As soon as school let out the next day, Kurt and Blaine drove to the Lima Bean. When they saw that they had arrived before Jack Havel, Blaine offered to get the coffee while Kurt grabbed a table. Blaine hurried, unwilling to leave Kurt alone for very long. When the drinks were ready, he walked to the table, dropping into the seat next to Kurt.

“You ok?” he asked. Kurt nodded but began to fidget with his coffee, leg bouncing under the table. Blaine dropped his hand discreetly onto his boyfriend’s knee. Kurt stilled, drawing comfort from Blaine’s touch.

“Kurt Hummel?” a voice asked. The two looked up to see an unfamiliar man smiling at them.

“Yes?” Kurt said. The man wore khaki pants with a grey hoodie zipped all the way up. His wavy brown hair fell into his eyes, which were bright and friendly.

“Hey! I’m Jack!” The man introduced himself, sticking his hand out. Kurt shook it hesitantly. This was his lawyer? This man didn’t look as though he’d graduated high school, much less law school.

“Nice to meet you,” Kurt said. “I’m Kurt, and this is my boyfriend Blaine.”

Blaine, who also looked slightly bewildered, shook Jack’s hand. “Thank you for coming.”

“No problem!” Jack replied. “I’m gonna go grab a drink and we’ll get started.”

He walked to the counter, leaving Kurt and Blaine alone. They looked at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say. Finally, Kurt spoke.

“Is he 12 years old?” he asked.

Blaine grinned. “I’m not sure he needs coffee with all that energy.”

Kurt laughed. By the time Jack returned, the boys had relaxed a bit.

“Alright. Let’s jump right in,” Jack said, dumping sugar into his coffee. “ Kurt, I talked to your dad, so I know the basics. Blaine, I understand you were there…?”

“That’s right,” Blaine nodded.

“Ok, good,” Jack said. “I’ll have to get your account of what happened at some point. But we’ll get to that later. I’m sure you guys want to know what’s gonna happen right now.”

Both boys nodded.

“Ok. Well, the first thing I’m going to do is file charges against this boy, on Kurt’s behalf. I’m pretty sure the trial will be started relatively fast. No one wants to let this kind of thing sit on the back burner. The school has already expelled the kid, is that right?”

Again, the boys nodded.

“Good, that should help your case,” Jack paused, biting his lip. “Is there anyone who could corroborate your story of past bullying?”

“Yes, Kurt told him. “Blaine can. And everybody in my Glee club.”

“Ok, good,” Jack said. “Kurt, I’m really sorry this happened to you. I will do my absolute best to win this case. Do you have any questions? About anything?”

“Um, yeah,” Kurt said. “Why are you doing this?”

Jack looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, why are you doing this? Why would you drive all the way from Columbus to help the poor little gay kid and ask for nothing in return?”

Jack’s face softened. “You know, I was raised in Ohio.”

“Ok,” Kurt said, confused by the change of conversation.

“But I went to California for law school,” Jack continued. “My roommate’s name was Jeremy. We were best friends- we did everything together. One night we got drunk and stumbled back to the dorm. And…we kissed. “

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other in astonishment.

Jack chuckled at their expressions. “I don’t remember much more about that night but I do remember think that that one kiss was the best one I’d ever had. Definitely better than any kiss I’d had with a girl.”

Jack pulled out his wallet and extracted a small picture. It showed him standing next to a taller, blonde man, both in tuxedos. “We got married in New York last year.”

Kurt, who understood everything now, nodded. “Thank you for doing this for me.”

“Cases like this are the reason we came back to Ohio,” Jack told them. “I may not be able to change the whole world, Kurt. But I can certainly change yours.”