Blaine held Kurts hand as they walked onto the football field for the first day of the week of Booty Camp that he was in charge of. He needed to hold onto Kurt for his support, or else hed faint of nervousness, even though he was supposed to be demanding and controlling. Instead, he felt pathetic and small, as he always did under the football players glares and sneers. Finn trotted up ahead of them, still confident because he wasnt a target to them. Blaine tried to keep his eyes low as he stalked up to Finn, and he almost bumped into him, but Finn quickly helped him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Do you want me to talk?" Finn muttered in his ear, and Blaine was so grateful that he almost hugged Finn, but he managed to hold still.

Finn clapped his hands to get the footballers and glee kids attention, "Okay, guys, quiet down. Schuester wanted us to make some rules clear. He said that anyone who fights gets kicked out for the rest of the season. Oh, and, Kurt gets to sit out."

While the glee girls groaned because they thought it was unfair, one of the football players barked, "Good. Now we wont have to get tackled by a fairy who wants our dicks!"

Quickly putting an end to the rude snorts, Finn held up his hand, "Anyone whos mean to my brother has to deal with me. Same goes for Blaine." He rubbed Blaines shoulder, "Blaine, youve got to give them something to do for the day." When Blaine didnt respond because he was terrified of opening his mouth and getting made fun of for stuttering again, Finn turned back to the group, "Run laps. Hey, Puck, can you watch out for them for a while?"

Puck nodded, and he yelled at everyone to stop complaining about how they didnt bring running shoes or that it was mean to make them run for the whole hour. After he was sure that Puck had control of the group, Finn patted Blaines back, "Blaine, come on. You look like you need to sit down for a while."

Kurt immediately reached into his bag that was swinging on his arm, and he dug through it for a bottle of water. He gave it to Blaine, who held it in his hand for a second as if he didnt know what it was. "Drink some water, darling. I thought you might be thirsty." He turned to Finn while Blaine gulped down water just to avoid speaking, "Finn, Blaine hasnt been resting very well. Could we please go somewhere quiet?"

"The locker rooms are probably empty." Finn suggested, turning in the direction of the mens locker room. "They smell bad, but well be alone." When they got up the small hill that was next to the building, Finn listened for any raucous within, but then he waved them over. "Its okay." He pushed open the heavy door and let Kurt and Blaine in first, then stepped in after them.

Blaine was so relieved that they were by themselves that he tossed himself onto Kurts lap as soon as he sat down on one of the benches. His head was heavy on Kurts thighs, but Kurt didnt seem to mind, simply reaching for his legs and stretching them out one at a time on the other side of the bench. Blaine curled himself up under Kurts gentle hands, feeling safe with his two best friends. He remembered when he used to feel this way with Karofsky, the times when hed lay his head in his lap and feel his hand come to his hair. He would scratch Blaines head and never harm him, and Blaine wished that it had always been like that.

Finn stayed standing, though, pressed against his locker and twiddling with the lock on it. He looked back at Blaine and Kurt, and he grinned at Blaine, a cheeky smile that made Blaine shift, "You look like you could fall asleep. You remember when youd come over to my house for sleepovers? You were always the first one asleep, so Puck and I would play pranks on you."

Blaine turned his head into Kurts dress to show that he didnt have a clue what Finn was talking about, even though he really did, and he almost felt the room become tenser. Kurt stroked his hair to soothe him, but he couldnt relax at all because he heard another bench creak when Finn sat down on it. "You know, Ive really missed when you, me, and Puck hung out. It just wasnt the same after..." his voice faded away, "you know..."

Squishing his face into Kurts soft thighs, Blaine felt Kurts hand at his hair again, "Finn... gentle, please. Its very hard for him, even with the sweetest of memories. But thank you for bringing up such good times."

Things were silent for what felt like a long time, Kurt just humming to Blaine as he tried not to cry into Kurts pretty dress. Hed already ruined several articles of clothing for Kurt, and hed feel guilty if he got his snot and tears all over another. But then a throat cleared, and Finn said lowly, "Blaine, can you look at me?"

Slowly lifting his head from Kurts dress, Blaine peered at Finn from over the top of Kurts small knee. His face was blurred because Blaines eyes were wet, but he could tell that Finn looked worried. "Did he hurt you... a lot?"

Blaines muscles became as hard as a rock, and Kurt must have felt it because he rubbed Blaines back, "No..." that one word was raspy and broken, and he had to swallow a few times before he opened his mouth again, "he didnt like hurting me."

Finn pinched the bridge of his nose and he made a sour face, "Then why did he do it in the first place?" At Kurts soft noise, Finn turned his head and pressed his lips together, "What was it like, you know... being with him? I remember the day he first met you. He had this look on his face... like you were something he had claimed. You were just a thing he could have whenever he wanted. I remember that first day that I looked at you as we walked by each other... and you looked back, but then you turned your head. You looked upset, and it made me so... angry with him. I knew what he was doing to you... you would just never talk against him. And then I found out that he stabbed you with a knife... and I wanted to punch him, but I knew that pissing him off would make things worse for you. You made me turn away when I knew that if I just looked over at you, I would find you covered in bruises and bloody. What did he even stab you for? He could have killed you-"

"They arent that deep." Blaine quickly blurted, reaching down for his shirt and lifting it to show his scarred stomach. "He just sliced my skin. He wouldnt have killed me." He had no idea why he was defending him, but he just couldnt make Karofsky out to be as wicked as Finn seemed to think him. "It was my fault... why he stabbed me. I disobeyed him." The word didnt seem to fall onto Finns ears very well because he grinded his teeth. "I... yelled at him... about you and Puck. I told him that I wanted to be with both of you again, and he was jealous for me-"

"Stop defending him." Finns voice had never been that guttural before, and it shocked Blaine because Finn wasnt the type to anger easily. He slowly got to his feet as if hovering above Blaine would make him understand his point better. "Okay? Its like... you have no idea how hard it was to lose you to him. You were my best friend... you were my brother... Ive told you that, Blaine. I told you all of my secrets, and I know most of yours, and you were... you were the person I could always go to, even more than Puck. Puck never takes anything seriously, you know that... but you were there when I needed you. And when he..." his voice cracked with a sudden bubble of tears in his throat, and Blaines eyes widened to the size of saucers. Hed never seen Finn like this before. "When he took you away from us, I was hurt, and its like you dont realize that. People did care about you... I loved you, Blaine. But then it became about Karofsky... making him happy, keeping him from beating you. I could see him killing you, Blaine, and you were never like that before. I went to some of the parties you were at... I would see him yank you aside and tell you something, and then youd do something you never would have on your own, and youd watch him for his approval. It was him."

Suddenly pressing his hands to his face, Finn threw himself down on one of the benches and hung his head. "There was nothing I could do to stop it from happening... I was afraid that hed actually kill you if I got in his way. Do you have any idea how bad that feels, not being able to do anything about your best friend getting beaten in front of you? But I feel like Im talking to a wall right now... he made you so emotionless. You just have to understand that your friends still loved you, even after Karofsky took you away. But you probably dont."

Blaine held his silence as Finn broke down in front of him, something he never thought hed see. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Finally, he slid one leg to the ground, then the other. He wasnt sure what he wanted from Finn, but he lifted himself from Kurts lap and walked very slowly over to Finns side. He sat down next to him on the bench, and he held his hand out, but then he pulled it back. "I remember when you and Puck threw me off your bed after I fell asleep at your house." He said very lowly, and Finn lifted his head, revealing a screwed up face to Blaine.

"What?" He shook his head, and Blaine gave him the smallest smile. Despite his aggravation with Karofsky, Finn still managed a chuckle at the memory that was in both of their heads, and he said, "I remember when Puck drew on you and you couldnt get the marker off. My mom took a picture of you... I still have it in my room."

Playfully shoving Finn, he barked, "What about when Puck burped on you?"

Finn burst into laughter, and he leaned into Blaines side, "It stunk so bad! Hed just had, like, a whole bag of chips and five cans of root beer!"

Blaine even surprised himself when he laughed with Finn until they were in fits, but he couldnt help it as Finn held onto him. It felt so good to laugh with his friend that he didnt want to stop. He couldnt remember the last time hed laughed this way. Then things got quiet again, but Blaine was the first one to speak this time, "I do love you, Finn. I always have."

Finn tightened his arms around Blaine, "I love you, too, Blaine. I told you, youre my brother. You and Kurt are." Lifting his head from Blaines shoulder, Finn looked over at Kurt, who was batting his teary eyes. "Ive never told you how grateful I am... for saving Blaines life. You did something I never could have."

"Its okay." Kurt peeped very softly, another tear rolling down his cheek. He smiled and got to his feet, coming over to Blaine and bending to kiss his forehead. "I love him, too."

Blaine still didnt understand why it was so easy for his two best friends to love him, but so difficult for the man who used to be his everything. But he didnt care as much now, and he was just grateful to still have friends who loved him with all their hearts, and who he loved just as much.