Kurt wanted to slam his forehead into his car horn, but opted not to. It would probably give him a giant red mark on his face and he was not about to walk into Tiffany's looking like a hot mess.

On most other days, Kurt would be thrilled that he was going shopping. Not today.

The night before, Burt invited Carole and her son Finn (one of Kurt's peers in glee club, and a former crush… though that went nowhere since Finn was straight) over for dinner. After the meal, Finn uncharacteristically announced that he would help Kurt with the dishes. Once in the kitchen, Finn cornered Kurt and practically begged him to do Finn the favor of getting Finn a present for his girlfriend, Rachel. Rachel happened to be one of Kurt's frenemies, so he knew what she would like. Her birthday was the next week and Finn only just realized he hadn't gotten her anything, nor did he know what she would want.

Kurt rolled his eyes but took Finn's credit card and agreed to help Finn out. They shared an awkward hug and Kurt promised he would come through with the perfect present for Rachel. He double-checked Finn's budget for the gift and it was settled – Kurt would go to Easton the next day and get her a necklace from Tiffany's.

...

Blaine climbed up onto the stool at his mom's kiosk, almost grateful to be stuck in one spot the whole day. He could see out of both eyes, but still sported a noticeable shiner. The scrapes had healed, but his wrist was wrapped in an Ace bandage. He knew he looked like a mess, but he was safe in the mall. There were security guards everywhere and no one knew who he was or whom he liked.

The only bad thing about sitting on that stool for hours on end was that it gave him time to think. Think about last weekend. Think about what he thought was a date with Derrek, but how Derrek didn't "like him like that." Think about the fight on his way to his car. Think about how sick he was of getting picked on for being himself.

...

Kurt was craving carbs. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. There was no way he was going to be able to shop for Finn for Rachel without treating himself to a little somethin' somethin' first.

He swung open the door to the enclosed area of the mall and was about to head to Auntie Annie's when something, or rather someone, caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, geez."

His mind raced back to the week before when Mrs. Anderson said that Blaine wasn't really supposed to ever work at her kiosk. And yet, unless Kurt was hallucinating curly haired high school boys, there he sat with his chin in his hand, looking sad and alone.

Before he realized what he was doing, Kurt's legs walked him over to the kiosk. He saw Blaine do a double take and smile, making Kurt feel better about his decision. Kurt beamed in return, only to lose his smile once he got closer to the kiosk. His eyes widened when he saw the black eye. "Oh my God, are you okay?!"

Blaine's smile dropped as he looked at his wrapped wrist. He looked back up at Kurt, shrugged and gave half a smile. "Yeah?"

Kurt knew it wasn't his place to ask any specific questions. He barely knew the other boy and it wasn't fair to pry. "I'm not going to ask because it's none of my business, but whatever happened… I'm sorry."

Blaine's cheeks flushed pick and he looked down at the floor. "Thanks. And thank you." He looked back up at Kurt, eager to change the topic. "So, what brings you to Easton today? Need another necklace for your dad's girlfriend?" He tried to wiggle his eyebrows at Kurt, but winced because his face was still tender from the bruising.

Kurt's jaw dropped, pretending he was offended by the question (though on the inside he was beyond flattered that Blaine remembered something from their encounter two weeks ago). "No!" He laughed, "Though I am here to get something for my dad's girlfriend's son's girlfriend. It's her birthday next week and I'm supposed to be getting her a necklace at Tiffany's…. sorry… your mom's stuff is beautiful, but if I don't show up with a blue box…"

Blaine nodded in understanding.

There was a bit more awkward silence. Kurt decided to busy himself by looking touching a gentle finger to the latest designs that were displayed on the kiosk. He smiled. "I met your mom last week. I think I made as ass out of myself because I kept rambling on about how beautiful her designs are." He snuck a peak at Blaine out of the corner of his eye and saw the curly haired boy smiling at him. Kurt blushed and ducked his head. He saw the Hippo head brooch and was secretly thankful no one bought it yet because it was his favorite. He ran his finger along the shield-shaped backing of the brooch.

Kurt dared to look up again and saw Blaine was still staring at him. They both smiled at each other, acknowledging that they each knew he was looking. But, before either boy could say anything, a pair of older women sauntered up to the kiosk and started asking a barrage of questions. Most were about the merchandise; some were about Blaine and his appearance. Kurt's eyes grew wide as he overheard the women ask Blaine if he was beaten, then one made an offhand comment about maybe it was because he looked like a hooligan. Kurt wanted to butt in and tell the women to mind their own business, but couldn't. Instead, he took a deep breath and put his hand on Blaine's arm to get his attention. Blaine was surprised at first, and then his expression softened when he saw it was Kurt.

"Look, I have to go. But, um, if it's okay with you, I'd like to stop back later before I leave... to see how you're doing. Say goodbye?" Kurt looked at Blaine with hopeful eyes, hoping the other boy could understand that he didn't want to leave Blaine alone in this situation, but he didn't know how he could help either. Blaine nodded and sighed. Kurt gestured his head toward the old ladies and mouthed, "I'm so sorry. Good luck." Blaine gave a sad smile and shrugged.

Kurt walked toward the door to get to the exterior part of the shopping center and gave Blaine one last look over his shoulder. He just felt bad because the other boy just looked so defeated. The black eye probably made the situation look even worse than it really was, but something about the way Blaine tried to overcompensate and be all nonchalant about his injuries was just so familiar.

Blaine saw Kurt look his way before he left the indoor area of the mall. He didn't know why, but it made him feel better about himself, like maybe someone cared about - or at least acknowledged - his presence. He knew his parents cared. But it was different when someone your own age was there for you. A friend.

He smiled to himself. A friend. God, he really needed one right now, especially after losing one the week before. Blaine's face fell. He felt so dumb - he honestly thought Derrek was interested in him but he couldn't have been more wrong. And then the fight... Blaine's summer wasn't shaping up to be a great one.

...

Kurt was in and out of Tiffany's faster than he had ever been before. As he turned to head back inside the enclosed area of the mall to see Blaine again, he stopped. He realized he couldn't and shouldn't just run right back in. That would look desperate, right? Kurt closed his eyes for a moment. He liked Blaine. This actually scared Kurt a bit because he hadn't known the other boy for very long, yet the other boy was always in his thoughts. Kurt took a deep breath and tried to rationalize his feelings before he took another step. He liked Blaine, but he didn't know much about the other boy. He also didn't know if Blaine was gay. After a string of straight crushes, Kurt couldn't bear to go through another one. But, Kurt liked spending time with Blaine and if the other boy's genuine smiles were any indication, Blaine didn't seem to mind being around Kurt. That was something Kurt wasn't used to. A smile crept across his face. Kurt realized that at the very least, he had made a friend.

And if there was something Kurt knew how to do well - besides his ability to spot and sport the latest fashion trends – it was be a friend. He looked around and saw he was near Sephora. This gave him an idea.

Meanwhile, Blaine was thankful the imposing older women had left the kiosk. Even though they were rude to him, they marveled at his mom's bracelets and bought several apiece. He forced a smile and offered a civil parting as they left. After heaving an epic sigh, he had climbed back onto his stool and had sat there ever since.

Blaine helped the occasional customer, but found himself looking around the mall to see if Kurt was on his way back. He was eager to see his friend again, even though it had only been about an hour.

By time another hour had passed, Blaine wondered if Kurt was ever coming back. Maybe Blaine was over thinking this. Maybe Kurt had more shopping to do than just the necklace for his dad's girlfriend's son's girlfriend (boy, that was a mouthful). Blaine noticed Kurt was always dressed really well and was at Easton every Saturday for at least the last month. He probably liked to look in all the stores. But Kurt was the one who said he would stop back. And Kurt didn't seem like the kind of person who would say something like that and then not follow through.

While he was lost in thought, Blaine didn't see that Kurt was now, in fact, working his way through the crowds of other shoppers and walked toward him.

"Blaine!"

He snapped out of his stupor to find himself practically face to face with an equally flushed Kurt. "Oh! Hey, Kurt... I didn't think you were coming back." Blaine tried to pass it off as sarcastic teasing, but it came out more of a legitimate worry. He hoped Kurt wouldn't notice.

He did.

Kurt's heart broke a little bit, but now he was extra glad he made a few additional stops in between Tiffany's and then. "Are you okay? I'm sorry I left while those horrible women were here, but I didn't know what to do... " Kurt was desperately trying to find the right words. "It's just that I know we don't know each other very well, and I didn't want to impose..." He was still at a loss for the right words. I mean, you can't just ask someone if they're your friend, right?

Somehow Blaine seemed to know what Kurt was getting at. He, though, decided to forget tact for a fraction of a second and just go for it. After a deep breath, he asked, "Okay, this is probably a dumb question, but I'm going to ask anyway... Um, are you my friend?" Kurt's eyebrows shot up and Blaine's face burned bright red, yet he rambled on, "Wow, that sounded weird. And dumb, because I'd like to be your friend, I don't just expect you to just be my friend... Ugh! What I mean is, are we friends? Can we be friends?"

Kurt wanted to laugh because that was just about the most adorable diatribe he had ever heard. However, he couldn't laugh because he had been thinking the exact same thing, but he didn't have the guts to ask. Blaine did. Blaine asked to be friends. Blaine wanted to be friends. So instead of laughing, Kurt gave a warm smile and nodded. "I would really like that." Blaine shot him a grateful look. "In fact, I was actually wondering the same thing, but I was too nervous to ask." Both boys chuckled. "This was really great timing them, because that makes this less awkward." Kurt held out a small Godiva bag toward Blaine. "Don't open it until you get home, but I thought this would maybe cheer you up a bit." Blaine was shocked, but he took the bag and smiled. Kurt added, "Look, I know we're officially friends and all now, but I'm still not going to pry about what happened, you know, to your..." Kurt gestured at Blaine's face and wrist. "But if you ever want to talk about it... Well, I'll probably be here next weekend. Okay?"

Blaine nodded and made a mental note to ask his mom if he could work the following Saturday. "Thanks, Kurt."

Kurt smiled, though that quickly faded. "Crap, I have to leave. I told my dad I'd be home for dinner."

Blaine took out his phone and looked at the clock. It was only 3:39.

Kurt laughed when he saw Blaine's look of confusion. "I live in Lima. It's a two hour drive if I stick to the speed limit."

"Oooooooooh." Blaine looked at Kurt, then down at the Godiva bag, then back up at Kurt. "I know I already said this, but thanks. And I guess I'll see you next weekend!"

...

That night when Blaine got home, he ran up to his room and opened up the Godiva bag. He was genuinely surprised to see more than just chocolate. I mean, there was chocolate – a bar each of milk and dark chocolate. But there was also a bottle of concealer, small bottles of shampoo and conditioner for curly hair, a stress ball that looked like a planet (maybe Neptune, Blaine thought to himself), and a handwritten note from Kurt. Blaine smiled and squeezed the stress ball as he read the note.

Dear Blaine,

Whenever I'm down, I do a little retail therapy to help me feel better. Since you can't leave your mom's kiosk and I love shopping, I thought I would do some retail therapy for you. I know guys usually don't wear makeup, but I thought the concealer might help you avoid the third degree from rude old people. At least until your eye heals. I also overheard those ladies calling you a hooligan. Something is obviously wrong with them if they have anything nasty to say about your hair. However, have you ever used products specifically made for your hair type? I'm guessing no… give the stuff I put in here a try (or not - that's up to you… but I would seriously try it, it smells divine).

Blaine stopped reading for a second and popped open the cap of the shampoo. He laughed – Kurt was right; it smelled like strawberries. He recapped the shampoo and continued reading the note.

Since I don't really know you, I put milk and dark chocolate in here. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you've read Harry Potter or at least seen the movies. Eat the chocolate Blaine, it helps. And lastly, the stress ball. Everyone needs a stress ball. It's Neptune… the planet, not the God. Obviously J

"I knew it!" Blaine was pleased with himself for knowing what planet it was. He squeezed the ball several times and looked at it. He was momentarily distracted by the color because it reminded him of Kurt's eyes.

Blaine shook himself back to the present and finished reading the note.

So, even though I don't know what happened, I just want you to know that I'm sorry. You seem like a nice person and stuff like that shouldn't happen.

Eat some chocolate and squeeze the stress ball.

Sincerely,

Kurt

Blaine put down the note and did as he was instructed. He smiled knowing that he would probably see Kurt the following week. Maybe not everyone hated him for being himself.