Kurt had no heart to deny that the first weekend after the first week (well, technically, first two days) of school was the more boring ever. Saturday, he finished off what homework he fell asleep doing Friday night, which only took about a good set of two hours. And then the rest of the day, he had nothing to do. Finn was out with Rachel, his father was working, Carole was busy working on her scrap-booking, and Mercedes was out of town with her family. No one to hang out with. From time to time, Kurt had seriously considered seeing if Blaine wanted to hang out, but he thought it'd be too soon for them to be on that type of speaking term.

He was thankful when Monday morning came. A full week of school, Cheerios practice, and homework ahead of him. Being busy is always better than being bored, Kurt kept telling himself. A year ago, he would be the kind to be happier bored than busy with anything having to deal with school.

Kurt picked at his turkey sandwich as he sat at his lunch table with Dave. All of his other friends had a different lunch hour, which was highly unusual.

"You're quiet today," Dave pointed out in a questionable way.

Kurt took a moment to realize Dave had said something. He blinked and shook his head slightly. "Hm?" he asked as he looked up at Dave. "Oh."

Dave cocked his head to the side slightly, his eyes narrowed on Kurt's. "Anything you wanna talk about?" he asked as he took a bite of his school cheeseburger.

Kurt shrugged his shoulders slightly and took the opportunity to take a bite of his sandwich so he could take the time while he chewed to think about what he was going to say. "Have you ever been so used to your everyday life that you got bored with it?" Kurt asked Dave in return.

Dave blinked and looked off to the distance, just like he always did when he tried to think. "Um...kinda...why?" He looked back at Kurt.

"I want something...I don't know. Life changing? To come into my life," Kurt said as he took another bite of his sandwich.

Dave seemed to have considered what Kurt said and nodded his head slowly. "I get where you're coming from. That reminds me of how I felt my Freshman and Sophomore year here," he mumbled.

Kurt chuckled softly. "So you actually got bored with bullying people?"

Dave smirked wryly. "Shut it."

"Hey Kurt. Is it okay if I sit with you guys?" a voice asked from behind Kurt.

Kurt's smile was lost in an instant as he turned his head around to look up at Blaine, who was wearing the same style he wore last Friday. He held a fresh tray of the school's daily lunch that looked untouched. Must have nowhere else to sit.

Kurt looked over at Dave, who looked somewhat confused and shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't bother me," he told Blaine.

Kurt looked back at Blaine and motioned his head to the seat next to him. "Nope. Don't mind at all," Kurt replied.

Blaine gave a small but tight smile as he quickly sat his tray down in front of his chair in a precise manor that caused Kurt to raise an eyebrow. He pulled out his chair and sat down in it. Each time Kurt comes across this Anderson kid, he shows more and more signs of just how much he really changed from two years ago. I guess it's true when they say 'a lot can change within one year'.

Blaine began eating his lunch slowly, oblivious to Dave and Kurt's curious glances. "Thanks for letting me sit here...I kinda had nowhere else to sit..." Blaine murmured.

There. Kurt saw it instantly. A flash of self-pity in Blaine's eyes. Kurt forced a smile and shook his head once. "No problem."

Kurt's red sweat band that he wore on his forearm with his Cheerio's uniform slipped down. He adjusted it just as he felt a drop of cold liquid hit his cheek and Dave take in a shocked breath followed by saying, "Whoa!" in a wow-did-you-seriously-just-do-that manor.

Kurt looked over with shocked eyes and found Blaine frozen once again, except it was green slushy that dripped down his perfectly gelled hair. Among the green liquid, ice, and green dye, Kurt recognized Blaine's lips that were formed in a straight, tight line.

Kurt looked after the jocks who did it and felt a surge of serious anger. "Fucking assholes," Kurt hissed.

"Kurt," Dave said quickly.

Kurt swung his head around quickly and glared at Dave. "What."

Dave gave him a look that screamed "calm down". He looked at Blaine and quickly got to his feet. "C'mon. Let's get him to the bathroom."

"Y'know what...um...stay here. Watch over my bag and food. I'll take him and I'll be back," Kurt said, more calmed down than a minute ago.

Dave gave him a cautious glance and nodded his head. "'Kay."

Kurt helped Blaine out of his seat, grabbed a firm but gentle grip of his forearm, and directed him out of the lunchroom of staring, whispering, and laughing students who saw what happened.

Blaine was quiet the whole journey from the cafeteria to the nearest boy's bathroom. Kurt swung the door open and pushed Blaine inside gently as Blaine staggered in, hissing at the sting that was setting in. Kurt left him by the sink as he did what he did last time. One heap of paper towels to clean off the excess slushy and another heap to clean any stickiness left off.

It felt like it was taking forever, but they hadn't been in the bathroom for more than five minutes. Blaine had his eyes scrunched closed and his mouth still in a firm, thin line. He seemed pretty upset, from the looks of it.

"You okay?" Kurt finally asked, not liking the silence.

Blaine was silent for a moment. "How did you get used to this?" Blaine asked instead.

Kurt huffed a sigh. "I had no choice but to. After about a few weeks, you'll get used to it."

"But I don't want to get used to it. I want it to stop."

Says the guy who slushied me everyday my Freshman year... "Well we can't all get what we want, Blaine," Kurt snapped.

Blaine went silent again, stricken down by Kurt's change in temper.

Kurt couldn't stop himself, nor did he have any heart to. "Shit happens. Life sucks. There's so many things in life we're going to have to do whether we like it or not. Be thankful this is your last year here. Maybe after some time, those greedy bastards will finally lay off. I mean, it is Senior Year. Isn't it supposed to be the time to relax and let things go?" Kurt rambled on as he roughly wiped away the slushy from Blaine hair and face. "But hey, whatever. I'm just lucky that by forcing myself to help out the football team and join Cheerios laid those assholes off. Even being best friends with the quarterback helps lay them off. Dave's nice and all...closest person I've been to in a long time. He even bullied me Freshman and Sophomore ye-"

"-Kurt." Blaine grabbed a hold of Kurt wrist that held the ripped paper towel he had been dragging over Blaine's face.

Kurt huffed a quick but deep breath and looked down at Blaine, a fire in his eyes of his dislike for life lately. Blaine could see it so easily.

They were silent for a moment as they just looked at each other. Blaine kept looking at Kurt with an understanding expression until Kurt relaxed and lightened up a bit.

"I...I'm sorry," Kurt murmured in a low and small voice as he threw the paper towel in his hand away and grabbed a new one for Blaine's chin. "Tilt your head back," Kurt then murmured as he grabbed Blaine's chin and lightly urged it up.

Blaine instantly tilted his head back, still looking at Kurt over his nose. Kurt wiped the slushy away from his chin, jaw, and neck.

It felt as if it were a moment of intimacy. The privacy, the silence, the deep feelings each felt, and the fact that Kurt was showing that he wanted to be Blaine friend. Little did Kurt know, Blaine was developing a crush on him.

~{*****}~

"Is Blaine okay?" Dave asked Kurt when Blaine left the lunch table to throw his tray away.

Kurt looked back at Blaine for a hesitant moment and then back at Dave, shrugging. "Do you think you could...maybe tell your friends to lay off?" Kurt asked with a cautious face.

Dave looks somewhat annoyed. "Kurt...this is Blaine Anderson we're talking about. Remember? The guy who was rude to you all Freshman year? The guy who slushied you? Kurt. That guy deserves no pity. Look at him. He's trying so hard to be different it's pathetic."

Kurt felt a little upset with the way Dave was talking about Blaine. "Yeah, well look who I'm talking to," Kurt murmured to Dave as he got to his feet, put his bag on his shoulders, and grabbed his tray, strutting away to throw it away.

Dave sighed and shook his head.

When Kurt returned back with Blaine, Dave was about to open his mouth and tell Kurt something when the bell rang. Kurt filed out of the lunchroom with Blaine, purposely leaving Dave behind.