“Hey! Blaine, wait up!” A vaguely familiar voice called down the hall and Blaine turned to see the owner of said voice. Kurt, who hadn’t spoken to Blaine since the Rachel incident, was hurrying to catch up with him. Blaine slowed down, a look of confusion on his face, as Kurt started talking to him. “So, I was wondering if you could help me with something. I have this test next week in Chem and I cannot seem to grasp the concepts. I know I should get a formal tutor, but you’re really good at science and I’d be more comfortable if it was someone I knew.” Kurt explained and Blaine found himself wondering what had been hard enough to make Kurt Hummel, who was actually very good at science himself, which Blaine knew for a fact, come to Blaine for help. Not to say that he wasn’t pleased, Blaine genuinely enjoyed Kurt’s company. He had even harbored a crush on him back in his preteens when Kurt spent nearly everyday at his house. Blaine had been young and Kurt was his older sister’s best friend, it was so clich� he couldn’t have made it up. Lately though, he hadn’t really thought one way or another about Kurt, ever since he and Rachel had stopped talking and Kurt had stopped spending time at the Anderberry house.
“…I mean it’s this Friday, so if we could start working on those concepts as soon as possible it’d be really helpful. So, what do you think?” Blaine was startled out of his reverie.

“Yes, I can do that. I have a free period next if you can work on it then, otherwise we can meet in the library after school.” Blaine replied.

“Oh, well, I have French next, but I’m sure I can get out of it if I tell Madame I am going to study hall.” Kurt said before heading towards his French class. He turned back to Blaine before leaving, “I’ll go get excused and meet you in the library in ten!” Blaine nodded and turned to pull his books out of his locker before making his way to the library.

~

Kurt Hummel had no idea what he was thinking. Ever since he had heard “I’m gay,” come out of Blaine Anderberry’s lips he could focus on nothing else. He knew he should reach out to the boy, but he had never even met another gay kid his age, he lived in Lima, Ohio for crying out loud. Mostly he just wanted to throw a party for the two of them, so excited was he to not be the only one anymore. He figured that might not be the most appropriate way to go about telling Blaine that he knew. So, he came up with a plan.

It was pretty simple really. He just had to pretend like he didn’t understand his Chem lab from last week (which he did) and ask Blaine to go over the concepts with him. This, it turns out, was easier said than done. Kurt spent an entire week trying to go through with his plan, but every time that he thought he had built up the courage something would come up. Karofsky would turn the corner and, let’s be honest, Kurt did not have a death wish. Even though Karofsky was leaving him alone now that he was in the Cheerio’s uniform, he knew that very publicly fraternizing with Karofsky’s newest victim would mean Kurt signing his own death certificate and he just wasn’t ready for that. Kurt had watched Blaine at his locker everyday, waiting for Karofsky to leave. However, oftentimes Blaine would hurry to class too quickly for Kurt to catch up to him; so, when Blaine remained at his locker after Karofsky had shoved him, Kurt took his chance, calling Blaine’s name before he could hurry down the hall.

Blaine, to Kurt’s relief, seemed more than happy, although admittedly a little confused, to help Kurt. So, Kurt smiled as he made his way back to the library to meet Blaine, until he arrived and found what was waiting for him. Blaine was sitting at a table in the back, obviously trying to ignore Azimio as he taunted him endlessly, “did you hear that girly boy? We don’t want you here! So, take your gay little bowties and scram!” As Kurt watched from behind the bookshelf, the taunts became more and more aggravated, until Azimio was actually pulling Blaine’s papers from him and throwing them on the floor. When Blaine still ignored him, Azimio, fed up that he couldn’t get a rise out of him, reached across the table and grabbed Blaine, who was promptly beginning to turn a very unhealthy shade of red, by the collar. He snarled in his face as he went off about why Blaine wasn’t going to amount to anything because of his sexuality.

Kurt knew that the librarian hadn’t noticed, Mrs. Little was close to eighty and generally had her hearing aids turned off while at work, although she would never admit it. Kurt ached to help Blaine; he knew the pain that Karofsky and Azimio so often inflicted first hand. He was also terrified. Kurt had chosen to live in complete solidarity rather than put up with their brutality any longer, he couldn’t go back to the constant fear that he had barely managed to survive.

Suddenly, Blaine, who Azimio had yet to let go of, noticed Kurt watching from the sidelines. His eyes pleaded with Kurt for help, and, for a moment, Kurt stepped out from his hiding place about to say something to make Azimio put Blaine down. He never got his chance though, because Azimio let go of Blaine at that moment. He shoved him hard into his chair, which promptly fell backwards, leaving Blaine choking in a pile of books and papers on the floor. Blaine looked up at Kurt once again, not yet able to talk, the pain evident in his face. Kurt took one wide eyed look at Blaine and then turned around and ran out of the library.