“What do you mean?” Blaine looked up shyly from his coffee. Kurt had taken Blaine to the cafeteria in Dalton, which Blaine thought looked more like a fancy coffee shop, and Kurt had explained this was the daytime lounge and that they had a full dining room for meals. Blaine was in awe of this school.

“Well, it’s clear you’re not the new kid, no one forgets their jacket, you would have been picked up by a teacher by now, spying are you?” Kurt smiled warmly and Blaine relaxed. Kurt had caught him out but he didn’t look like he was going to do anything about it.

“Do you usually buy your spies coffee?” Blaine asked with a slightly awkward laugh, slightly embarrassed. Blaine wasn’t nearly as confident as he appeared in front of his friends in the New Directions, or half as confident as Kurt appeared.

“Only if they appear to have an ulterior motive” Kurt smiled, “I also think you weren’t just spying, you seemed far too interested in the inner workings of the school, not just the Warblers, to be a true show choir spy.” Kurt said kindly.

“How?” Blaine just looked at Kurt open mouthed, how did the chestnut haired boy get inside of his head?

Can I ask you a question?” Blaine voiced after a few moments of silence. Kurt nodded, smiling encouragingly.

“Are you gay?” Blaine asked quietly, appearing very interested in his coffee.

“I am, but this is not a gay school, we just have a zero tolerance harassment policy, everyone gets treated the same, no exceptions, bullying isn’t tolerated.” Kurt explained kindly, a hand covering Blaine's around the coffee cup.

Blaine’s breathing hitched in his throat.

“I take it you’re having trouble at school?” Kurt looked into Blaine's eyes as if he could see right into Blaine’s soul and it made the shorter boy want to just pour out his heart to someone he had known barely an hour.

“I, well I, I'm the only person out of the closet at my school, and well, not everyone is as accepting as they are here, there’s this one jock who has made it his mission to make my life a living hell and no one seems to notice, and if they do they just don’t care. My friends are sympathetic enough but they don’t understand, not really. The Glee Club at my school, well, we are losers, and we get slushied but it’s worse for me and this one Neanderthal seems to be out to get me at any chance.” Blaine said as his eyes welled up, tears threatening to spill over.

Kurt's hand lingered over Blaine’s longer than should.
“I know how you feel” Kurt nodded as Blaine looked at him a little disbelieving, seeing only the safety of the walls of Dalton. “I was bullied at my old school, even when I wasn’t out, I couldn’t exactly hide it” Kurt chuckled dryly looking himself up and down.

It was true Kurt was very feminine looking, it was clear he cared about his appearance a lot more than most boys and with a high pitched voice he would be more than likely taunted anyway.

Blaine looked up at Kurt, understanding flowed between the two boys’ eye contact and they held each other’s gaze. This was the first time Blaine had found someone that truly understood what he was going through and he felt more relaxed than he had in so long.

Blaine couldn’t remember a time he felt this at home. Even in his house he couldn’t relax, not with his parents there. Blaine's brother Cooper was the only one who could make him relax, and that wasn’t even the same as how he felt right now.

“I was lucky, Blaine, I left my old school and came here” Kurt said waving a hand around absent minded,

“but I understand that’s not an option for everyone, Dalton’s a private school and that doesn’t come cheap. But you have a chance Blaine, to stand up to them, to show them nothing can hurt you, that your strong. I ran away and I regret that every day, but you, you have a chance to do some good.” Kurt smiled encouragingly.

Blaine could see the pain in Kurt's eyes and he understood that. Every time he ran away from Karofsky and his other tormenters Blaine felt week and wished he could stand up to them. Maybe he could one day, maybe with Kurt’s help.

“Just have courage, Blaine” Kurt smiled, hand still over Blaine’s.