"It's official: I've got a wedding to plan!" Kurt says excitedly over the phone.

Blaine blinks in surprise; he hadn't quite expected Kurt to say that. Adding the fact that Blaine knows bits of Kurt's father's love life (widowed since Kurt was eight, but dating Kurt's ex-crush's mother for a few months) only adds to his state of shock.

"Wow, that's-that's amazing!" Blaine says, the answer coming out automatically. Weddings are things to be celebrated after all, right? "Wait, did you just say you have a wedding to plan?"

"Yes!" Kurt confirms, and Blaine can hear Kurt's megawatt smile over the phone. "Dad and Carole, that's Dad's girlfri – I mean, fiancée – told me. They won't let anyone else plan it!"

"Wow," Blaine repeats. "Wow. Uh, good luck, I guess. That's going to be crazy!"

"No, it will be fabulous," Kurt corrects, and Blaine rolls his eyes affectionately.

"Of course."

"Do you think you can come?" Kurt asks suddenly. "I'd love for you to meet my dad."

If the fact that his friend's dad is getting married hasn't thrown Blaine off yet, that does. Blaine's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets with how wide they are now.

"I – what?" he asks, because he isn't entirely sure if he caught that.

"Can you come the wedding?" Kurt repeats himself, and, yup, Blaine heard him right.

"I guess," Blaine replies. "Depends on the date, I think."

"Oh, it'll probably be around the weekend after next," Kurt replies, and Blaine literally takes his phone away from his ear to stare at it before putting the receiver back.

"Kurt," Blaine says incredulously, "are you actually suggesting that you're going to plan a wedding in less than three weeks?"

"No, I'm asking if you can come to the wedding I'm suggesting to plan in less than three weeks."

Not knowing what to say to that, Blaine simply answers, "Yeah, yeah! I'm pretty sure I can make it."

"Oh, perfect! I have just enough people to invite for the venue now!"

"Do I need a plus one?" It's mostly for Kurt, because Blaine wouldn't mind going as Kurt's plus one. In his mind at least, Blaine thinks it would be nice to attend a wedding with someone, instead of being on your own.

Kurt takes a moment to consider it before answering, "I guess you could bring Harmony if you wanted."

Oh, he hadn't even thought of that.

"Right," he says, "yeah, I'll bring her along."

"Great! I'll just add her to the list," Kurt happily confirms. "Oh, gotta go! Carole's got an appointment for a dress fitting I can't miss. Bye, Blaine!"

Blaine barely manages to throw out a quick "Bye!" before Kurt hangs up.

.x.

From Blaine, 8:12am
hey, i haven't heard from you in a while, but i guess you're just busy with wedding plans. give me a call when you can!

From Blaine, 12:39pm
kurt, how are things? are you okay?

From Blaine, 9:56pm
kurt, i'm getting worried. please call or text me soon.

.x.

From Kurt, 12:34pm
I hate my school

It's the first bit of contact Blaine's received from Kurt in days. Maybe his texts yesterday were annoying and borderline clingy, but Blaine has been worried. Kurt had just completely stopped talking to him, and he didn't know what to do.

He doesn't want to bring up their abrupt silence, though, in fear of triggering another one by simply mentioning it.

From Blaine, 12:39pm
having a rough day?

From Kurt, 1:01pm
I just... really hate my school

From Blaine, 1:12pm
call me during my off-period, if you can.

From Blaine, 1:15pm
COURAGE

.x.

Most days now, if Blaine and Kurt want to meet up, Blaine drives over to the Lima Bean. It's actually right at the edge of town, and although it cuts down some of his travel time getting back to Dalton, it's still at least an hour away. Kurt's text had sounded urgent though (Lima Bean at 5, please tell me you can make it), and Blaine didn't think twice about coming.

Blaine barely has a chance to sit down at the table where Kurt's already fidgeting, not even opening his mouth before Kurt blurts, "What would you think if I went to Dalton?"

He blinks once, twice, then three times. Is that why Kurt needed to talk to him? Why couldn't it be done over the phone? Then again, if it's this urgent, there's a good reason why Kurt hadn't even bothered to say hello.

"Um," Blaine says, a confused look forming on his face, "it's a great school and you'd be –"

"But what would you think if I went to Dalton?" Kurt presses, his eyes serious and searching.

Blaine purses his lips, turning the question over in his mind. He kind of wishes he had bought a coffee before taking his seat, if only to keep his fingers busy so he's not caught squirming, but it's too late for that now.

If Kurt went to Dalton, well, he and Blaine would most definitely end up being better friends than they are now. He'd show Kurt the ropes, reveal which hallways were free of hall monitors during when, and why Taco Tuesdays at Dalton weren't actually as great as the lunch ladies seemed to think. There's a lot Blaine could do if Kurt attended his school, and though this may be the answer Kurt may be looking for, Blaine knows better than to be excited about the fact.

If Kurt transfers schools, something is definitely wrong.

"Kurt," he says, voice serious and his brows furrowing, "what's going on?"

Kurt looks away, crossing his arms and snapping, "Just tell me, Blaine." But Blaine just shakes his head, knowing now that something is really wrong if Kurt's already upset.

"You need to tell me what's going on first," Blaine says in a calm voice. There's no reason for him to get angry too. He just needs to be here for Kurt.

He watches as Kurt breathes sharply through his nose, deep breaths that are meant to calm him down. His eyes are welling up with tears that Blaine hasn't seen Kurt shed since they met, his lips trembling to hold them back. When Kurt faces him again, he swallows, biting his lip and looking down into his lap before whispering something Blaine can't catch.

"What?" Blaine asks, leaning forward so he can get closer to Kurt. "Please tell me, Kurt."

Kurt huffs out another breath, this one sounding frustrated and still very upset, but Blaine manages to catch him muttering, "'tenedt'killme."

Blaine leans in even closer, begging softly, "What are you saying?"

Blaine's so close to Kurt's face that all he sees when Kurt lifts his face up to look into his eyes is Kurt's shining blue irises, now even more shocking with unshed tears.

"He threatened to kill me," Kurt whispers softly.

.x.

"So," Blaine says, using his foot to kick his room's door closed. He drops his bag into his bed before flopping into a seat. "How're things?"

"Seriously, Blaine?" Kurt replies, clearly annoyed.

"Sorry, I just –"

But how exactly does he put into words Did that asshole do anything today? Are you okay? Is anyone noticing? I wish I was there to help. It's not exactly an easy task. Especially since his friend just received a death threat from a guy whose escalating violence is going by without so much as a slap on the wrist.

"I just," Blaine tries again, "I wish there was more I could do to help you."

Kurt's silent for a moment, and even though Blaine hasn't specifically said a single word about what Kurt revealed to him, on more than one occasion he's asked if Kurt was at the very least okay. He figures it's the least he could do.

"Well, I'm – I'm fine," Kurt answers coolly.

"Okay. Now how about you tell the truth?"

He hears Kurt sigh heavily through the receiver of his phone, and Blaine knows that this is taking its toll on Kurt. If anything, he knows how exhausting that is, to be avoiding people who torment you on a daily basis. Now with the added weight of a death threat? Blaine's surprised Kurt's held out for this long.

Kurt sniffles, just for a moment, and before Blaine gets the chance to ask what happened because Kurt's crying, Kurt quickly says, "It's-it's just hard. He came up to me today and just took one of my things, and he – he was so... god, it was just terrifying."

Blaine bites his lip, a bit relieved that Kurt actually told him something instead of making Blaine drag it out of him, but he still needs to make sure.

"He – he didn't do anything, did he, Kurt?" Blaine asks, but the truth is he's afraid of the answer, the worst that could happen.

"No, no," Kurt says quickly, and Blaine doesn't care that he lets out an audible sigh of relief. "It was just – I'm afraid to go to school now," he whispers. "It's-it's not that I already wasn't before but now... Blaine," Kurt says desperately, his voice cracking, "I don't know if I can do this any longer."

He hears Kurt beginning to cry over the phone and there's nothing Blaine wishes more in that moment than to hold him and tell him it will be alright. But even if he could, Blaine doesn't know if he'd be telling the truth. He doesn't even know how to make anything okay.

"Kurt," Blaine says, hoping more than anything he can be strong for Kurt because he certainly can't break down now, "I think you need to tell someone. This – this is getting really bad, Kurt –"

"The current principal and my glee club teacher told me they can't do anything to help, Blaine," Kurt interrupts him in a stone cold voice. "It doesn't matter if I tell someone... nothing changes."

God, Kurt sounds so defeated and Blaine's heart aches knowing that there's nothing he can do to stop it. So he offers what he can.

"You know I'm always a phone call away." It's pathetic, but what more can he do?

"I know, Blaine," Kurt says, and his voice is thankfully more even now, which means he's calming down. "Thank you."

.x.

From Blaine, 12:24pm
i'm assuming dalton's still out of the cards?

From Kurt, 12:26pm
Not a chance. I'm planning the budget of the wedding, and I know we can't afford Dalton on top of it

From Kurt, 12:27pm
I should've never brought the subject up with you. I'm sorry

From Blaine, 12:27pm
no, no!

From Blaine, 12:28pm
i'm glad you did! i'm glad that you're looking for options

From Kurt, 12:29pm
Option or not, it's one I can't take

From Blaine, 12:31pm
i'm sorry

From Blaine, 12:33pm
i wish there was more that i could do

From Kurt, 12:35pm
You care. It's more than enough, Blaine

.x.

"My dad found out today," Kurt sighs over the phone one afternoon, his voice exhausted.

Blaine doesn't even have to ask what Kurt's referring to at this point. "How?"

"He came over to my school during lunch so I could teach him and Finn how to dance," Kurt retells. "Karofsky came by and mocked me, and my dad saw. When he asked me what else was going on, he made me tell him."

Blaine sighs, rubbing the heel of his palm against his eye. He takes a breath, asking, "So what's gonna happen now?"

"We're meeting his Karofsky and his father tomorrow with the principal," Kurt answers, still sounding so exhausted and defeated. Blaine wishes that he could lift some of this burden of his shoulders, but he doesn't know how.

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Blaine tries, hoping that his chirpy demeanor can get Kurt's hopes up. It does most days, but Blaine's still having a hard time figuring out which days those are.

It's clearly not today, because Kurt just lets out a long, tired-sounding breath, saying, "I don't know. I just want this all to end."

Blaine bites his lip, not knowing what to say to make this better when Kurt finally says, "I have to go, Blaine. I have flower arrangements to make and Finn needs help with something about his tux."

"Yeah, of course," he replies, still unsure of what to do. All he knows is that he feels awful for not doing more. "Bye, Kurt."

"Bye."

.x.

Blaine's phone buzzes on his desk, where he sits in his dorm with his textbook. Deciding that whatever Wes wants him to do for tomorrow's rehearsal is better than Algebra, he picks it up and reads the message.

But the text isn't from Wes.

From Kurt, 3:34pm
HE'S EXPELLED!

Blaine doesn't think twice before hitting the call button from the text.

"He's expelled?" he asks, before Kurt even gets a chance to say anything. "How? Are you okay? Oh my god, Kurt –"

"Yes!" Kurt exclaims, ecstatic and the happiest Blaine's heard Kurt since finding out about his father's engagement. "My principal expelled him once I told her what happened and – god, I still can't believe myself and –"

"Kurt, that's wonderful!" Blaine butts in, joyful for his friend. "That's amazing!"

"I know!" Kurt agrees, taking a long breath. "I feel like I can finally breathe again."

"I'm happy for you," Blaine replies, smiling even though he knows Kurt can't see.

"Well, if it wasn't for you I don't even think I would've made it this far to see him getting expelled," Kurt says quietly after a moment. "So thank you."

"Any time," Blaine replies, promises, hoping Kurt knows that he really means it.

.x.

From Blaine, 10:01pm
can't call tonight, date night went a little longer than usual. sorry! :(

From Kurt, 10:11pm
It's fine, today's been exhausting anyway

From Blaine, 10:12pm
long day?

From Kurt, 10:14pm
Too long. But I'm fine. Jersey Shore reruns are keeping me entertained!

From Blaine, 10:15pm
you're substituting me for trashy reality tv? kurt, that hurts! ;O

From Kurt, 10:16pm
You're stupid

From Blaine, 10:16pm
it's endearing!

From Kurt, 10:17pm
And how that's possible is a mystery I will never solve

From Blaine, 10:18pm
so i'll see you tomorrow?

From Kurt, 10:22pm
12pm sharp! Don't forget: do NOT wear any blue or purple, it's going to clash horribly with the theme

From Blaine, 10:23pm
of course

.x.

"Excellent wedding, I have to say," Harmony compliments quietly into Blaine's ear. "But the leads were a little off on their –"

"Harmony," Blaine warns in a low voice. "Wedding, remember? Not a competition?"

"But they're your competition," she reminds him. Blaine gives her a look, and she shrugs, simply stating, "Just thought I'd remind you for Sectionals, Blaine."

Blaine rolls his eyes, shaking his head. Always looking out for the enemy, he thinks.

Harmony's comments aside, Blaine's enjoying the Hummel-Hudson wedding. He sang along with the McKinley glee club as they walked down the aisle, smiled as Burt and Carole exchanged their vows, cheered during their kiss. Blaine hasn't officially met the man yet, but despite Burt's somewhat terrifying papa bear-esque demeanor, Blaine can see the gentleness in Burt's eyes. Carole seems to be a very kind woman too, if what she said to Kurt is anything to go by.

(Blaine's glad that Kurt has such a supportive family. Dysfunctional, perhaps, but supportive nonetheless.)

Once everyone makes their way into the reception hall, Blaine takes his seat with Harmony and a few other attendants who seem to be Carole's coworkers. Pleasantries are passed around along with their meal, and eventually, one by one various men and women go up to the stage for a speech about the newlyweds. Blaine smiles, catching Kurt's eye every so often and giving him a grin and a thumbs up, to which Kurt returns a relieved smile back.

Someone Blaine is almost 100% sure is New Directions glee club teacher finishes a great rendition of Sway for Burt and Carole's first dance, and he calls up Finn – the giant of a step-brother Kurt's now managed to acquire – for a speech. It leads into a wonderful performance of Just the Way You Are, where Blaine is surprised by the fact that Finn dances openly with Kurt. Eventually, Harmony drags him onto the floor, and Blaine twirls her around with a chuckle, the both of them singing along with Finn.

They're on their way back to their seats when Blaine feels a tap on his shoulder.

"Hello," one of the brunettes in New Directions greets. "I'm Rachel Berry, co-captain of the New Directions, and I'd like to have a dance with you. You're the lead singer of the Warblers, right?"

Blaine nods mutely, but out of the corner of his eye, he can see Harmony fuming, her mouth dropping open to say something. Here we go, he thinks.

"Excuse me," Harmony butts in, clearing her throat. "I'm his girlfriend and –"

"Harmony," Blaine says, a hand reaching out to soothe her. He doesn't get a chance to speak further because then Rachel says, "Oh, I'm sorry. But don't worry, my boyfriend – that's Finn over there – knows that this will be strictly platonic."

She says it with such a sickeningly sweet smile, it almost freaks Blaine out how similar it is to Harmony when she's onto something. Which, now that he thinks about it, Rachel probably is.

"It's fine," he says to Harmony, his thumb rubbing slow circles on her hand. "You'll be okay?"

She rolls her eyes, a clear sign that this isn't worth her time anymore, a hand flapping him away. "Go," she says, and Blaine can see the quirk of Rachel's eyebrow out of the corner of his eye.

Turning to Rachel with a smile, he says, "Lead the way."

She claps excitedly before turning on her heel and skipping to the center of the dance floor. Blaine's just about to follow her when Harmony tugs on his arm, bringing his ear close to her lips and whispering, "At least get some good dirt on the glee club while you dance with her." Blaine gives her a look, which she only returns with arched brow, and he sighs, relenting.

"Only for you," he replies softly, kissing her forehead. He smiles at her, and she grins back, nodding her head to the dance floor where Rachel's waiting. Blaine walks over to her, hand reaching out, and asks, "May I have this dance?

.x.

Blaine's long since tuned out Rachel's ongoing chatter – which Blaine is 95% sure are fake plans New Directions are "using" for Sectionals – watching Kurt and Harmony talk quietly at their table.

He doesn't know what they're talking about (he's never been the best at reading lips), but they seem to be at ease – a relief, because Blaine feels bad for introducing them to each other so late. He watches as Kurt speaks, his hands moving animatedly, as Harmony nods her head in the way Blaine knows she's actually listening. He's glad that they're not arguing. Over what, Blaine isn't sure, but he's happy to know that two important people in his life (because that's what Kurt is now) are starting off well.

The song ends, and the two blondes and the really pretty Latina taking their bow before leaving. Blaine parts from Rachel, pretending that he doesn't see her pout, and claps.

"Thanks for the dance, Rachel," Blaine says pleasantly, "but I think my girlfriend's waiting for me now." He gives her a polite smile and a handshake.

"My pleasure, I have a duet with Finn anyways," Rachel says, giving Blaine's hand a pump where they're joined together. Blaine's beginning to leave when she calls out, "And remember: our plans for Sectionals are kept between us!" She gives him a very pointed wink and grin before skipping away to Kurt's step-brother.

Shaking his head, Blaine makes his way back over to his table, eyebrows rising in delighted surprise when he only sees Kurt sitting down.

"Hey," he greets, taking a seat next to Kurt's. Kurt smiles at him in reply, and Blaine takes a look around the table to find Harmony, but not seeing her around. "Where's Harmony?"

"Ladies room." Blaine watches as Kurt takes a sigh before saying, "I'm in your seat, I should probably go –"

"No!" Blaine interrupts. This is the first time he's gotten time to sit and talk to Kurt. Blaine wants to know how he's holding up. "It's fine, really. Unless you have somewhere to go – ?"

Kurt shakes his head, and Blaine watches his styled hair bouncing slightly at the movement. For a brief moment, he wonders how angry Kurt would be if it got messed up.

"I could check if my father has yet to sneak any desserts he's not allowed to have," Kurt ponders out loud, "but I suppose that could wait another moment or so." Kurt looks at him with a perfectly, slightly arched brow, tossing Blaine a tiny smile before looking back to the dance floor.

Blaine chuckles, a hand coming to rub at the hair on his neck. They sit with a comfortable silence between them, watching as Burt and Carole laugh and dance happily at the centre of the floor.

"The wedding's fantastic," Blaine eventually compliments, hoping the words sound as genuine as he means them to be. "You did great with it."

"Thanks," Kurt chuckles, giving Blaine another smile, and Blaine's not sure why a tingling sensation begins to buzz through his skin. All he did was make Kurt genuinely smile.

"You're welcome," he says. "Hey, what were you and Harmony talking about earlier? You both seemed really interested."

"Show choir. Her school really doesn't have one?" Kurt asks, his head shaking in disbelief. When Blaine nods in affirmation, Kurt simply blinks in surprise, his arms crossing. "Sounds awful," he reveals quietly. "Glee club's the only reason why I even bother with my school some days."

Blaine looks at Kurt carefully, measuring the quiet that's between them.

"Sorry," Kurt says with a shake of his head and an apologetic smile. "This is a wedding, not Kurt dumps all his problems."

"It's okay, really!" Blaine assures him. "You can talk to me, remember?"

Kurt just gives him a weak one-shouldered shrug. "It's fine, Blaine, really." He stands up before Blaine can get a word in edgewise. "I should probably go check on my dad now," Kurt says. "Tell Harmony I said it was great to finally meet her."

"Alright, I'll see you around, Kurt," but Kurt's gone before Blaine even finishes his goodbye.

Blaine's still looking at Kurt walking away that he doesn't notice Harmony walking toward their table with a plate of fruit drenched in chocolate. She takes her seat, popping a chocolate covered cherry in her mouth and asking around the berry, "Where'd Kurt go?"

"Talking to his dad," Blaine replies softly, still looking at the path Kurt went. He shakes his head, turning to his girlfriend, saying, "I heard you guys were talking about show choir."

Harmony nods, popping another piece of fruit into her mouth and swallowing before humming an 'mhm'. "Nice guy, okay glee club, from what I found out."

"Harmony," Blaine sighs softly. He knows that his girlfriend means well, even if it comes across differently.

"I'm not sorry, Blaine," she simply says, plucking a chocolate tuxedoed strawberry from her plate. "I just wanted to look out for you. You never know if he's only pretending," Harmony says earnestly. Blaine gives her a tiny smile, before leaning forward to peck her quickly on the lips. When he pulls away, he can still taste the fruit and chocolate on his lips.

"Thank you," he says quietly, smiling when she chuckles at him feeding her another cherry.

.x.

Things get busy for Blaine after the wedding, so he doesn't catch up with Kurt until a few days after. There are texts of "how are you" and "Fine, but my god what is Rachel wearing today?" between classes and during lunch, but Sectionals are steadily getting closer and Blaine has to catch up with the homework he missed over the weekend because he attended Burt's wedding.

It's just before Warbler rehearsal one afternoon that he gets the text.

From Kurt, 3:58pm
I'm transferring

Blaine pays no attention to Wes' call behind him, nor does he care about the rest of the Council's groans or exasperation as he runs out of the room, his fingers working fast on his phone to get a hold of Kurt.

It takes two rings before Kurt finally picks up.

"Hello?"

"You're transferring?" Blaine asks in lieu of a greeting, still walking away from rehearsal. Nick can cover for him anyway.

Kurt doesn't reply as Blaine makes his way down the halls of Dalton, turning into an empty hallway before ducking into an alcove.

"Kurt?" Blaine tries, making his voice a little more even than earlier. "It's okay, you can tell me."

He hears Kurt sigh heavily on the other end, and Blaine can already imagine how exhausted Kurt must be.

"Karofsky's coming back because the school board overruled his expulsion," Kurt eventually explains, his voice quiet, tired, and Blaine can hear the hint of fear laced in his words. "There were no witnesses to his harassment so they allowed him back to the school."

"Oh, Kurt..."

He hears Kurt sniff, and Blaine's arms begin to itch to hold Kurt close, to at least let Kurt know that he's not alone.

"I told my friends during glee today," Kurt continues after a gulp. "They-they-they – I just –" but he doesn't finish because his voice cracks.

"Kurt," Blaine says, hoping his voice sounds as assuring and confident as he doesn't feel. "It's going to be okay –"

"They-they were all I had l-left, you know?" Kurt sputters, and Blaine aches just hearing Kurt feel this way.

"It's okay," he says, but he doesn't like the lingering taste of the lie on his tongue. "Your safety's the most important thing, right?"

"I know, I know, it just," Kurt breathes, an audible whoosh that Blaine hears through his phone's receiver. "It's hard."

"It's alright, it's not like you won't ever see them again," he says, hoping that it gives Kurt a bit of hope.

Blaine listens as Kurt sniffs, taking another breath. He stays silent as Kurt collects himself, letting out his own sigh of relief when Kurt's breathing becomes more even.

"Thank you," Kurt eventually croaks, his voice hoarse from his crying.

"You don't need to thank someone for being there for you," Blaine points out, because it's really the least any friend can do.

"Yes, I do," Kurt says through another deep breath. "You listened when no one else wanted to."

Blaine doesn't know how to respond to that, so he tries to lighten the tension by taking a different course with the topic.

"So, where are you transferring to?" he asks conversationally. "I'm assuming it's still around Lima...?"

He doesn't expect Kurt to chuckle at his question, but it does give Blaine a surprising flutter in his heart. He doesn't even know why his heart's acting this way – it was only a bell-like giggle.

"You really haven't guessed where I'm transferring to yet, Blaine?" Kurt pokes.

Blaine furrows his brows at Kurt's rebuttal, not fully understanding where this is heading.

"No...?"

He hears Kurt laugh again, and his heart beats in that strange flutter pattern once more, before Kurt finally gives in.

"Blaine, I'm coming to Dalton."