Blaine managed to sneak in a thirty-minute nap before there was a soft knock on his door. "Blaine?" a soft, high voice called through.
 
Blaine's eyes shot wide open. Shit, he forgot to go make breakfast. "Sorry, Mom!" He scrambled out of the bed and yanked the door open. He was met with a confused Kurt, who was looking at him with wide and concerned eyes.
 
"Blaine, it's just me," Kurt said, putting a hand on Blaine's bicep.
 
Blaine immediately flinched away, but he remembered everything that had happened last night. His parents getting arrested, his coming to stay at Kurt's house. "Oh-- right, I'm sorry, I ju--"
 
"It's fine, Blaine," Kurt assured. "Do you want breakfast?"
 
"Yeah, sure, I'll go make it--"
 
"No, no," Kurt said, blocking Blaine's path to the stairs. "It's already made."
 
"Really?" Blaine had always made breakfast for his parents. "I don't have to--"
 
"No, you don't," Kurt said, waving a stern finger. "And I wouldn't let you either."
 
"Did you make it?" Blaine asked, falling in step with Kurt as they walked down the stairs.
 
"No, Carole did."
 
"Really?" Blaine asked as they entered the kitchen. The scent of pancakes, syrup, and slightly burnt toast hit his nose almost immediately. His stomach growled, hungry and unsatisfied of the dinner he had eaten the night before.
 
"Yes, really," Kurt answered, chuckling. But it was a cute chuckle, and Blaine decided that he liked it when Kurt laughed.
 
Carole smiled at Blaine before setting a plate with two pancakes in front of him. "Eat up, Blaine. You're too thin."
 
"This much?" Blaine asked, looking down at his breakfast. Ever since he was ten he never had someone cook for him, much less let him eat this much in one sitting.
 
Carole frowned and gave Blaine a curious look. "Yes, Blaine."
 
Blaine mistook Carole's frown as a sign of contempt. Of course she would be a little angry with him; he was eating her food and staying in her house after all. Not wanting her efforts to go to waste, Blaine ate a bite of the pancakes. "This is very good," Blaine complimented. He didn't want to seem ungrateful or anything.
 
"…Okay," Carole said, but she was still looking at Blaine strangely. She sat down at the table with her own breakfast. "If you don't want to go to school today, you're free to stay home."
 
Blaine looked up from his food. "Why?" he asked, a little hysterical.
 
Carole was taken aback by Blaine's expression. Kurt look up from his breakfast and gave Blaine a concerned look. Blaine looked scared and frantic, and he was gripping his fork a little too hard. "I thought you deserved a day off," she answered quickly. "I know that you're going through a rough time and everything."
 
"Oh." Blaine seemed to relax at this, but he would give furtive glances to Carole and around the room.
 
Blaine didn't want to do anything wrong by anyone, especially since these people were kind enough to take him in. But since he was in an unfamiliar house with almost no inclination of how things worked in their family, he was afraid of doing something wrong without realizing it.
 
"Blaine, can I talk to you in my room when you're done?" Kurt asked when Blaine finished his food. Blaine nodded and went to go clean the plate in the sink ("Oh, don't worry, Blaine, I'll do that," Carole quickly shooed him away.) and followed Kurt up to his room.
 
Kurt's room was tastefully decorated. Pale walls, modern décor, a small vanity off in the corner.  Kurt patted the spot next to him on the bed, motioning Blaine to sit down. Kurt carefully observed Blaine for a few minutes, and Blaine fidgeted under his gaze, avoiding eye contact.
 
"I don't want to push you or scare you away, Blaine," Kurt said gently, "but I need to know what's going on, so I can help you."
 
Blaine looked down at his folded hands. "I've never had someone help me before."
 
Kurt's serious expression softened. Despite his deep voice, the scruff of a growing beard on his jaw, and his obviously teenage stature, Blaine sounded like a small child. A child that had been pushed around and bullied, a child who constantly wished for something better to come along and couldn't help but endure the life that he was given. But a little child, nonetheless.
 
Remembering the way Blaine flinched away from Kurt's touch earlier, Kurt slowly leaned over to where Blaine sat, sliding his arms around Blaine until Blaine was enveloped by a gentle hug. Blaine flinched, despite the soft touches, but didn't move away. He leaned into Kurt's chest, his cheek resting on Kurt's collarbone. Blaine didn't return the hug. He just stared ahead at the wall, thinking. They sat on Kurt's bed like that for a while before they were interrupted.
 
"Hey, Kurt?" Finn poked his head through the ajar door. "You coming to school?" He stiffened when he saw that Kurt was hugging another dude. "Dude, what the hell? I can't have a girl in my room but--"
 
"Finn!" Kurt said sharply, turning his head where he sat. Blaine pressed his cheek more insistently into Kurt's chest, hiding his face. Kurt sighed and gently pulled away from Blaine, despite Blaine's protests. "Finn, this is Blaine. He got kicked out and needed a place to stay."
 
Blaine reluctantly looked over at Kurt's door. He knew of Finn. Finn was the quarterback for the football team, was in glee club like Kurt, and wasn't the brightest person around. Blaine didn't have any classes with Finn or see him around a lot, so Finn seemed even taller now that they were in the same room. "Hi," Blaine said quietly, shifting away from Kurt.
 
"Hi," Finn said back. "I've seen you around before. Sorry to hear about that."
 
"Yeah, it's fine."
 
"Why'd you get kicked out?"
 
Blaine faltered. He didn't really want to give that answer away yet. "It's complicated."
 
"Oh." Finn directed his attention to Kurt. "You coming? I'm about to start the car."
 
"Carole said I didn't have to go today."
 
"What? Why?" Finn whined, pouting.
 
"I have to take care of Blaine, now go."
 
Finn huffed and left. Before Kurt could say anything else, they both listened to the distant "Mom, can I stay home and take care of Blaine too?"
 
Kurt rolled his eyes and turned back to Blaine. "I'm sorry about that. Finn tends to just barge in like that."
 
Blaine smiled at looked down at his hands again, examining the scar on his palm he had gotten when he was six. "I don't need you to help me, Kurt."
 
"But I want to." Kurt leaned forward until he was in Blaine's direct eyesight. "You went through something, and I want to help."
 
Blaine took a deep breath before saying, "My parents are in jail, I think."
 
Kurt blinked. "Why? Oh God, what did they do, Blaine?"
 
Blaine chuckled at this. "What didn't they do?" He looked away at the wall in the other direction of Kurt. "I was in the hospital 'cause my mom pushed me down the stairs, and my dad picked me up by the collar and threw me out." Blaine's voice was strangely calm, devoid of any emotion. He heard Kurt gasp quietly beside him, but he continued anyways. "It's not like they raped me or anything. It never got that bad, but, I don't know."
 
Blaine flinched when he felt Kurt's arms wrap around his shoulders again. This was a tighter hug than before, and Blaine really wanted to pull away, but at the same time he just wanted to give in and cry on Kurt's shoulder.
 
"Why don't they like me?" Blaine asked, mostly to himself. He rested his cheek against Kurt's shoulder as Kurt pulled Blaine into a real hug instead of a side-hug. Blaine tentatively wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist and squeezed gently. He could feel Kurt's warm tears on his neck, and that was the catalyst Blaine needed to let his own tears fall.
 
Blaine let out a few shuddering sobs and tightened his grip around Kurt. Kurt was something stable, he was someone who was kind, and most of all, he was someone who cared. He was one of the very few people who cared about Blaine, and they barely knew each other. He didn't want to let Kurt go.
 
"They're crazy," Kurt whispered finally. "Who wouldn't like you?" After a beat of silence, "I like you."
 
Blaine smiled despite his tears and pulled away to look straight into Kurt's turquoise eyes. "Thank you, Kurt," he choked out, voice thick from crying.
 
Kurt smiled back and leaned forward to wipe a tear away from Blaine's cheek, carefully avoiding the bruise on the side of his face. "Now, do you want me to come with you to your house?" Kurt asked. "Or do you not want to do that today, because I don't think wearing the same underwear two days straight is completely hygienic." Kurt stood up and walked over to his closet. "I probably have something that could fit you, but I don't think--"
 
"It's fine," Blaine said hoarsely. "Yeah, I think I'll go get my stuff today."
 
--
 
 Blaine had started to relax over the next week. He still was careful about what he did and what he said and was still slightly afraid of what would happen if he did anything to offend the Hudson-Hummels. He kept quiet and mostly to himself, and he spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday in his room.
 
On Thursday, he decided that it was time for him to back to school.
 
"Are you sure?" Kurt asked as Blaine climbed into the passenger seat of the Navigator. "I think nobody would mind if you took the rest of the week off. Besides, you still have your stitches in your back."
 
"I think I can manage," Blaine said. "Besides, I don't want to get left too far behind in school."
 
Kurt leaned back in his seat. They were both waiting for Finn to come out to the car, but he woke up late and was still eating. "What's taking Finn so long? He said he'd be outside by now."
 
Blaine shrugged. "I think your step-mom's still feeding him." They sat in silence for another five minutes before Blaine piped up, "She's very nice."
 
Kurt smiled. "Of course she is. She's a mom." He instantly regretted saying that the second the words left his lips. Kurt could almost slap himself. Let's just rub it in Blaine's face that he doesn't have a good mom, Kurt thought with a grimace. He quickly looked over at Blaine, who didn't say anything and opted to look out the side window. Real smooth, Kurt. "Blaine, I--"
 
"Dudes! Let's go!" Finn shouted as he climbed into the backseat. "I think we’re late!"
 
Kurt scowled at Finn, scolded him on how their being late was Finn's fault, and backed the car out of the driveway.
 
--
 
Blaine arrived at school fully expecting to be shoved into a locker at least once or twice. He also expected to get slushied sometime throughout the course of the day, since that hadn't happened to him in a while.
 
What Blaine was met with, however, was a nice, slushie-free, diplomatic day. It wasn't as if everyone suddenly became his best friend, but he was met with a cool indifference and nobody tried to bother him, which was just as well.
 
He didn’t know how much people knew about his situation or if they knew there was a situation to begin with. Blaine seemed to meet a lot of pitying glances though, and those glances would always turn away whenever he made eye contact.
 
Maybe it was the ever-fading bruise on the side of his face. Or maybe it was because Burt Hummel had called the school the day before and threatened to sue if Blaine got pushed around and explained that he had stitches in his back.
 
That was nice of him. Blaine was horrible at talking to people.
 
It was the end of the school day, and Blaine was occupying a small corner toward the back of the library. Kurt and Finn had glee club rehearsal, so Blaine had to wait until four before he could have a ride back home.
 
No, not home. Kurt and Finn's home. Blaine was just there until he had to go.
 
He had gotten a call the day before from some lady at some child protection agency that explained that his parents were currently in jail for the time being, and that he would eventually have to stay with another family member, unless someone in Lima was willing to become his guardian and was qualified to do so.
 
Blaine couldn't bring  himself to ask that of the Hudson-Hummels. They already did enough for him, and on top of that, they treated him nicely, as if he didn't regularly intrude their household.
 
"Blaine?"
 
Blaine looked up from the book he was blankly staring at. Miss Pillsbury was standing by the bookshelf closest to where he sat. "Can I talk to you in my office?"
 
Blaine nodded, set the book down, and followed her out of the library and to her office. She sat down behind her strictly organized desk and motioned Blaine to sit. Blaine hesitantly sat down, dropping his book bag onto the floor.
 
Miss Pillsbury cringed at the noise but carried on speaking. "So, Blaine, how are you doing?"
 
"Okay."
 
Miss Pillsbury waited for him to say more, but after a minute of silence she asked, "So how are you adjusting with the Hudson-Hummels?"
 
"They're really nice," Blaine said. "I'm really grateful."
 
"Mrs. Hudson says that you're a treat to have around," Miss Pillsbury said.
 
"I--" Blaine faltered. "She said that?"
 
"Yeah," she said, all smiles. With a more serious expression, she said, "You know, you don't  have to worry about them."
 
Blaine stared at his hands. Over the last few days, Blaine had become more and more relaxed around the Hudson-Hummels. He didn't flinch every time someone walked into the room, at least. "I don't know what you're talking about," he finally voiced.
 
Miss Pillsbury looked at him with a sad expression. "You don't have to be afraid around them. What your parents did to you - that was horrible. Nobody deserves that." She leaned forward, setting her forearms on the desk. "The Hudson-Hummels want to take care of you and help you. They don't see you as a burden."
 
Blaine wanted to believe her. "My parents saw me as a burden."
 
"And they are terrible people for that," Miss Pillsbury tried to assure.  "You're a good kid, Blaine. You aren't a burden at all, I don't think."
 
Blaine opened his mouth to oppose, but instead what came out was a small "thank you".
 
--
 
Kurt dragged Finn away from Rachel as quickly as possible. He didn't want to make Blaine wait too long for them.
 
When they entered the library to look for Blaine, Finn immediately pointed him out sitting in one of the nooks. As they approached him, Kurt noticed a little change in Blaine's demeanor. For one, Blaine didn't look like a sad, rejected puppy. There was a hint of a smile on his face, and - was he humming?
 
"Hi, Blaine," Kurt whispered.
 
Blaine looked up at them and grinned. "Hey, guys." He stood up and slung his bag around his shoulders. "Ready to go?"
 
"Yeah, dude, c'mon," Finn said, already leaving the library.
 
Kurt rolled his eyes, making Blaine snicker, and followed his step-brother out, Blaine trailing behind him. "How was your day?" Kurt asked once they were out in the parking lot.
 
"It was okay, actually," Blaine said. "I didn't get shoved or anything."
 
"That's good," Kurt said, rubbing his shoulder in memory of a shove he had gotten after his first class. "You seem to be in good mood," he casually observed.
 
Blaine grinned. "Miss Pillsbury came and talked to me. I feel a little better about everything now. I don't know I just…" he trailed off, not knowing how to explain.
 
"I understand," Kurt said while climbing into the drivers seat.
 
"Understand what?"
 
"Nothing, Finn."
 
The ride was quiet, and Blaine thought about his conversation with Miss Pillsbury. She was right, for one thing; he had absolutely no reason to be afraid of the Hudson-Hummels. They were nice enough to take him in when he needed someone, so why would they ever turn around and threaten him in any way?
 
It was different, when Miss Pillsbury told him that he was a good kid, that he was likable. Blaine, of course, appreciated when Kurt had said these things to him, but having an adult, someone of authority and experience, telling him that he deserved happiness and had nothing to worry about for the time being made it more… valid.
 
Blaine sighed and leaned back in his seat. He was probably going to adjust nicely with his new family.
 
--
 
"How was your first day back?" Carole asked. Blaine had volunteered to help Carole clean up after dinner, and he was just putting some of the cleaned and dried dishes away.
 
"It was fine," Blaine said, smiling. "None of the usual pushing around today."
 
"Pushing around?" Carole finished putting away the leftover casserole into the fridge and look at Blaine with concerned eyes. "You mean, like, shoving into lockers?"
 
"Yeah, I--" Blaine couldn't get much else out before Carole came up to him and squeezed him into a hug. He took a breath and relaxed into the hug. He tried the best he could to not flinch or tense up when Burt or Carole gave him a hug or talked to him.
 
"Sweetie," Carole said, pulling back, "I don't think you realize just how strong you are."
 
"What do you mean?"
 
"You go through your whole life dealing with your parents," Carole explains, gripping his forearms, "and on top of that, you had to deal with bullies at school, too? If it were me, I would've given up a long time ago."
 
Blaine smiled at the praise, tears welling up in his eyes. "Thank you, Carole."
 
She smiled back and let go of him. "You seem different."
 
Blaine raised a questioning eyebrow. Carole chuckled and continued, "You seem more relaxed now. I'm glad."
 
"I feel relaxed," Blaine said, putting a plate away.
 
Carole grinned and left the kitchen, telling him to be careful with all the wine glasses in the cupboard on the way out.
 
Blaine stacked the plates and cups in the cupboard, feeling content. If this is what feeling relaxed around people felt like, he didn't ever want to go back being afraid. He spent over ten years of his life being afraid; he certainly wasn't going to waste any more time.
 
Blaine wasn't sure how he did it; maybe the plate he was putting away knocked it over, or maybe his hand brushed against it. But that didn't matter, because oh my God Mom is going to kill me shit, shit, shit--
 
Blaine flinched at the sound of shattering glass, and he looked down in horror at the jagged edges of what was once a wineglass. He immediately knelt down and frantically scooped up the glass, not caring how its sharp edges dug into and broke the skin of his palms and fingers. He registered no pain, and when blood began to seep down his hands and onto the floor he didn't even notice. All he cared about was that he was going to be in so much trouble, and his parents were probably going to kill him or at least starve him for the next few days, and he had to clean it up before they found out--
 
"Blaine!?"
 
Blaine froze where he was, the glass still in his hands and stained red. There were still a few shards on the ground, which he quickly swiped into his hands.
 
"Blaine, stop--"
 
"No!" Blaine shouted, staring up into the eyes of Burt Hummel. "No! I'm sorry, I'll fix it--" He protested as Burt grabbed his shoulders and tried to pull him away from the mess. "Don't hurt me! No, I-I'll fix it, I promise!" The pieces of glass that he held slipped through his fingers and fell onto floor as Burt hauled him to his feet. "I didn't…" he choked out, looking at Burt. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Carole standing at the doorway, Finn behind her.
 
Burt held Blaine at arms length, full of concern. "Are you okay, son?"
 
Son.
 
Blaine didn't know why he broke right there. But he did. He let out a sob, to which Burt promptly pulled Blaine into a hug. He let Blaine sob into his shoulder, almost close to tears himself. Burt looked over at his wife and step-son. Carole's eyes shined with tears, and Finn looked dumbstruck and anxious.
 
Blaine continued to sob, leaning into Burt for support. Burt sighed. Blaine had been making progress around them. He gently led Blaine to sit at the table and sat down himself, drawing his chair closer to Blaine's.
 
"Now, Blaine, listen," Burt began. Blaine turned his head, staring at the table. "No, look at me." Burt reached out to Blaine, but then he better thought of it and rested it on the table near Blaine's bloody one.
 
Blaine reluctantly looked at Kurt's father. Burt looked sympathetic, and he looked confused. "I'm sorr--"
 
"No, none of that," Burt said firmly. "You don’t have to be sorry. It was an accident, and I understand that."
 
Blaine looked at Burt blankly. "I just…" Blaine didn't know what to say. He knew he was back to square one: flinching every time someone looked at him; giving short, one-worded replies to questions; being afraid around the house.
 
"When I took you in," Burt said, staring straight at Blaine, "I barely knew you. I barely heard of you, but I did it any way. And you turned out to be this hurt kid that was given things to deal with. Things that people shouldn't have to deal with." Burt took a chance and grabbed Blaine's wrist. Blaine cringed but didn't pull away. "You're a brave kid. A strong kid too, and I've come to care about you."
 
Blaine looked up at this. Tears were still sliding down his cheeks, and he was still sucking in breaths for little half-sobs. He wiped his face with his sleeve and grimaced at the sight of his hand.
 
"I just want you to know," Burt said, "that I consider you one of our kids now, now that you're living under our roof. You're not legally ours, but we're happy to take care of you."
 
Blaine let out a shaky breath, but he was smiling a little now. "T-thanks, Burt." More tears were streaming down his face now, but they were out of happiness this time. Burt cared. Carole cared. They all cared.
 
Burt smiled and patted Blaine's shoulder. "Any time." He looked down at Blaine's hands and then over to Carole. "Do we still have that first aid kit somewhere?"
 
Carole nodded and left to go get it. Finn stood there awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "I just wanna say," he said, "that you're pretty awesome. And I liked the Blaine that was happy."
 
Blaine laughed shallowly and moved to the sink, running water over his stinging cuts. He could hear Kurt upstairs, shrieking something along the lines of "What? What happened to Blaine!? Carole, is he okay!?" There was a trample of footsteps running down the stairs before Kurt attacked Blaine in a hug.
 
Blaine chuckled to himself and melted into the hug. Maybe after this episode, it would get easier.
 
And as he let Carole tend to his hands, watching her kind eyes, Finn's innocent expression, Burt's comforting presence, and Kurt's delicate touches, Blaine figured that it could only get better.
 
He could pull through. He could put this whole thing behind him.
 
After all, he has his new family to watch out for him.