kurt's face, then turned to look at Karofsky, who was sitting at one of the desks in the front of the room. His head was bent down and Kurt couldn't see his face. Not that he wanted to, ever again. "Hm. I guess we don't have much of a choice, do we? I cerrtainly can't punish something like this. It's too big." A silence followed this, before she quietly asked, "Kurt, would you be willing to bring your father by after school tomorrow to discuss this with Principal Figgins?"

His heart felt ten times heavier than before. He hadn't thought of his dad. How was he supposed to convince his dad things were going to get better, when he had to bring him back to school again, because of something this bad happening?

There was no way he could stay at Mckinley after this.

The thought broke him and he burst into tears, burying his face in his hands. He felt so stupid for crying, but he didn't care. He heard Blaine say something to Mrs. Francis but couldn't make out what he said. Her footsteps faded from the room, a door shut and Kurt felt Blaine's strong arms pull him close. He shifted to face Blaine, put his arm around Blaine's waist and buried his face in his shoulder.

Softly whispering, "I'm so sorry, Kurt," Blaine started rubbing circles on his back. "I'm so sorry this happened to you." 

It only made him cry that much more. His body shook with convulsions as he cried. He couldn't remember the last time he cried this hard. Maybe when his mom died, or when his dad was in the hospital the previous year. Now that he had started, he felt like he couldn't stop. Tears continued to run down his cheeks, and Blaine's shirt was soaked. Not that Blaine seemed to mind. He just continued to cradle Kurt and whisper to him that things would be okay. No one but his father had ever been there for him like that before.

All he could do was cling to Blaine until he couldn't cry anymore.

When Kurt's body went limp, Blaine pulled his arm out from under him and Kurt stared at him, "I think it's time to take you home. I told Mrs. Francis we needed a couple minutes... it's been fifteen."

Kurt only continued to watch him without saying a single word. It worried Blaine how quiet he was, but Blaine knew he had been through quite the ordeal. He stood up and took Kurt's hands, pulling him to his feet. 

"Do you have your keys?"

Kurt nodded. He slowly walked toward his backpack in the corner of the classroom. Blaine couldn't help but notice how dazed Kurt looked. He reached his bag and pulled out a set of keys.

"I'll take you home and have my mom pick me up there," Blaine told him, and agian, Kurt just nodded. Blaine walked over to his shirt, which was balled up on a desk. he grabbed it, stepped back toward Kurt and slowly lifted it over his head. Kurt just lifted his arms, so that Blaine could put it on for him. He hardly seemed to notice this was even happening.

Their eyes locked and Blaine's heart stopped in his chest. He couldn't help but notice how fragile and beautiful Kurt was, especially when he was this vulnerable. Blaine couldn't take his eyes off him, until Kurt finally stepped away and said, "can we go?"

Then Blaine walked Kurt out to the parking lot and opened the passenger door for him. Kurt crawled in and flinched when Blaine shut the door behind him. He tucked his legs up on the seat and threw his arms around them, staring at the ground.

Blaine didn't say anything. He knew Kurt was feeling vulnerable and it was probably better to keep his mouth shut. He didn't know the full story of what happened between Kurt and David, but whatever it was, Kurt was fairly shaken about it, and Blaine didn't want to push his limits.

By now, he knew his way to the Hummel's house. Good thing, because he couldn't get directions from Kurt. The entire car ride was silent and Kurt's icy blue eyes never left the floor.

The front door was locked, and Blaine had to find the house key on the ring, with no help from Kurt, who silently watched him struggle with different keys.

Taking Kurt's hand, Blaine led him upstairs and into his room. 

Kurt sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at Blaine, who stood in front of him. Blaine could tell that he was struggling for words. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I don't... I don't..." he stopped, taking a deep breath. His eyes flew open again, locking with Blaine's. "I don't know what to say," he croaked and his lip quivered.

Placing a hand on Kurt's flushed cheek, Blaine quietly told him, "you don't have to say anything. I know this is hard on you." He stroked Kurt's cheek with his thumb. "Please don't cry... I'm here. You're safe now."

Kurt placed his hand over Blaine's, still cupping his cheek. "Don't leave me," he spoke so soft that Blaine hardly heard him.

Gently pressing his lips to Kurt's forehead, Blaine told him, "I won't."

A long silence followed this, and they stayed in that position. Heart beating quickly, Blaine felt like he didn't know how to respond to Kurt. He didn't know if he should move, or if Kurt would protest to that, so he stayed where he was. Eventually, Kurt took a shaky breath and said, "my dad won't be home for an hour, please just stay."

"What about Finn and Carole?" Blaine asked.

He shrugged, "went out for dinner tonight."

Blaine knelt down in front of him and said, "I won't leave you. I promise. I'm right here."

Leaning forward, Kurt rested his forehead against Blaine's, and for a long time, they just stared into each other's eyes. The only sound in the room was their breathing. Once again, Blaine didn't want to pull away, until he knew it was what Kurt wanted.

Without warning, Kurt's lips found his, his fingers entwined themselves in Blaine's curls and he whispered, "don't ever leave me."

Carefully moving his hands to Kurt's waist, Blaine said, "I'm right here." He wasn't going to push, because he knew it was too soon for anything, but Kurt seemed to take comfort in Blaine's kisses, so he wasn't going to stop.

Kurt moaned, tugging on Blaine's curls, "i... need..." he stopped, pulling away from Blaine. "Come here," he patted the bed next to him.

Hesitating, Blaine sat down next to him. Unsure of where this was going, he said, "you look tired."

Kurt nodded, "i am."

Glancing toward the headboard, Blaine said, "take a nap. I promise I'll stil be here when you wake." The look Kurt gave him was nothing short of a protest and Blaine smiled weakly. "You've had a rough afternoon. I think you could use a little sleep."

Stretching back, Kurt asked, "promise you'll be here when I wake?"

Lying next to him, Blaine said, "where else would i go?"

Kurt gave him a weak smile. He snuggled up close to Blaine and gently kissed him, "thank you... for everything." He took Blaine's hand and quietly added, "you have no idea how much it means to me." 

Just as Kurt closed his eyes, Blaine kissed his forehead one last time and said, "anytime."

Reaching out next to him, Kurt didn't feel anything but the cold sheets. No Blaine. Just sheets.

His eyes flew open and he also didn't see anything but the sheets. He quickly sat up and scanned the room: Blaine wasn't there.

Panic flooded thrugh him. Blaine promised he'd be there.

Waiting a moment, he listened. He could hear voices in the kitchen and decided to investigate. He couldn't make out the voices, other than that they were male. Maybe Blaine was still around after all.

As soon as he entered the room, his father stopped talking and looked at him, "Kurt, you're awake." He set the paper he was holding on the counter, swiftly moved across the room, and pulled out a chair, "have a seat."

He sat across from Blaine, who smiled at him, "what did you tell him?" Kurt asked, heart beating quickly. His dad had to know something. There was no way they'd had a whole conversation together and not brought up Karofsky. 

Burt sat next to him, "enough, but you and I are gonna talk later, pal."

Great. That was the last thing he needed, but it confirmed that Blaine had told him something.

He couldn't talk about it. He didn't even want to think about it. It had been a nightmare and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to lock himself in his room and cry uncontrollably again.

"Kurt?" his father looked at him with concern written all over his face, in his eyes. "Do you want something to eat? I picked you up a salad on my way home, since I knew Carole wouldn't be here to make dinner tonight."

Shaking his head, Kurt said, "I'm not hungry."

Blaine, who hadn't taken his eyes off Kurt since he entered the room, shifted in his seat and said, "I should call my mom. She's probably wondering where I am. excuse me." He stood up, pulled his phone out of his pocket and stepped into the living room.

As soon as Blaine left, Burt asked, "are you okay?"

He didn't say anything, didn't have the heart to. He was emotionally scarred for life  He was terrified, and the last thing he wanted was to step foot in that school the next day. He didn't want to speak with anyone about it, especially not Prinicpal Figgins or Karofsky's dad. "I'll be fine, dad," he said, avoiding Burt's eyes.

Reaching over, Burt took his hand and said, "we'll get through this. We always do."

Another round of tears threatened to fall, and he had to bite his lip to stop the sob that was caught in his throat. Instead of saying anything, which would lead to tears, he hugged his father, melting into his warm embrace. After that, it didn't take much for the tears to come. He cried, clinging to his father like he never wanted to let go. Kurt buried his face in his father's shoulder, as his father rubbed circles on his back. 

When they broke apart a few moments later, Burt gave him half a smile and said, "You'll be okay. I have faith in you."

Kurt hiccupped. "Thanks," he mumbled, as he grabbed a napkin off the table and blew his nose into it.

Blaine slid into the room, like he had been waiting for them to finish having that moment. He cleared his throat and said, "my mom'll be here soon, so..."

Standing up, Burt said, "Thank you, Blaine. I appreciate you being there for Kurt today." He made his way to the doorway and said, "We'll talk later, Kurt."

When he left, Blaine slowly approached him and said, "He came home while you were sleeping and I just... wanted to give him a heads up. I knew you weren't up to talking about it yet, so I thought I'd help."

Folding his hands, Kurt glanced down at the table, "thanks, I... don't really want to talk about it yet."

Blaine moved closer, resting his hand on top of Kurt's, "i know this is hard for you." Kurt looked up into his warn, hazel eyes. "I know that you're struggling, and it's going to take time for you to heal." He gave Kurt's hand a squeeze. "But I will be here for you, and I know that you will find the strength to get through this."

A lump formed in his throat, and he cleared it, hoping it would go away. It seemed like, the more people were treating him with kindness, the more he wanted to cry. "You're awfully kind, Blaine Anderson. I hope you know how much I appreciate it," he choked out.  

Leaning over, Blaine kissed him. His hand came up and he stroked Kurt's hair back. Kurt melted into the kiss, moaning. "We shouldn't..." he pulled away. "My dad's home, remember?"

Blaine smiled weakly, "oh... yeah."

Kurt reached up and traced Blaine's jawline with his finger. "Did they leave that bruise there?"

He slowly nodded, "yeah... I got into a bit of a fight with Chad and Nick... They let me go though. They said, as  long as I didn't go back and help you, they'd let me go."

Kurt's mouth twitched, "but you came anyway."

"I had to," Blaine said softly, his fingers moving down Kurt's arm .

Kissing the bruise gently, Kurt said, "my hero."

At that, Blaine blushed. Seeing Blaine melt over his words like that made Kurt's cheeks burn and he had to turn his face away from Blaine. Was he really blushing because he made Blaine blush?

A soft knock came on the kitchen door frame. Burt popped his head in and said, "your mom is here." He waited, while Blaine stood up and looked at Kurt. "Once again, thanks for helping him today, Blaine," Burt said. Blaine nodded at him and he disappeared again.

Kurt stood and said, "I owe you big time for today... A week's worth of coffee, at least."

Giving a small laugh, Blaine said, "let's just worry about getting through tomorrow, okay? I'll be by your side through it all."

"Thank you," Kurt whispered.

With one final, slow kiss, Blaine said, "I gotta go. See you tomorrow." He took off, leaving Kurt alone.

Kurt sat there for a moment, just breathing. He just couldn't wrap his mind around everything that had happened. Things had sunk to a new low. It was crazy how quickly things had escalated, and he didn't know how he would find the strength to get through this.

A firm hand rested on his shoulder, gently rubbing it. "He certainly has been a decent friend to you, hasn't he?" his father asked.

Kurt simply nodded.

Sitting down next to him, Burt said, "I don't know exactly what happened today, Kurt... only what Blaine told me, but I want you to know that if you want to talk, I'm here to listen."

He sighed heavily, glancing into his father's eyes. "I'm not ready to talk about it yet."

"But we have to go in to your school tomorrow and discuss it with your principal, correct?"

He nodded. "Dad, please just... give me time to think, okay? I just can't handle this right now. I feel like i want to puke or sleep or just... I don't know. I'm feeing a lot of emotions right now." He got up from the chair and said, "i think I'm just going to head upstairs and take a long shower."

Grabbing his shirt sleeve, Burt said, "You'll be okay, son"

Feeling numb, he nodded. "I know." There was nothing else he could say. 

Karofsky didn't have the guts to show up to school the next day. in fact, Blaine didn't even catch sight of Nick that day. He saw Chad, who avoided his eyes when he walked by, but Nick wasn't anywhere with him, and they usually were seen together.

Walking into Mrs. Francis's class at the end of the day, Blaine felt a pang of sorrow. He felt bad for Kurt, who endured something so horrible in that room less that twenty-four hours ago. Kurt probably wouldn't be able to sit in that classroom without feeling horrible for quite some time.

Mrs. Francis gave him a stiff nod, when he sat down at his desk. Kurt's usual seat next to him was empty, which made Blaine feel that much worse.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, hiding it behind the desk and typed Are we still meeting after school today?

It took Kurt twenty minutes to reply Yeah... I'm on my way with my dad right now. I'm more curious to know if Karofsky's got the balls to show.

Blaine replied Either way, I'm on your side.

His response simply was I know. Thank you.

It was hard to concentrate after that. Blaine was dreading the meeting after school. He just didn't know how things would turn out: whether or not Karofsky would show, whether or not they'd be able to prove anything happened, or if this would lead to anything. He didn't even know if his own words would matter, because he didn't really know anything that happened. Because usually no one cared. No one wanted to take the time to prove that Kurt was being honest, that Karofsky would do anything to ruin his life, simply because he was gay.

And Blaine was willing to put up a fight, to show everyone that this did matter, that Kurt mattered.