Kurt hated when boys wore sweatpants; they were too baggy, hung on their hips weird, and made it look like they had just rolled out of bed.  But when Blaine wore his sweatpants to school, Kurt couldn't help but stare.

He watched from his locker as Blaine pulled out his binder, neatly placed his papers inside before zipping it up and started walking over towards him.  Kurt quickly turned around and pretended to be getting books out of his locker hoping he wasn't just caught in his daydream.

"Hey, so my mom said she could pick us up after practice tonight, if that's okay."

"Is your dad out of town again?"

"Ya, he's in Michigan this week... I think.  Anyway, she said that since he's gone you can have dinner over at my house."

"Alright, sounds good.  I'll just call my dad during lunch."

Halfway through Cooper's senior year Tracy finally confessed to Blaine and Cooper that she knew about Kurt.  They were afraid she was going to take him away again, but instead she helped them sneak around Tom easier.  She had taken over once Cooper was officially out of the house, and now that Tom was out on business almost every other week it made everything so much easier.

"So," the boys started walking down the hall towards English class, "How late did you stay up finishing that essay last night?"

"Blaine, if you don't know that I never wait until the last minute by now, how can you call yourself my best friend?"

"Sorry. Sometimes I forget you're a freaking goody two shoes."

"I am not!" Kurt mockingly placed his hand dramatically on his chest before knocking Blaine's shoulder playfully.  "I'm guessing you were up pretty late?"

"No, I obviously have had it done for weeks."  Kurt smiled at Blaine's ceaseless sarcasm and felt butterflies rise in his stomach.  He quickly looked away as he took his seat on the far side of the room.  Mr. Ashworth insisted on making his classes sit in assigned seats and somehow Kurt and Blaine always managed to be across the room from each other.

Blaine took out his essay and laid it neatly on top of his desk before placing his binder under his seat.  He turned and held it up for Kurt to see mouthing "finished for weeks".  Kurt smiled and dropped his head hiding the giggle Blaine was sure just escaped his lips.  Even five years after they met, Blaine still thought Kurt's smile was the best thing in the world.  He would never admit it, but that is why he was so sarcastic all of the time; because it made Kurt laugh.

Before he could be caught staring Blaine turned to the front of the class as Mr. Ashworth asked them to hand their essays forward.  From somewhere behind him a note appeared on his desk.  Blaine pulled it onto his lap to open it:

Why do you still hang out with that fag Hummel?

Blaine turned around irritably to find out who the note belonged to.  Of course, David Karofsky sat staring at Blaine with eyebrows raised. 

Blaine pulled out his pen and quickly scribbled a reply:

What's it to you?

IDK. Maybe the fact that he shows us to our practices everyday

And...?

And I don't want the creep watching me play football! I don't want to have to worry about him coming onto me or something.

Before Blaine could scribble out a response the note was being swept up from his desk by none other than Mr. Ashworth.

Blaine watched as Ashworth's eyes scanned the note and then went back and forth between Dave and himself.  He was so sure that Dave would get sent to the principal's office for calling Kurt a fag.  It took all of Blaine's will power not to crack a smile

"Boys, there will be no passing notes in my class. I trust you two will continue your conversation at a more appropriate time?"

Blaine practically dropped his jaw to the desk.  Kurt wasn't joking when he told him that nobody cares what Dave does.

At the end of class Kurt rushed over to Blaine to ask him what was on the note.

"Oh, just Dave being Dave," Blaine couldn't bring himself to tell Kurt exactly what Dave had said, but Kurt could fill in the blanks.  "I'll see you at lunch."

After that the boys parted to go to their separate classes.

Kurt sat in history class not paying any attention to the lesson.  His problems with Dave seemed to falter after him and Blaine had become friends again.  Kurt hadn't ever told Blaine about how bad things had gotten after his mom died but once they started middle school together Dave's bullying picked up again.  This time he couldn't hide it from Blaine.

The one thing Kurt could not figure out is why Dave had assumed that he was gay.  Kurt didn't even know himself.  Sure, he got butterflies when he was with Blaine but that was just because they were best friends, right?  And it didn't matter that Kurt was into fashion.  How was a twelve year old boy supposed to make such a big decision? He had never kissed a boy or a girl.  Kurt rubbed his hands over his face in frustration as the bell rang.

When school got out Kurt took his time at his locker gathering his books and homework for the weekend before making his way out to the football field. He didn't understand a single thing about the game, but he showed up every day to watch and support Blaine.

Kurt walked up passed the group of giggling girls to the top row of seats.  Suddenly he heard Blaine and Dave yelling at each other from the track.

"Who cares if he likes to wear nice clothes? He looks a lot better than you do!"

"It's creepy, alright? I don't want him hanging around here anymore."

"Well that sucks for you, doesn't it? Kurt is my friend and if he wants to come to watch our practices then he's going to."

"God, if I didn't know any better I'd say you're just as gay as he is."

"Kurt isn't gay! If he were I would know, I'm his best friend."

"You just keep telling yourself that."

With that Dave slammed his helmet on and walked onto the field.  Blaine turned around to face Kurt who quickly picked up his book and pretended to be reading.  Blaine saw right through his act, though.  He gave Kurt a sad smile before running onto the field to join the rest of the team.

Blaine would never admit it to his teammates but having Kurt at all of their practices is what made them bearable.  He hated almost everyone on the team.  Mike was the only one who was his friend, and Finn and Puck were tolerable but beyond that everyone sucked.  They would always make fun of Kurt for coming to the games, telling Blaine he was whipped.  But every once in a while Blaine would glance up at the stands, beyond the group of swooning girls, and see Kurt waiting there patient as ever and he would know that Kurt was only there because of him; because he was his best friend.  Blaine would come to every practice just to know that he still had Kurt to rely on.

Blaine's least favorite part of football practices was the locker room talk after.  Half of the seventh graders tried to act like they were in high school and above everybody else.  The topic of choice was always girls.  Blaine couldn't stand it.

"Did you see that Quinn girl checking me out?"

"No way dude, she was looking at me."

"Whatever man."  Finn and Puck continued their conversation but Blaine missed it because Mike started talking to him.

"Did you see Tina? She's really cute."

"Ya. I think you two would be good together."

"What about you, man? Did you see anybody cute out there?"

Blaine had spent the entire practice watching Kurt on the top row; he wasn't looking at the girls.  But he can't just say that, what if Mike thinks he's weird?

"No, not really." 

Mike and Blaine didn't know that Dave had been listening in.  "Why not, Anderson? Santana seemed to have her eye on you."

"She's just uh... isn't my type."

"How would you know? You've never even kissed a girl to have a type. Or maybe you're sick like Hummel and like yourself a some boy?"

"Back off, Dave." Mike stepped between Blaine and Dave stopping a fight before it could begin.

"All I'm saying is that every day after practice we all talk about girls and Anderson never seems to chime in.  There's got to be something going on there."

"Whatever."  Mike grabbed Blaine by the arm and pulled him out of the locker rooms.

"Don't listen to him. He doesn't even know what he's talking about.  You'll be my friend no matter what."

"Thanks. I'm just going to grab Kurt and head out. I'll see you Monday."

"Sure thing."

Blaine took a deep breath before turning the corner where he knew Kurt would be waiting for him.  Every time Dave would say something about Kurt, Blaine would do his very best to make sure Kurt never found out.  He went through enough in elementary school.

"You don't always have to protect me, you know?"

Apparently Blaine didn't hide it as well as he thought.  "Of course I do. You're my best friend."

"I don't want to be a burden.  I can stop coming to your practices. I'll just wait inside, or I'll ride the bus home."

"No. You can't keep letting Karofsky control your life, Kurt.  Besides, I want you to come."

"But he scares me!"  Kurt was more taken aback at his sudden outburst than Blaine was. "Well, I mean, not actually scare but-"

"Hey, stop it. It's okay to be scared; to be honest he scares me sometimes, too. I mean, for a twelve year old he's kind of huge.  But that doesn't mean I stop coming to football. I don't stop doing the things I love because that just means he wins."

"Ya, I guess you're right." Kurt didn't believe a word Blaine just said.

"There's my mom, let's go."

That night after Tracy had gone to bed Kurt and Blaine stayed up talking quietly in Blaine's room.

"Kurt, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"How come we never talk about girls?"

Kurt felt himself freeze, "What do you mean?"

"Well, when we are in the locker room after practice every day the other guys are always talking about girls.  It's like, all they can talk about.  And you're my best friend so I guess it's just weird that we don't talk about it."

"Well," Kurt took a deep breath avoiding eye contact with Blaine, "I guess I don't ever talk about it because I don't have anything to say."

"But why don't you?"

"Because I'm not interested in any of the girls at school, Blaine.  I don't see a point in talking about something when I don't have anything to say.  If there is someone you're interested in though, I'll listen."

Blaine took a deep breath. He knew he had to ask, he just didn't want to. "Kurt, do you think you are?"

"Are what?"

"Gay."

When Kurt didn't answer right away Blaine began to worry.  He didn't want to have insulted Kurt or over stepped any boundaries.  "It's okay if you are; I'm not going to stop being your friend.  It's just that, I guess the topic comes up a lot."

"I don't know." Kurt couldn't bring himself to look up at Blaine even though he could feel his eyes on him.  "How am I supposed to know? I've never even had a first kiss. I'm not interested in any of the girls at school, but I don't go to the football practices to check out the guys either, you know?"

"Then why do you come?"

"For you."  Kurt finally allowed himself to look up and meet Blaine's eyes.  He was smiling back at Kurt which made him feel a little better.

"What about you? You don't seem to be interested in any of the girls at school either."

"I'm not.  But like you said, how do you really know? I've never kissed anyone either."

"But, you wouldn't be mad if I was, right?"

"Of course not. You're my best friend. You're always going to be my best friend."

"Good, me too." Kurt let his smile reach his eyes which made Blaine blush and turn away.

Both of them had so much to think about.  The room filled with a comfortable silence as both of them grew more and more tired.  After a few moments they laid down on the bed waiting for sleep to take over.

"Goodnight, Kurt."

"Night, Blaine."

Blaine reached over and gave Kurt's hand one last little squeeze before closing his eyes.

Both boys tried so hard to ignore the butterflies that were flying in their stomachs.