As Blaine went over to tell Lola something she “just had to know”, Kurt let himself ponder. He didn’t know why he was flirting so openly. This was not how he normally acted and there was a high chance he would scare him away but he found he just didn’t care. It felt so easy to talk to Blaine about anything and everything, they slot so well together he forgot why he hid away.

Blaine. He was gorgeous. His clothes fit his body perfectly, showing off his toned arms and contrasting beautifully with his skin. It was a slight honey warm colour, his dark curly hair falling in a few wisps over it. He has the most beautiful hazel eyes, with flecks of every emotion hiding in each colour, which made Kurt’s heart beat irrationally. He smelt of a citrus cologne and coffee - contrasting deliciously with Kurt’s peach cologne, may he add - and had a smooth voice like melted butter.

Woah, Kurt. Don’t get ahead of yourself. How could he like someone like you?

It was true. Kurt was proud of who he was, but all of the people relentlessly insulting him was seeping into his thoughts and breaking his fa�ade. No matter how much he tried, Kurt didn’t love himself like he used to.

“Do you erm-do you have any musical activities?” Blaine questioned gently. Kurt’s head shot up and Blue eyes met Brown (Brown? Who was Kurt kidding? They were more like hazel! And gold too, yellow and green even-)

“You like music!?” Kurt beamed, but still looked slightly held back to an observant eye.

“Yeah, like piano and..singing” Blaine murmured the last part quietly, but Kurt just grinned, teeth and all, and it was undeniably adorable,

“That’s great! I would say join glee club but it puts you right to the bottom and-”

“Are you in Glee Club?”

“…yes?”

“Then I’ll join. If-” Blaine referred to Kurt with figurative movements and dashing smiles, “you are at the bottom, then who would want to be at the top?”

Kurt blushed and chuckled at the slight second meaning that could be found, and saw Blaine frown as the cogs worked, first wondering whether the compliment had been too much and then spluttering loudly, “Not that no-one would want to have sex with you bottoming, I mean that must be awesome. Not that I assume you do that, I mean, I don’t think you are a slut. I just meant…you’re really attractive, like perfection and I don’t - shit!” He cut himself off and waited for Kurt to slap him and walk off.

“It’s okay, I-er-know what you meant. It’s fine!” Kurt giggled while fighting back his smile, because Blaine just called him attractive and more, and he was extremely adorable when he rambled,

“Yeah! So when’s it on?”

“Woah there! Hold your horses. You might want to wait til’ you meet Rachel before you decide…”

-----------------

The doors to the canteen swung open.

“Kurt. Kurt!” a small and decidedly annoying girl with brown bangs walked up to them, hands clenched and obviously storming,

“I hear you’re not even trying to get a solo for Sectionals! I would say you’ve come to your senses, but I reckon it’s something more, now I-”

“Rachel, this is Blaine and Lola” Kurt cut her off and her mouth snapped shut, looking at the strangers, “Blaine and Lola, this is the little thing we call Rachel, the gift that keeps on giving us a supportive attitude and the perfect amount of songs to make it fair for all” Kurt said tiredly, voice dripping with sarcasm,

“And as for the song, Rachel” Kurt added, “I’m just tired. I don’t want to be chasing after something I can’t have”.

Blaine turned to Kurt slowly. He did look extremely tired,

“I’m sure you could have it if you wanted” Blaine murmured quietly, unheard by everyone but Kurt, who only showed he heard by a small smile without making eye contact.

Lola walked forward with a smile and took Rachel’s hand. Blaine wondered if Lola had been with them the whole time, he felt guilty but he was rather distracted.

“Hello, I’m Lola!” Rachel was momentarily stunned until she grinned back disarmingly and shook her hand back, “That’s a wonderful sweater you’ve got there!” Lola exclaimed.

Kurt’s eyes widened twice the size as Blaine rolled his eyes fondly,

“Lola’s too nice, she’ll compliment someone on anyone to get into their good books” Blaine leaned closer to Kurt, “Even if it’s obviously a lie” Kurt chuckled softly as his heart starting leaping rhythmically at the closeness when Blaine made no move to lean back. He knew he was clutching blindly at strings of hope, but he forgot why he should care so much.

“Hey homo!” Karofsky sneered as he pushed Kurt into Blaine. He lingered his hand on Kurt’s body for a millisecond too long, unnoticeable to anyone but Kurt and him as he stroked softly at his upper thigh, a feather light touch that could easily be a mistake. It wasn’t. Kurt whipped around to see Karofsky and almost gagged when he saw Karofsky wink and an evil gleam behind his lust filled eyes.

Kurt suppressed a shiver and blinked down tears, before realizing he was in Blaine’s arms, Blaine’s arms wrapped protectively around his waist and he was watching Kurt intently. Kurt tried to feel the same happiness he did mere moments ago, but found it hard to focus on Blaine’s fingers stroking at his hips over the mantra of escape, run, protect yourself, this is why your guards are up.

A few weeks ago he confronted Karofsky and he had suddenly pressed his stale hamburger tasting lips around Kurt’s and attempted to do more.

Kurt leapt out of Blaine’s arms, hearing thoughts of ugliness, weak, used, dirty. He looked back at everything that happened with Blaine and realised Blaine was just being nice, taking pity on the poor boy that was bullied. Kurt noticed Blaine flinch when he leapt out of his embrace. That cemented it. When he thought Kurt wasn’t looking, he flinched. Probably out of disgust. I mean, who cares if he’s gay? Who wants a pale lanky thing throwing himself onto him?

Kurt laughed nervously and slipped easily into the conversation between Rachel and Lola, trying to think of a way to either separate the group and leave with Rachel or find a reasonable excuse to run to the toilet and cry his eyes out.

Blaine stood there stunned. In the space of a minute, Kurt had visibly changed from a flirty funny beautiful man into a shell of himself, guarded with thick walls and hiding his true self. Blaine noticed, he’d done it enough times around his mother. It all happened when that guy pushed Kurt. Blaine just wanted to grab Kurt and hold him so tightly all his walls crumbled beneath them. He wanted to tell him he was stunning inside and out, he could tell already, and to ignore the idiots that hurt him.

That was third on the list right after punching that guy who hurt Kurt (he thinks his name is Karofsky?) in the face and kissing Kurt senseless.

A little early but, the heart wants what the heart wants.

Blaine walked over to Kurt, making sure not to step into his new personal space this fa�ade had created and tried to say off-handedly,

“So now I’ve met Rachel, may I join glee club?”

Kurt looked up shocked. Why did this curly haired boy have to come in and make every shield he’d used to protect himself seem unnecessary? Why did he make Kurt feel like he was floating with one smile. Like he meant something to someone. Meant something to Blaine. Kurt shook his head. Blaine was relentless.

“You actually want to join?” He spat out, eyes full of hope but face schooled into his bitch-please face, voice sharp and cutting deep.

“Y-yes. I-why would I say I wanted to if I didn’t?” Blaine inputted, almost shyly. Shy? Around Kurt? Kurt wasn’t worth any feeling from the other boy. But when Blaine looked at him like that, he could almost think he was.

He was still dubious, though. He didn’t think he ever wouldn’t be that.

He side eyed Blaine,

“There’s one after school today, but-”

“Great!” Blaine grinned, leaning in closer and effectively cutting Kurt off, “I’ll be there”

He turned to say something to Lola and softly brushed his hand on Kurt’s as he did so.

“Yeah” Kurt mumbled, looking down at Blaine’s hand which was unintentionally (Kurt thought) touching his, “I don’t doubt you will”