It's not like Blaine planned it.

He's always liked football, which is why he joined the team. And, well, if popularity was a consequence... He wasn't complaining.

The thing is, he didn't plan on playing straight. He just wasn't going to come out until he was ready to face the bullies again; not after what happened at his old school.

But then it happened.

It was after a game. Everybody was cheering and he could see smiling faces everywhere. The game was a particularly good one, the team won, and he was pretty proud of himself and his teammates for scoring as many points as they did. He was happy.

Blaine remembers bumping fists with Mike, and then receiving a hug from a cheerio. He remembers Rachel walking towards him, hair falling down her shoulders and a smirk plastered on her face. Then, the next thing he remembers is Rachel pressing her lips against his, hands holding his face close and in place while Blaine tried to think what on earth was happening.

His first instinct was to push her away, and he almost blurted out a "what the hell?!" when they parted. But then, after looking at Rachel's face for a second and watching her big eyes staring up at him, he realized his teammates were cheering and laughing and giving him thumb-ups. So he grabbed Rachel by the waist and kissed her again.

Then, he couldn't take it back.

Blaine tried to tell her, he did. But the next day at school she kissed him again and told him they were having dinner on the weekend because "we need to have a proper first date, Blaine!". Also, he couldn't help but feel good when people smiled at him while he walked around the school, even the students who would totally make his life a living hell if they knew the truth. It was nice to feel like people liked him, like he could walk down the halls without being terrified of being pushed into lockers, for a change.

He got used to it. Rachel was a nice enough girl, even though she talked a lot and could be really annoying most of the time. Blaine still liked her. Which is exactly why he hates the idea of lying to her; but then again, she was the one who kissed him and what was he supposed to do?

Maybe stop lying to her and to everyone, you idiot.

Still, he puts on a smile and walks towards their usual lunch table, where Rachel's  already sitting and waiting for him.

Kurt doesn't crush on straight guys. Well, not anymore, at least. Not after Finn – please, he's learned his lesson.

Which is why he doesn't have a crush on Blaine Anderson. Not at all.

He does not.

"Have you ever kissed anybody?" Mercedes asks just as Blaine walks past them. She's looking dreamily at a couple exchanging little kisses at the other side of the hall, sighing before she turns to face Kurt.

"No," he admits, turning to look at Blaine for a second and catching the exact moment where Rachel Berry throws her arms around the boy's shoulders and kisses him hard on the mouth. "But I want to."

Mercedes nods and follows his sight, but when she realizes where Kurt's looking at, her eyes widen and her mouth opens. She shakes her head frantically, grabbing Kurt by the arm and pointing a finger at him with her other hand.

"Oh no-no-no, boy. Hell no. You're not doing this again, I'm not letting you."

"What?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," she lowers her voice. "You have a crush."

"No, I don't."

"Kurt."

"I don't!" He hisses, looking right at her eyes and trying to put on his look everything he can't say. Please, believe me. I need you to believe me, because if you do, I'll believe in me, too.

"Oh, honey." Mercede's face suddenly softens, like she was reading Kurt's mind. Her hold on his arm loosens, and she looks like she wants to hug him but doesn't. "It's okay. You'll get over it."

"Stop that, 'Cedes. There's nothing to get over. I don't have a crush, I barely know him, and you're being ridiculous." He closes his locker and removes his arm from under Mercede's reach. "Plus, he's straight, for God's sake."

"Like that ever stopped you."

"Oh my God, shut up and walk me to class."

Kurt hates it when he has a bad day like this one. He can't stand how mortified he feels when the slushie hits his face or when he's thrown into dumpsters; he hates being treated like this just for being different. He hates it.

He'd rather be invisible.

Sitting under the bleachers after cleaning the purple liquid from his clothes, – still wet since he didn't bring a change of clothes today – he swallows the lump in his throat and runs a hand through his now ruined hair. He didn't have his product, either.

Great. His day couldn't get any better.

He tries to resist the urge to cry, but the tears are already forming behind his eyes. Kurt hugs his legs, resting his chin on his bended knees, and lets a tear fall. God, how he hates feeling like this. Useless, humiliated. Like he'll never be accepted.

He doesn't notice there's someone else in the field, but then a boy is sitting beside him and handing him a tissue. He doesn't look up to see who it is – he won't let anyone see him crying; it's too humiliating, even for him. 

But then the boy talks and he can't help it; his heart stops.

"You know, I think it's really depressing to sit in here alone. Thought you could use some company."

Kurt finally looks at the boy's face, and he's in a loss of words for a moment before his brain catches up. Blaine's face is serious and he's looking at him with huge eyes, holding a bag against his chest and playing with his own fingers.

"Thanks," is the only thing he says, holding the tissue between his fingers.

"I– are– are you okay?" Blaine stops fidgeting with his fingers, putting the bag aside and turning his body completely towards Kurt. "I mean, you were–"

"I'm fine." Kurt interrupts, cursing himself when he quietly sniffs and one more tear rolls down his cheek. He tries to hide it, looking away from Blaine and wiping at his face. "Really."

"Why do I have the impression that you're lying?"

Kurt snorts and rolls his eyes, hugging his legs tighter.

"I'm sorry, but that's none of your business." Kurt bites his tongue the second he says it, regretting it instantly. The fact that Blaine is very popular and is friends with the people who bully him doesn't make him one of them. 

He was just being nice and Kurt... Well, Kurt was being an asshole. 

"True."

"No, I mean–" Kurt rests his cheek against his knees and faces Blaine, who's still looking at him with those big hazel-green eyes and... Shit. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, I just... I'm having a really bad day, that's all."

"I think I know exactly what happened."

Kurt bites his lip, watching Blaine's expression stiffen.

"Those guys slushied you, didn't they?"

Kurt nods, blinking his eyes to stop the tears from coming. "It's okay. I'm used to it."

"It's not okay, you shouldn't be used to something like that."

"I–"

"Come on, let me help you." Blaine grabs his bag and stands up, offering Kurt his hand.

"What?"

"Let me help you. I have a change of clothes in the locker room, you can borrow it."

Kurt's jaw drops, and he stares at Blaine's hand for a moment before taking it; – and if his heart beats just a little bit faster with the touch, he ignores it.

"But– you–" he stops, clearing his throat and trying again. "Why are you doing this?"

"I– what?"

"If they see you as much as talking to me, they won't let it pass. Let alone helping me, they..."

"Hey," Blaine walks closer to him and looks right at his eyes. "I don't give a damn about that. Just follow me and let me help you, okay?"

"But–"

"Nope. Come on."

And with that, Kurt follows Blaine to the locker room.

Blaine doesn't know what got into him. He just knows that he couldn't see someone crying like that, all alone, and do nothing. He was just being nice; there's nothing wrong with that, right?

After handing Kurt a clean pair of jeans and a white shirt, he excuses himself and waits outside, telling him to take his time. Which was a really bad idea because now Blaine has nothing to do, and nothing to do means he has time to think.

He went after Kurt out of instinct. The boy was crying, and he looked so miserable. Blaine hated it. There's nothing wrong with helping a sad-looking boy after he got slushied, right? In fact, it's the right thing to do. But the thing is... Kurt's always got Blaine's attention, ever since his first day at McKinley. Blaine would have tried to talk to him ages ago, but then his life turned upside down and there was no way he could get close to him. It could only end up in hurt. It always did.

Blaine is quickly snapped out of his thoughts when Kurt walks out of the locker room. His cheeks are flushed, pink with the shower he just took; His hair's wet and styled into place, even though a strand is adorably falling in front of his eye (and Blaine has to resist the urge to reach and fix it back into place – because that would be totally inappropriate). 

And damn, he's wearing Blaine's clothes. 

Of course he is, idiot, you're the one who offered them.

The shirt is tight, accentuating his shoulders; the jeans are a little bit too short but he manages to look adorable and incredibly hot at the same time.

Fuck.

"I... Thank you, Blaine. Really." Kurt smiles for the first time since Blaine found him under the bleachers, and Blaine can't help but smile back.

Then he realizes. "You know my name."

Kurt rolls his eyes, fingers running up and down his forearm. "Everyone does."

"That's not true."

"You know it is."

Blaine smiles again, wider and happier this time. "Well, anyway, it's nice to meet you, Kurt."

Kurt's eyes light up just a little bit and he bites his lip to try and hide his smile, though Blaine sees it nevertheless.

"Would you look at that," he says. Blaine swears that the blush creeping up Kurt's cheeks is the most adorable thing he's ever seen. "You know my name."

"Everyone does." Blaine can't help but say, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh, well." Kurt crosses his arms and walks past him, turning and walking backwards as he goes. "It's nice to meet you too, Blaine."

Blaine waves once as he watches Kurt leaving. "Bye, Kurt."

"Bye."