Kurt opened his locker while rubbing the painful spot on his spine, already bruising from the impact that it had had with the open door of the choir room. His back was usually covered in bruises and he hated it. He didn't hate the pain that much, not really. He hated the humiliation. He hated how easily he had become a smudged porcelain doll, the bruises evidence of how he wasn't as strong as he presented himself. He quickly dug through his books, ignoring the names that were being yelled at him, ignoring the heat of anxiety in his stomach, the anxiety of being shoved and beaten again. After pulling out his books for French and Math and putting them away in his bag as fast as possible, he finally dared to look up. He looked to his right where a small boy with dark curls was digging in his locker. Kurt frowned, confused. He had never seen the boy before. The boy closed his locker and Kurt gasped in surprise and horror. He had the prettiest face Kurt had ever seen, a red bow tie resting under his chin, a black polo shirt and tight jeans accentuating his lithe body. But that wasn't what drew Kurt's attention. No, it was the purple bruise that was forming on the side of his neck and his jaw line. The boy had tried to conceal it; that much was clear from the unnatural color, but it hadn't worked. The boy looked around, scared. The nervousness was shining in his eyes and caught Kurt's eyes, which were still fixed on his neck. He turned a bright crimson and laid his hand on the side of his neck self-consciously. He smiled shyly, and Kurt smiled back before turning around and walking into the boy's bathroom, splashing his face with cold water before turning to the mirror and trying to calm himself down.

Blaine Anderson was proud of who he was. He had been for as long as he could remember. But there was one thing that Blaine Anderson wasn't, and that was strong. His father had been beating him since he was at least three, and with his mom leaving them when he was eight, he was now the only victim of his dad's aggression. He remembered that when he was a child, it had never been as bad as it was now, after he came out. Eric Anderson had always been aggressive and assaulting but when he found out his only son was gay, hell broke loose. The fact that Blaine had been going to an all-boy school with a zero-bullying policy didn't do any good for his 'case' as his dad liked to call it. So he had figured out that Blaine should go to a public school, at last, because there would be people telling him that he was wrong, and because maybe that would help Blaine understand what an abomination he actually was. Eric Anderson wanted his son to get bullied, wanted his son to know how the world thought about 'people like him'.

Blaine was currently standing awestruck in the halls of McKinley High, looking at the door through which that boy had just left. That boy with the blue eyes, the perfectly coiffed hair and the sweet smile. He had been the first person to smile at him that day. The first person who didn't make a comment about his bowtie, the first one who didn't call him hobbit or looked at him like he was a freak. He had seen the shock in those mesmerizing eyes though, the eyes that had lingered over the bruise in his neck, the one that he had tried so long to hide that morning, but nothing would help. The one that his dad looked at everyday, which made him smile in satisfaction- like he had done a good thing by pushing Blaine into the wooden closet in the hallway at their house, and like the bruise didn't represent pain and humiliation. Blaine sighed quietly and rubbed the mark softly. He still relished in the fact that when hands roamed over it, you couldn't feel it. But he knew that everyone could see it, that everyone was whispering about it behind his back. What were they assuming? His dad had told him time and time again that when someone asked him about his bruises that he should just say that he was a clumsy na�ve mess. It wasn't far from the truth, his dad explained to him every time, because only na�ve, incompetent people would choose to be gay. Blaine was well aware of his dad's homophobia, but whenever he would say something like that, Blaine's insides would start to boil with Anger and Pain, because parents were supposed to love their kids no matter what, weren't they? He thought about the boy who had smiled at him, that gorgeous, beautiful boy. Would he figure out that Blaine was gay? Would he hate him for it? Would he, like his father, tell Blaine over and over again what kind of disgrace he was?

Kurt walked towards his first class, French, thinking back to the boy in the hallway and the way that he had smiled at him. Would he still smile at him when he found out Kurt was gay? No one in this school accepted him, except for the Glee club. Those were the only people who ever smiled at Kurt. And now he had met someone who smiled too, and who wouldn't sneer at him or insult him. Or would he? Kurt wasn't going to admit to himself that he liked the boy's appearance. It would just lead to more disappointment and another heartache. After falling for the straight boys over and over again, he had learned his lesson. He had accepted that he'd never find a potential boyfriend in this hellhole. He practically skipped into the classroom and came to an abrupt halt when he saw the boy from the hall sitting at his normally unoccupied desk. He was studying his nails carefully, making sure not to make eye contact with the other students.

Kurt walked up to the desk and took his seat before turning towards the boy who was now studying Kurt's face with bright, wide, hazel eyes. The taller boy cleared his throat and looked at him intently before speaking in an insistent tone.

'You really shouldn't be sitting here.' He said.

'Er, sure. If you have a problem with me, I'll just…uhm, move.' The boy said in a tight voice, obviously hurt. He made an intention to stand up but Kurt stopped him, wanting to be clear.

'I don't have a problem with you. The others,' Kurt said it with disdain, 'have a problem with me. I don't want them to turn on you on your first day, just because you sit next to me.'

The other boy shrugged, 'I don't really care. They've been insulting and taunting me all day. I'm not going to let them influence my choice of a neighbor in class.' He tentatively nudged Kurt's shoulder.

'I'm Blaine, by the way. Blaine Anderson.' He said, stretching out his hand.

'I'm Kurt Hummel.' Kurt answered, shaking Blaine's hand shortly.

'So, Kurt, why do those others have a problem with you?' Blaine asked simply.

Kurt found himself fidgeting, afraid of Blaine's reaction. He didn't want to lose a potential friend, but in the end, Blaine would hear it soon enough. So maybe it was only for the best that he would hear it from Kurt.

'Er, I'm the only gay kid in school.' He said, casting his gaze down. He didn't want to see the hatred in those hazel eyes; it would hurt too much. He heard Blaine sighing and felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him so he would look up. So, he did. He met Blaine's beaming smile and glimmering eyes.

'Well, Kurt, from now on, you're no longer the only gay kid.' Kurt's jaw dropped. His eyes went wide and all he could do was stare at Blaine's still smiling face.

Blaine and Kurt had 3 more classes together that day, and they both didn't mind. Blaine was smitten for Kurt from the very first moment he had seen his blue eyes, from the first time that he had heard his high-pitched voice. All the pain that flooded through his body had been reduced because of the friendship that he shared with Kurt, reduced by the way that he had spent the entire day smiling. If his dad thought that going to McKinley high would 'cure' his homosexuality, well, boy, was he wrong. Blaine Liked Kurt, and Kurt didn't seem to mind the flirting. Their day came to a close, and after exchanging numbers, they both drove home, for the first time happy and satisfied after a school day.

Blaine parked his car in the lot in front of his house, checking his phone for a message from Kurt or from any of his Dalton friends.

He had 3 texts: one from Wes, one from Jeff and one from Kurt.

He quickly read through the ones from the Warblers which were just to tell them what had changed since he left. Apparently some pretentious, rich douchebag named Sebastian Smythe had named himself Warbler Captain, to huge disdain of the other Warblers who kicked him out before he could say another word.

When he read Kurt's message, his heart fluttered a little in his chest, and he couldn't help the smile that was tugging at the corner of his mouth. By the time he reached the door, he had answered Kurt's text, and was grinning like an idiot. He opened the door to his house and felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. His smile grew even wider when he pulled it out and saw Kurt's name on his screen again. He walked the already familiar path towards the kitchen to get a glass of water, trying to be as quiet as possible to make sure not to provoke his dad's fury that he would surely call on him, one way or another. He stopped in his tracks when he got into the kitchen and saw his dad glaring at him from beside the refrigerator. Blaine's phone was still in his hand, his thumb hovering over the screen. His smile and the twinkle in his eyes were still very present as well. Blaine made to turn around and head upstairs, to make sure that he didn't bother his dad, when his dad's voice broke through the silence, a mocking tone coloring it. 'What are you smiling at boy? Got a text from that little faggot boyfriend you have.' Blaine swallowed the lump in his throat and managed to squeak that he didn't have a boyfriend. 'Yeah, sure, that's why you're grinning like the complete idiot that you are.' Blaine's smile faltered when his dad rose from the counter and walked towards him with sure, aggressive paces. His face was just a couple inches from his father's when the latter started yelling at him about the disgrace that he was, the abomination he was. How his boyfriend must be a faggy fairy like he was. Blaine saw it coming, hell, he always saw it coming, but the impact that his father's hand had on his face made him fall to the ground. His hands clutching his face instantly, his phone gliding towards his dad, who picked it up. He looked at the text and grinned maliciously. 'Kurt, huh? Let's see what he thinks if his beloved Blaine answers his text.' Blaine protests while his dad was typing away on his phone and pressed 'send'. He dropped the phone in front of Blaine and walked away towards the living room. Blaine looked at the screen, the message that his dad had typed out in capital letters and had sent to Kurt ghosting through his mind.

The text read 'YOU STUPID FAG! HOW COULD YOU EVEN THINK I'D BE INTO YOU. A QUEER LIKE YOU COULD NEVER BE FANCIED.' Blaine's face blanched and tears started streaming from his eyes.