A hard knock to Kurt's side sent him staggering towards the lockers. He threw out his arm at the last second to stop himself from crashing into the cool metal. He winced as pain shot up his arm from the contact.

"Watch it, Hummel!" a voice snarled and Kurt flinched away from it, his hip hitting the lockers as images of Karofsky stepping towards him with his meaty fist raised flashed through his head - his nightmares come to life. When nothing else was said and no fist collided with his body, his panic faded enough for him to notice that the part of hallway he was standing in was now deserted except for a tall girl in a cheerleading uniform popping her gum as she strode passed, completely ignoring Kurt slumped against the bank of lockers to her right. It was only when his heart had stopped racing that he realised the voice of the person who had knocked him into the lockers hadn't belonged to Karofsky; it must have been one of his thuggish friends.

Letting his head fall back against the lockers, he closed his eyes, ignoring the ringing of the bell signalling the start of the next lesson - the teacher wouldn't care if he was a few minutes late. He exhaled shakily, tremors still shaking his body slightly. He hated this, hated that he was harassed for just being himself. If they hated the kind of person he was so much then why couldn't they just ignore him, just look through him and pretend he didn't exist?

A memory of Blaine telling him his story filled his head then, his hazel eyes betraying how broken he was as he explained why being completely ignored was just as bad as being harassed.

Of course he would never be completely alone; he'd have Rachel, Mercedes, Finn, and the rest of Glee club. But there were some days when he felt lonely even when he was sitting with his friends at lunch or in the crowded choir room. His friends and family tried their hardest to help him with his situation at school, and he greatly appreciated their effort, but sometimes it just wasn't enough and he would find himself forcing smiles to hide the pain, stress, and worry eating away at him.

He hadn't experienced this loneliness in a few weeks now, not since he and Blaine had become friends. Blaine actually understood him; he had been through the same things Kurt had and worse, so he was able to offer advice and proper support instead of just attempted comfort and sympathy.

Thinking of Blaine brought another flash of memory to the forefront of his mind: Blaine's shoulder beneath his cheek, the warmth of his body seeping into his own, the softness of the skin on the inside of Blaine's wrist when he brushed his thumb across it, Blaine's lips against his cheek...

All traces of his earlier panic were gone and replaced with a warm, tingling feeling that started deep inside of him and spread to every part of his body and made his stomach squeeze pleasantly and his heart race in a whole new way. A door slammed and a freshman girl walked passed, raising an eyebrow at the sight of him leaning against the lockers with a small, involuntary smile tugging at his mouth and what he imagined was a dreamy, lovesick expression on his face, and he suddenly remembered he was supposed to be in class.

Hitching his satchel more securely onto his shoulder, he hurried down the halls to his Math class, muttering a fabricated story about a misplaced textbook to his teacher as an excuse for his late arrival.

It turned out that it wouldn't have mattered if he had stayed out at the lockers for the entire lesson since the class was being devoted to going through a test they had just gotten back. Thanks to teaching Blaine everything covered in the test as part of his revision, Kurt had received full marks, and thus didn't need the explanation of all the answers that the teacher was currently giving them. With a sigh he slid down in his chair and tuned her voice out, turning his thoughts back to Blaine.

Blaine was so concerned with keeping up his education and making sure that he would be able to make something of his life when he was old enough without the threat of his parents' clutches, but would anyone care about all the hours he had spent reading and working through example questions if he didn't have an official graduation certificate with exam results? Would anyone care how smart he was if he didn't have that piece of paper? It was something that should have occurred to Kurt when Blaine first mentioned education to him, but it was only now that he realised how big of a deal it was; most colleges only took people who'd graduated high school or at least gotten a GED, and these days people without degrees rarely got very good jobs. He found it hard to believe Blaine hadn't thought of this and wondered what his plans for the future were. He hoped he hadn't given up on the possibility of graduating and getting into college.

Making a mental note to talk to Blaine about it tonight, Kurt started doodling absently on the corner of his test paper and let his mind wander. Just as class was starting to wind down and he was shooting hopeful glances at the clock every minute, a sudden idea struck him and he sat up straight in his chair, startling the person sitting next to him who appeared to have been dozing with their head resting on their hand. Kurt kept his eyes trained on the clock as he waited impatiently for the class to end. He was on his feet and out the door before the bell had even finished ringing, all but sprinting through the corridors to Miss Pillsbury's office, wanting to catch her before she left for the staffroom for lunch.

She was straightening a small stack of papers when he skidded to a halt outside her office door. Panting slightly, he raised a hand and knocked on the door which - as per her policy - was always open in her way of trying to be as welcoming and encouraging to the students as she could.

Miss Pillsbury looked up at the sound of Kurt's knock. "Kurt," she said, sounding surprised. "What are- what can I help you with?" She was a little flustered and Kurt wondered what expression was on his face that was causing her to act this way.

As she beckoned him into her office and gestured to the chair pulled up to her desk, he tried to calm down and focus; he couldn't let anything slip that might lead to Blaine's discovery.

"I have a question," he told the guidance counsellor as he sat down.

Miss Pillsbury nodded in encouragement.

Kurt hesitated for a moment before he spoke, choosing his words carefully. "Is it possible for someone who has been out of school for a while but has kept up with their education by themselves using textbooks to still enrol here to complete their senior year and graduate?"

Whatever Miss Pillsbury had been expecting Kurt to say it clearly wasn't this. She blinked in shock and stared at him for a good few seconds, looking completely thrown and for a brief moment Kurt wondered what she had thought he was going to ask about, before he pulled his mind back to Blaine and the situation at hand.

He cleared his throat and Miss Pillsbury pulled herself together. "Well, that's- that's a rare situation," she said, stumbling over her words a little as she waved her hands over her neat rows of pamphlets, "but I- we should be able to accommodate people in that situation." Her hands dropped back to her desk as she seemed to realise she had no pamphlet that covered this sort of thing.

Kurt shifted closer to her desk, trying not to get his hopes up too soon. "So, they would be able to sit the exams and graduate this year?" he asked, wanting to make sure.

Miss Pillsbury nodded. "Provided they really are up to date with the senior classes they want to enrol in and they get the required grades, then yes."

Kurt beamed at her. "Great! Would it be possible for him to be home-schooled to begin with?" he asked, hoping he would still get good news. "He's not quite ready emotionally to actually be at school."

Miss Pillsbury's forehead furrowed with concern. "Oh, is everything alright?" she asked, peering worriedly across her desk at Kurt. Her hands fluttered over the neat papers on her desk. "Under certain circumstances, we can do home-schooling with students."

Kurt nodded and quickly fabricated a suitable cover story for Blaine. "He's a friend of the family who's currently staying with us due to family problems, but he's a bit fragile and not emotionally ready for actually coming into classes just yet."

A small sympathetic smile appeared on Miss Pillsbury's face. "Oh, how horrible. Is he doing ok?" she asked.

Kurt lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. "He's improving every day," he replied, no longer talking about his made-up family friend. "I like to think he'll be able to work towards attending school soon."

She nodded. "Alright, well I think the home-schooling should be ok and if he is at the sort of standard academically as you say then he should have no problem graduating this year." She folded her hands on the desk in front of her. "Everything will have to be organised with Principal Figgins, but I can't see there being any problems."

Kurt smiled at her. "Thank you!" He jumped to his feet and headed towards the cafeteria for lunch. He couldn't wait to tell Blaine the news tonight.

Despite having become slightly better at reading the night sky, Blaine was still struggling to tell how late it was as he peered out one of the small attic windows. He craned his head, his cheek pressing against the cool glass as he tried to see the moon's position in the inky sky. It wasn't full, and partially obscured by clouds, but even when he found the milky smudge he still couldn't tell the time.

Giving up, he moved away from the window and sat down on his bed. He blamed his difficulty at judging the time on his impatience; he wished that it was late enough for Kurt to come up and visit him. He felt bad about having these thoughts, though. Kurt didn't have to visit him and certainly not every day. Though his life was pretty boring and very lonely, he hated the knowledge that he would be very disappointed if he didn't see Kurt one day. He had told Kurt that he didn't need him to visit every day and that was the truth, but at the same time he didn't like the thought of going so long without seeing the other boy.

Ever since the night he and Kurt had essentially cuddled under the stars, the night he had kissed him, he hadn't been able to get him out of his head. Whenever he wasn't reading or working through the schoolwork Kurt had given him, his mind always seemed to conjure up memories of Kurt: the first time he saw him properly on the morning after he found him; the wide smile on his face when Blaine told him his name; the musical sound of his laughter; the feel of his body curled against his, the scent of him on his skin and clothes, and the feel of his soft skin beneath his lips. Blaine may not have been that experienced with relationships of any kind, but he knew that what he felt for Kurt was more than just friendship. He was determined to hide that from the other boy, though - it was better to just have Kurt's friendship than to risk straining or destroying what they had. Besides, Kurt deserved so much better than him, the nervous, broken boy who was terrified to leave the house except under the cover of darkness.

The soft thud of the door closing and the light tread of Kurt's familiar footsteps on the stairs had him forcing those thoughts aside, but no matter how well he pushed them away it wasn't enough to stop his body reacting to the sight of Kurt - his heart skipping and his stomach squeezing.

"I have some news that I'm hoping you'll love," Kurt announced as he crossed the attic and sat down opposite Blaine.

Blaine couldn't control the wide smile on his face no matter how hard he tried. Seeing Kurt never failed to brighten his day and lift his mood. "What is it?"

"I know keeping up your education is important to you," Kurt began, speaking rather quickly in his eagerness to tell Blaine his good news. He explained how most colleges would be looking for some sort of high school diploma, and then revealed what his conversation with Miss Pillsbury had been about: the possibility of Blaine being home-schooled until he was ready to actually attend classes.

Blaine stared at Kurt when he was finished talking, at the excited smile on his face and the mixture of hope, happiness, and worry. He hadn't missed the way Kurt said 'until' he was ready, not 'if.' He had every confidence that Blaine would be able to comfortably and happily mingle with the general public again in less than a year's time, that he would be leading a normal life again before the school year was over. But he wasn't so sure. He didn't even know what he wanted to do with his life anymore.

He didn't want to see the hope fade from Kurt's eyes, though, and in the end he knew there was really only one answer he could give. "I'll do it," he said, trying to hide any and all hints of worry and fear from his tone and expression. "I'll be home-schooled, and then join you when I'm ready." He flashed Kurt what he hoped was a confident smile. "We'll graduate together."

Despite his best efforts, Kurt must have been able to see the uncertainty and fear in his eyes, because he reached out and took Blaine's hands in his and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "You're going to be able to live your life again, Blaine," he promised in a gentle voice. "You aren't going to be stuck in this attic forever. You aren't going to have to throw away your dreams just because of the way people have treated you in the past. You can't let them ruin your life."

Kurt's eyes were burning with intensity and his words were filled with such conviction that Blaine felt tears prick at his eyes and choke up his throat. He swallowed around the thickness in his throat and gripped at Kurt's hands, clinging to his promise.

"I don't want to hurry you into anything you aren't ready for, so we'll go slowly and you can take as much time as you need to build up to moving out of this attic." He stroked across the tops of Blaine's knuckles with his thumbs. "I believe you can do this. Although you may not think it at times, you are so strong and brave." A corner of his mouth tugged up slightly into a small smile as he dropped one of Blaine's hands to catch a tear that had escaped Blaine's eye with his thumb. "You're going to have a wonderful, happy life."

Blinking away his tears, Blaine gave Kurt a watery smile and a whispered thank you, two words he could say to Kurt every day for the rest of his life yet still feel he hadn't told him enough.

Kurt gave his hand one last squeeze before letting it go. "And don't you dare start worrying about where you'll stay once you're ready to leave the attic," he warned. "You'll still live here, but you'll move to the spare bedroom we have."

Blaine opened his mouth to protest, but Kurt beat him to it. "Don't you dare say you can't accept that, because you can, and I know you have nowhere else to go anyway. I know I can't force you to stay, but I'm not letting you turn it down just because you think it's too much. And don't worry about my family either, they'll be fine with it," he added.

Blaine shook his head, knowing there was no point in arguing with him, not when Kurt's jaw was set and there was a determined glint in his eye. "You're quite bossy, you know," he told him teasingly and noticed Kurt relax with relief.

"Yes," Kurt replied with a small smirk, "I've been told so several times in the past. I'm quite stubborn."

Blaine chuckled, breaking off to cough after a couple of seconds. "I've noticed," he remarked when his coughing died down.

"You ok?" Kurt asked him.

Nodding, Blaine swallowed, trying to alleviate some of the dryness in his throat. "I'm fine."

Satisfied, Kurt started to tell him about how his Glee club's preparations for Sectionals were going and Blaine tried to ignore the tickling in his throat until it became so persistent that he had to cough again. He hoped he wasn't falling ill; his throat had been feeling a little dry all day and it had taken him longer than normal to become fully awake in the morning. He had managed to not get anything worse than a mild cold since he left home and he hoped his good immunity would keep up. The last thing he wanted was to need a doctor. That would induce a whole lot of questions and problems he really didn't want to deal with.

His hopes began to look more unlikely as the night went on - the need to cough occurred more regularly, although he tried to resist as much as possible while Kurt was still with him so as to not worry him; his throat stayed persistently dry no matter how much water he drank; his head began to feel a little heavy after Kurt left for bed. When he went to bed he clung to the hope that it would pass by morning.

It didn't clear overnight; in fact, it got worse. Blaine woke with a rough, dry throat, a pounding headache, and the beginnings of a fever. He groaned and rolled over, smothering a racking cough with his hand, and kicked his blankets off him. He just hoped he would improve enough to look relatively human by the time Kurt came to visit him at night.

Worse than being ill was being ill alone, and it was with another groan that Blaine sat up and staggered to his feet with another cough. He just wanted to stay in bed all day, but he had to get up and go through his usual routine down in the house. Washing his face failed to make him feel more awake and brushing his teeth took a lot longer than usual. When he was finished he wanted nothing more than to just go back to bed and stay there for the rest of the day, but he had no choice, he had to plough on as normal.

He was halfway through getting ready to go downstairs when there came a light knock on the attic door. It opened and Kurt appeared carrying a breakfast tray. Blaine squinted groggily at him in confusion until he realised that today was Saturday and Kurt didn't have school.

"Morning!" Kurt greeted him cheerfully. "Everyone else is out, so-" He broke off, taking in Blaine's dishevelled appearance. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. He set the tray down and moved closer to Blaine to take in his appearance more closely. "Are you sick?"

Turning away from Kurt and coughing, Blaine nodded. "Yeah," he croaked when he'd recovered. He wiped at his eyes, which were watering from his coughing fit. When Kurt took a step closer to him, he backed away, holding his hands up to ward him off. "I don't want you catching it," he said in a rough voice.

"I just need to quickly check something," Kurt said, approaching him again and laying the back of his hand gently across Blaine's forehead. Blaine whimpered at the coolness of his hand against his own skin and Kurt's face creased with concern. "You're burning up." He stepped back and Blaine almost whimpered again at the loss. "You can't stay up here by yourself like this," Kurt said, turning to pick up the breakfast tray again. "You can come down into my room."

Blaine balked, shaking his head. "I can't," he protested with another cough.

"Blaine, you're not staying here while you're sick," Kurt argued. "The rest of my family is out for the day; it will be ok."

Blaine coughed again and felt Kurt take his free hand and lead him down to the attic door. Before Kurt opened it he looked to Blaine to check he was ok with this, not wanting to push him into something he wasn't comfortable with.

Unable to speak, Blaine nodded his assent. If Kurt said it would be fine then he trusted it would be. Plus he really didn't want to spend the day in the attic, sick and by himself.

Kurt led him into his bedroom, set the breakfast tray on his vanity and pulled back the covers of his neatly-made bed. "Here," he said, gently pushing Blaine down on the bed.

It was the first proper bed Blaine had been on in over half a year and he sighed at how soft and comfortable it was - a vast improvement to his makeshift bed up in the attic. He collapsed back against the pillows, his eyes falling shut immediately, and held back a soft moan. They smelled amazing, like Kurt, simultaneously soothing him and making his pulse race.

"Thank you," he rasped as Kurt tugged the covers over him. A hand stroked through his hair and he sighed at the feeling.

There was the sound of footsteps shuffling away and then they returned about a minute later. "Blaine?" Kurt said softly. "Can you sit up a second to take some medicine?"

Holding back a groan of protest, Blaine sat up and accepted the glass of water and the pills handed to him.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink now?" Kurt asked quietly. "Or do you just want to sleep?"

"Sleep," Blaine mumbled, already feeling himself drifting towards unconsciousness.

Kurt's hand brushed curls back from his forehead. "Sleep then; you can eat when you wake up."

Blaine thought he felt soft lips being pressed to his burning forehead, followed by a hand smoothing his cheek before he heard Kurt move away from the bed, but it may have just been the fever warping together his wistful fantasies and reality.