Kurt was still crying silently when the bell sounded, signalling the end of the break, but he simply could not get up. He could not face going to biology and having to face his friends. Both Tina and Rachel were in his biology class, and he did not want to have to explain to them why he was late and why he had been crying. He could not. Karofsky had threatened him, and Kurt was so scared of him. He had no idea what Karofsky might do to him, but the more he thought about it, the more he found that he could not read him at all, could not predict his actions. There was no way to tell what he was going to do and that frightened Kurt more than anything. After all, Karofsky had a lot to lose if he was outed. He was volatile now, but an outed, suddenly friendless Karofsky would be outright desperate and very dangerous. What Kurt really wanted to do was call Blaine, but Blaine had classes too and Kurt did not want him to come bursting into McKinley and going after Karofsky. That could only end badly. Besides, he was seeing Blaine after school at their usual coffee shop. Surely, he could wait a couple of hours. So instead he stayed, counting the minutes until he could no longer hear the running footsteps of the last stragglers hurrying to class, and then very quietly left the library to hide in the first bathroom he could find. He locked himself in a stall and cried as much as he dared, then washed his face, trying to make his eyes look less red and puffy. When the bell sounded again, he made himself leave the safety of the bathroom and go to English. He felt oddly calm on the outside, as if the world around him did not matter and was nothing to do with him. He looked nobody in the eye, moved dreamily down the corridor and plunked down on the chair beside Puck. He, at least, would not ask any questions, as he was currently busy filling his notebook with lewd doodles.

The class seemed to stretch, seemed to last three normal classes, but finally, finally it was over and Kurt just had glee club before he could run to his car and flee. He walked to the choir room in the same calm haze. It did not even lift when he was pushed out of the way and into a locker by Azimio and two others he did not recognise so his shoulder collided with the lock, digging in, bruising. He felt the pain shooting down his arm, numbing his muscles, but he registered it in a detached way, as if he were a bystander, not the one steadying himself after the blow. It took Mercedes’ gasp when she saw him to discover the tiny bloodstains on his sleeve, meaning that the sharp edge of the lock had actually punctured his skin, and even then he could only muster a feeble shrug and a mumbled explanation. He all but ignored her concerned whisper and was relieved when Mr Schuester came in, a flurry of sheet music and endless enthusiasm. He did not fight Rachel for a solo, did not comment when Sam came in late sporting what was obviously a large hickey on his neck, and left his seat only very reluctantly to sway in the background for their group number. By the time Mr Schuester had set their assignment for the following week, the bell was ringing and Kurt was halfway out of his seat. He called a hurried goodbye to Mercedes, waved at Rachel and Tina and was out of the choir room before anybody could call him back. He felt his calm shell crack and crumble and he all but ran to his car, slammed the door and sat breathing heavily, clutching the steering wheel with trembling hands. It took him several minutes of just breathing before he could start the car and make his way toward the Lima Bean.

When he got there, Blaine was already waiting for him at their usual table, two steaming cups of coffee in front of him. He looked up when Kurt entered, beamed and waved him over. However, his smile fell when he took in the look on Kurt’s face.
“Colin! What’s wrong?”
Kurt felt his lower lip wobble and before he knew it, he was engulfed in Blaine, wrapped in warm, protective arms and finally safe. He could not help it. He let out a tiny gasp of a sob. Blaine said nothing, but tightened his arms around him and swayed slowly from side to side, humming very quietly and pressing little kisses to his hair and neck. Kurt had no idea how long they stayed like that, wrapped in each other and lost to the world, but eventually his sobs died down and Blaine pulled away to snatch a couple of tissues from the dispenser on the table next to them. He handed them to Kurt who mopped up his face as well as he could and blew his nose. The trumpeting sound made Blaine’s eyes widen and he looked for a second as if he was fighting down a smile.
“Are you ready to tell me what happened?”
Kurt nodded and offered a watery smile that turned into a wince when Blaine grabbed his left wrist, bruised by Karofsky’s strong hand, to lead him to the table again. He gasped out and Blaine immediately let go. He looked outraged when he saw the bruising spreading out under Kurt’s sleeve.
“You’re hurt! Your poor wrist!”
“Yeah. My shoulder too. Nothing too bad, though. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”
Blaine’s voice was full of concern.
“But you’re bleeding, Colin. Your sleeve. Your shoulder!”
“It’s fine. It’s – “
“It’s not fine. Come on. You’re coming home with me so I can have a look at that. At the very least, you’ll need to get it cleaned and I can lend you a clean shirt so you won’t have to walk around in blood-stained clothes.”
He picked up Kurt’s bag despite his protests, took his right arm very gently and led him out of the shop.
The drive gave Kurt time to think. He had to tell Blaine about Karofsky. He needed to tell somebody or he would go crazy and Blaine would understand. He had been bullied himself, so he knew what it was like and he would not tell anybody else if Kurt asked him not to. And it had felt so good to be held, comforted and calmed down. If Kurt were to break down again while telling him about the library, he would be safe in Blaine’s arms until he had cried himself out. And, a little voice in the back of his mind could not help adding, if Blaine was going to lend him his clothes then who cared about the emergency set in his bag? He would much rather wear something that smelled like Blaine.
A middle-aged woman greeted them in the doorway. She was tiny, with black hair pulled back in a neat bun and almond-shaped eyes. She smiled when Blaine hugged her and her eyes grew curious when they landed on Kurt who was hovering awkwardly in the background. Blaine pulled back, reached out for Kurt’s hand and twined their fingers together.
“Mum, this is Colin, my boyfriend. Colin, meet my mum.”
Mrs Anderson beamed and rushed forward to shake his hand. Kurt fumbled for a moment before sending her what he hoped was a winning smile.
“Hello Mrs Anderson. H-how are you?”
“Oh, call me Monica, dear. It’s very nice to meet you. Blaine talks about you morning, noon and night.”
Blaine let out an embarrassed chuckle, cheeks pinking a little.
“Mum. Colin hurt his shoulder, so we’re just going to go up and see if we can clean it up a bit.”
Mrs Anderson’s smile fell when her eyes landed on Kurt’s blood-stained sleeve.
“Oh, poor dear! Yes, of course, come in, come in.”
She ushered them inside and disappeared down the hall only to return with a first aid kit and some disinfectant.
“There you go, sweetheart. Now, do you need anything else? Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
Kurt shook his head.
“We came straight from the coffee shop, actually. But thank you.”
Mrs Anderson positively beamed at Blaine.
“Oh, he is such a sweetheart, Blaine.”
Kurt felt the heat rise in his cheeks and saw a matching blush on Blaine’s face. Blaine cleared his throat.
“Yeah. Um. We’ll just be in my room, then. You know, if you need us.”
And he steered Kurt gently out of the hall and all the way to his room.
It took Kurt a good twenty minutes to tell Blaine about what had happened in the library. At first, Blaine kept forgetting he was supposed to be cleaning Kurt’s bleeding shoulder, because he kept staring at it and at his arms as well. Kurt was ready to burst with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement, because he was shirtless in Blaine’s room and Blaine was staring. It was definitely a positive kind of staring, judging by the constant blush creeping towards Blaine’s hairline. However, he was relieved when it was over, his shoulder bandaged and stinging slightly, and he could hide in one of Blaine’s old Dalton sweatshirts. It smelled positively divine.
He finally started talking, and about halfway through the story, Blaine shuffled over and pulled him into his arms. When he had finally finished, there was silence, but he could feel Blaine shaking. His voice was quiet when he spoke, but there was no doubt he was angry.
“I can’t believe he did that! I mean, not only does he bully you on a daily basis, but he actually has the nerve to corner you like that. He assaulted you! Threatened you!”
Kurt burrowed deeper into his arms.
“Did you report him?”
“No. I just wanted to get out as fast as possible.”
“But you have to report him. Colin, he can’t get away with this!”
Kurt sniffled and buried his head in Blaine’s cardigan.
“I can’t. I can’t out someone against their will.”
“But he – “
“And he threatened me. He said he’d kill me if I told anybody.”
Blaine’s eyes had lost their fire now. They only looked concerned and sad.
“He’s got so much to lose, Blaine. If I tell, he’ll lose his friends, his popularity and, maybe even his place on the football team. He’d be the big, threatening gay guy with a history of sexual assault and they would turn on him. I’m not sure he’d want to stay on the team, then. That could mean he won’t go to college. He’s probably hoping for a football scholarship. If I take all that away from him, then I don’t know what he’ll do. I’ll be much safer, just staying quiet.”
“But he kissed – “
“Yes, and it was horrible, but it was only one kiss. I’m sure he regrets it and won’t do it again, and if he does, I’ll report him.”
Blaine looked defeated, but gave him a careful squeeze.
“Okay. I just… I just want you to be safe.”
“I am, I think. I feel very safe right now.”
“That’s because Blainezilla is protecting you with his mighty muscles.”
Kurt giggled and pulled away to give Blaine a critical look.
“You do realise that adding zilla to your name won’t make you taller, right?”
“Always with the height. Size is no guarantee of power, you know. I’m pretty sure I’m stronger than you, anyway.”
“Oh, really?”
“Really. I could carry you anywhere and it would be no problem at all.”
Kurt snorted.
“Please. You could not. Face it, Anderson. You’re a hobbit.”
“And I shall protect you from the orcs!”
And with that, he scooped Kurt up in his arms and carried him downstairs and into the kitchen, where, at Kurt’s squealed protests, a bemused Mrs Anderson looked up from the newspaper she was reading. She chuckled a little when Blaine put Kurt down a little abruptly and he almost fell over.
“Can I get you boys anything?”
Blaine righted himself, like a dog called to attention.
“Cookies!”
Mrs Anderson laughed and Kurt wondered how he had found himself the boyfriend of a five-year-old.
As Kurt was leaving, feeling thoroughly full after far too many cookies, Mrs Anderson pulled him aside.
“You seem like such a nice boy, Colin. I’m glad Blaine met you. You should come for dinner some time. Blaine’s father isn’t home much because he travels so much with his job, but I’m sure he would love to meet you when he’s next in town.”
Kurt fought to keep a smile on his face. Blaine’s father. But Mrs Anderson looked so excited and she had been so nice to him. Besides, the chance that Blaine’s father might recognise him was very slim. Even if he remembered Burt from the hearing all those years ago, Kurt knew they looked very little alike, so it was highly unlikely that Blaine’s father would make the connection. He sighed.
“Of course. I’d like that.”
Mrs Anderson gave him a warm smile.

It was that Saturday that Burt found out.
Kurt was spread out on his bed, on the phone with Blaine, his homework completely forgotten. It turned out that he would not have to worry about meeting Blaine’s father for quite a while, as he was currently in France on business and would not be back for another two or three weeks. Kurt was incredibly relieved, but tried not to let it show. Luckily, Blaine seemed to sense his unease and started talking about an exhibition he wanted to take Kurt to.
“So if you wanted, we could go tomorrow. It sounds really interesting and there’s bound to be loads of other stuff besides Gauguin.”
“Hmm. That’s your idea of a romantic date? Staring at a bunch of paintings of Polynesian women in little to no clothing? I feel so flattered and special.”
Blaine sputtered and Kurt giggled into his pillow.
“I’m joking, you simpleton! Of course I’ll go with you; it sounds absolutely wonderful and we can go for coffee or something afterwards.”
There was the sound of an exaggerated sigh, crackling a little on the line.
“I don’t know why you like to make fun of me so much. Good boyfriends don’t do that, you know. Good boyfriends are supportive and caring.”
“Well, too bad. You’re stuck with me. But on the plus side, I’ll kill the scary, scary spiders for you. Not many people would.”
“Nonono. Not kill them. You can’t kill them; that’s bad luck!”
“O…kay? Because they’re filled with luck and it’ll all run out if I smash them with a shoe?”
“No. It’s just… It just is. You have to catch them and then release them into the wild.”
“You’re asking quite a lot, you know. This is starting to sound like a whole expedition, just for one little spider.”
“But you’ll do it because I’m awesome and you want to keep me around. Because you like me.”
Kurt rolled his eyes, but there was a warm, glowing feeling in his stomach.
“Yeah yeah, Spider-Man. Listen, I’ve got to go if I want to finish my homework so I don’t have to do it tomorrow. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Okay.” There was a wet, squelching noise.
“What was that?”
“A kiss. Now you do one for me.”
“You’re insane.”
“Kiss!”
“You’re five years old, you know that? Maybe four.”
“Kiss!”
“Alright alright”. And he made a kissing noise. Blaine whooped.
“There. Satisfied?”
“For now. Talk to you later, Colin.”
“Bye.”
Kurt threw his phone on the bed and wiggled a little to reach his French textbook. He was leafing through it to get to the right page, when there was the sound of someone clearing their throat. He looked up to find his father standing in the doorway.
“So. Someone special you were talking to? Or have you started calling Mercedes Spider-Man and making kissing noises at her?”
Kurt could practically feel his blood vessels pop. Of course his father would catch him making smooching noises. Of course. Just his luck. Well, there was no way out now. His father obviously knew that he had not been talking to any of his usual friends, and kissing noises over the phone could not really be explained away with “He’s just a really affectionate friend”.
“Um. It… it wasn’t Mercedes, no.
Burt snorted.
“Didn’t think so. You gonna tell me who it was?”
“Yeah. It was… this boy… friend.”
“What?”
“It was my… boyfriend.”
“I thought so.”
“You… what?”
Burt chuckled and sat down on the bed.
“I’m not blind, kiddo, and I’m not stupid either. I see how you’re different. You’ve been different, happier these last few weeks and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why that might be. Plus, Carole had a suspicion.”
“And you’re not angry?”
“Why would I be angry?”
“I didn’t tell you. I kept it secret from you and I shouldn’t have.”
Burt looked thoughtful for a moment.
“I guess I thought you had a reason. And I figured you’d tell me eventually.”
Kurt could only gape. He had expected his father to raise his voice, to interrogate him, maybe ground him. Instead he was understanding, welcoming. Burt leaned forward, a glint in his eye.
“So. You gonna tell me about him?”
“I… I can’t tell you his name. He’s…” Kurt searched for ideas. “He’s not out to his family yet. I promised not to tell anybody.”
Burt sighed.
“That’s alright. I know not all parents are as understanding as they should be. He shouldn’t have to hide, but I can understand why he needs to.”
Kurt nodded, feeling tears pressing behind his eyes. He blinked them back and continued.
“He’s wonderful, though. He’s sweet and funny and kind. And so handsome it actually hurts a little bit. When he smiles it’s like looking directly at the sun. And he gets so excited over silly things, I mean, the guy is a puppy!”
Burt chuckled and patted the back of his hand.
“Alright kiddo, I get it.”
“I just… I really like him, dad.”
“No kidding. Just remember; he breaks your heart, I break his teeth, understood?”
Kurt sent him a weak smile.
“Yeah. And dad?”
“Hm?”
“Thanks for understanding. It means a lot. He means a lot to me.”
“I know, kiddo. As I said before; I’m not blind. It’s good to see you smiling again.”
And he got up and walked out the door, leaving Kurt with a curious twisting sensation in his stomach.