Blaine was very careful not to let any of his football friends find out that he'd joined Glee Club until it was absolutely essential. That absolutely essential time came in the form of an assembly. The second Glee Club assembly of the term, although this one was supposed to educate against eating disorders. As if trying to make it even harder for him to pretend that he wasn't in Glee, Mr Schuester had decided that Blaine would sing his own little solo in it.

It wasn't that Blaine didn't like being in Glee club, in fact the opposite was true, he was enjoying it more than he dared admit, it was just that it had taken so much work to get to the top and he didn't want to just throw that away. People respected him. Maybe he wasn't the nicest person in the world, he didn't stick up for people when they were being pushed around for no reason, but at least didn't join in with the abuse. He knew what it was like to be bullied and he didn't see why more people didn't do what he'd done – it was better than being smacked against lockers everyday.

They were back stage and Blaine was now officially freaking out. There was no way he could drop out now, but as soon as everyone saw him on that stage they were going to slaughter him. He gulped nervously, resisting the urge to throw up. His eyes darted madly to the door as he heard Figgins boring the school with some talk of how no one should feel the need to puke their guts out because they were already perfect. He was so stressed he couldn't even appreciate the irony that Coach Sylvester and the cheerios were in that same room, listening to that speech.

On one of their once-every-2-seconds visit to the door, Blaine's eyes met Kurt's. Their blue calming him somewhat. “You're going to be amazing, you know,” he said softly, clasping the other boy's hands in his own, briefly before letting go and blushing. “You don't have to worry about it.”

Blaine smiled at him, appreciating the attempt to hide what this was really about. “We both know that this is nothing to do with my performance.”

“You can't blame me for trying,” Kurt shrugged, before walking over to take his place on the stage.

The curtains seemed to take forever to rise. But there was no going back now, no hiding; he was going to do this.

“The McKinley High New Directions!” There was a vague smattering of applause and Blaine could hear Miss Pillsbury, the school councilor, over everyone else, yelling ‘yay, Glee!’. At least he was facing away from the crowd and hidden behind the other boys, but that safety wasn’t going to stay for very long. Soon everyone was going to see him and he wasn’t sure how ready he was for that.

Music started to play and the protective group of boys surrounding him split, he was exposed to the whole school. The lucky thing was that most of the audience wasn't paying any attention to him and those who were, didn't seem to realize who he was. Well that wasn't going to last, he thought, as he started forward for the first part of the song.

Made a wrong turn
Once or twice
Dug my way out
Blood and fire
Bad decisions
That’s alright
Welcome to my silly life

Okay...so now people were staring at him. People were whispering and pointing at him, but they were also nodding heads along appreciatively, he tried not to think about it as Rachel stepped out to take the melody from him and he took the harmony.

Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood
Miss “no way it’s all good”
It didn’t slow me down

Mistaken
Always second guessing
Underestimated
Look, I’m still around…

As irritating as he found the girl, he couldn't deny that she had an incredible set of lungs on her, though he wished Kurt had been singing with him. Mr Schue had originally paired the two boys singing the song, but Kurt had given his solo to Rachel, something Blaine knew he would not do normally. Kurt was giving up one of his rare solos to save him. The whole of the group joined in for the chorus.

Pretty, pretty please
Don’t you ever, ever feel
Like you’re less than
Less than perfect
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like you’re nothing
You are perfect to me

It was back to him and he just tried to enjoy the moment, damn the consequences, if he was going to do this and get hell later on, he was at least going to give it his all.

You’re so mean
When you talk
About yourself
You are wrong
Change the voices
In your head
Make them like you
Instead

Maybe it would be better if he wasn't singing a song by a girl, he thought, as he ran off and behind the new directions boys, ready for his rapping solo later on, the part that he was most worried about.

So complicated
Look how big you’ll make it
Filled with so much hatred
Such a tired game
It’s enough
I’ve done all i can think of
Chased down all my demons
see you same

As Rachel finished her second solo and the whole group started up on the chorus, Blaine remembered what Kurt had said about Rachel being interested in him, the thought of being with the girl like that made him feel a little ill, yes she was talented, but she was no K-....he pushed that thought away.

Pretty, pretty please
Don’t you ever, ever feel
Like you’re less than
Less than perfect
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like you’re nothing
You are perfect to me

The group split so he could come forward for his next solo. Rapping. He had almost begged for someone else to do this part, but Mr Schue wasn't having it.

The whole world stares while I swallow the fear
The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer
So cool in line and I tried tried tried
But we try too hard, it’s a waste of my time
Done looking for the critics, 'cause they’re everywhere
They don’t like my genes, they don’t get my hair
We change ourselves and we do it all the time
Why do we do that?
Why do I do that?
Why do I do that?

Ooh, pretty pretty pretty,
Pretty pretty please don’t you ever ever feel
Like you’re less than
Less than perfect
Pretty pretty please, if you ever ever feel
Like you’re nothing you
Are perfect, to me
You’re perfect
You’re perfect
Pretty, pretty please don’t you ever ever feel
like you’re less then, less than perfect
Pretty, pretty please if you ever ever feel
like you’re nothing you are perfect to me

The crowd was on it's feet, everyone was cheering and clapping, the hall was going crazy. They had done it. They had sung in front of the entire school and not had things thrown at them. Okay, so maybe the crowd was going a little too crazy and he was fairly sure they weren't supposed to be climbing onto the stage like that. He stepped backwards and tripped over his shoe laces, landing flat on the ground. He looked up “KURT!” he yelled, struggling to stand back up as feet trampled all around him. Blaine couldn't see the other boy, he just hoped that he was okay, he wouldn't be able to bear it if anything happened to him. He lifted his head up. Crack.

Kurt's eyes flicked over the rampaging crowd searching desperately for Blaine, he'd been in the midst of the rampaging crowd and Kurt had no idea what had happened to him, he'd heard him call but after that he'd had nothing. A scream of pain chilled his spine.

“Blaine?” he yelled desperately, pushing through the dwindling crowd, eyes trained for any sign of his best friend. “Blaine! Where are you?” A rough hand pushed him to the floor, a voice snickering behind him, as he gasped in pain.

“Looking for your boyfriend, homo?” the boy jeered, as laughter echoed behind him. They left, foot steps reverberating throughout the room Kurt stumbled to feet, wiping his eyes free of the tears starting to collect. “Blaine?” he whispered, heart breaking when only silence returned his plea.

Kurt walked towards the exit, forehead creased with worry, deciding Blaine must have left without him noticing. That was the only explanation he could let his mind think of. He let the tears storm down his face as he looked at the deserted room, he opened the door, but something wouldn't let him leave, something told him that he shouldn't open that door and leave the room. He paused. A moan sounded from beneath the stage. Kurt didn't even pause to think, he just ran, eyes trained to the spot where the sound had emanated from.

A bundle of clothes came into sight. “BLAINE?” he yelled, speeding up. “Blaine, look at me, are you okay?” he took the other boy's head in his hands and turned it to look at him. Blood. Kurt gasped, horrified. Blaine's face was dripping with blood, his once white shirt now stained with red. He tried to pull away, but Kurt held him there tight. He took out a pack of pocket tissues and dabbed gently at the blood, but more kept coming. Blaine winced. His nose was crooked and misshapen.

“We have to get you to Mr Schuester,” he said, attempting to pull the other boy to his feet as he shook his head vehemently. “Blaine, it looks broken, now come on.” Kurt's face cracked, eyes spilling with more tears, Blaine's heart ached. “Please?” he whispered. The other boy nodded and let Kurt pull him to his feet, those eyes could make him do anything.

Mr Schue took one look at the bloody state that was Blaine face and took out his car keys, driving the two boys to the emergency room at the local hospital. The three of them sat there for an hour before anyone could see them, the doctor sat Blaine down and painfully prodded at his nose.

“It's definitely broken,” she said, eying the two boys and their teacher with a scrutinizing glare, paying special attention to Kurt. “You'll need to get some x-rays done to evaluate the full damage, but it's not looking like a clean break, could take some work.”

Blaine sighed, allowing the doctor to lead him off into a little room to take the x-rays. His dad was going to kill him, it wasn't that his family was poor, but his father was extremely stingy and having to pay for his son's medical bills because of an injury gained through singing, definitely wasn't something he would want to do. Maybe he could lie about it.

He walked through the clinic back to the room in which Kurt and Mr Schue were waiting for him and opened the door. “BLAINE!” his mother launched herself at him, hugging him tight as he winced and attempted to keep his nose away from her. “I was so worried, the school called to tell me what happened but I was at your grandparents...” Blaine gulped at the mention of his only remaining extended family, they were his father's parents and they lived out in Westerville, where they ran a private school called Dalton Academy. It had belonged to his grandmother's family, the Dalton's, and been passed on to the two of them. Both his grandparents and his father, an alumni of the school, wanted him to go there instead of some school in Lima, but his mother, luckily, had refused as she wanted him close to her and didn't like the idea of sending him off to board.

“But thank God you're okay,” she smiled, stroking the side of his head affectionately. “I think you should take tomorrow off honey and maybe Friday too, Andrew won't be coming home until Tuesday night, he's got that big conference he was always talking about.” Blaine breathed out slightly at the mention of his father's absence, there was no way he was going to stay home for four days whilst he was there.

Blaine left the hospital with Kurt and his mom, the latter drove both boys home. The car was oddly quiet. Having the two boys together usually meant a constant explosion of excited chatter, but the drive was just an exchange of sly side glances, when each thought the other wasn't looking. Blaine didn't know what he was going to do about Kurt, sometimes the way that the other boy looked at him made him wonder – why was it so preposterous that he could feel the same way Blaine did for him?

Kurt kept his eyes fixed out the window best he could, but they always seemed to gravitate back to Blaine. He was so stupid for thinking that he even had a chance with Blaine. The boy was beautiful, so smart he had to make an active effort to do badly in lessons, kicker of the football team and overall mister popular. There was no point moping over him, everyone else wanted Blaine too and everyone else had a better chance, because they were actually girls. Blaine wasn't gay and he wasn't interested in him, nor would he ever be and Kurt just had to deal with that.

He felt his eyes moisten and kept them fixed out the window once more, he couldn't afford to let Blaine see him like this. He couldn't afford for him to ever find out. He couldn't be his boyfriend, but he still wanted to keep his best friend, because, although it would hurt, it would be nothing in comparison to what it would be like if they stopped being friends completely.

The car pulled into the Anderson drive and Kurt jumped out, briefly thanking Mrs Anderson for the lift and sprinted off towards his own house. She watched him go, a sad smile on her lips. The two of them were just as obvious as they were blind, but maybe that was favorable considering the small town ways of Lima. She just wanted her boy to be happy. It was only then she noticed a sleek, black Mercedes parked nearby.

Burt took one look at his son as he opened the front door and felt his heart shatter into tiny pieces. He was a state, his normally perfect coif was disarrayed and what looked like mascara was dripping down his cheeks. “Kurt? Kiddo, what happened?” This happened far more often for his liking, he should have a look into that school of his. He enclosed the pale, shaking boy in a tight hug, shushing him gently.

The man hugged his son until sunset, when the boy pulled back and stared woefully, his eyes finally dry. “Dad...” he whispered. “I l-love...I love him.”

“I know you do, kiddo, I know.” It was obvious, the way he looked at Blaine was how he'd looked at the boy's mother before she died, he had no doubts that this was more than just a high school crush. He'd also seen how Blaine looked at Kurt, the Blaine was like a second son, he knew him better than the boy's own father did. There was no way in hell he didn't feel the same way.

“But what am I supposed to do?” he asked, fresh tears spawning in his eyes – Burt could swear it wasn't physically possible to lose so much water and still be alive.

“Why don't you just tell him?”

Kurt stared at his Dad as if he was insane; he had to be to come up with a plan like that. The man just stared back sincerely. “You are joking, right?” he asked and Burt just rolled his eyes.
“How do you know he doesn't like you back?”

“He's not gay.”

“Has he ever said that?”

“Well no, but...”

“But what?” Kurt pulled out his queen bitch glare.

“But,” he said, lengthening the word out in order to think of what to say next. “He would have said something if he liked me.”

“Have you said something?”

“No...” his father just looked at him with a superior smirk, knowing his son couldn't fault his logic – especially because, deep inside, he didn't want to.

“Kiddo, I've seen how he looks at you, you have nothing to fear,” the two of them smiled at each other, warmly. Kurt didn't love anyone as much he loved his Dad, God was he going to get a good father's day present if this went well.

Kurt Hummel slept soundly, lids closed peacefully and lips gently parted, the only sound was the light breathing issuing from between them. Blaine lay curled up in bed, eyes wide awake and staring, hands clenched tightly over his ears to block out the sound of shouting. His Dad's flight had been canceled and school had taken it upon themselves to call him with information of his son's 'singing' injury. He'd grabbed Blaine's collar and pushed him against the wall, spit spraying from his mouth onto the boy's face.

“SINGING?” he'd roared, eyes bulging and bloodshot, evidently his plane cancellation had provoked drinking. “What are you, a fag?” Blaine shivered in his bed at the memory, shaking his head as he had back then.

“If I ever find out you are a disgusting little cock-slut, I will beat it the shit out of you.”

His words echoed in Blaine's head, as a scream erupted from the living room. A shiver rippled down his spine and tears sprang to his eyes.