After that day, Kurt Hummel could honestly say that Rachel Anderson-Berry was the best friend he ever had.

He was still planning on going to her house that Friday like they originally planned, even though he had already been there once.

But Kurt had a problem.

She wanted him to spend the night.

Now, Kurt knew for a fact that his dad wouldn't allow him to spend the night at a girl's house. Especially since he didn't know Kurt was gay. But Kurt wanted to have a sleepover with Rachel. He never had a proper slumber party before, and he felt that it was sort of a rite of passage that needed to happen in order to proclaim a friendship official.

"Kurt," Rachel said slowly at lunch on Wednesday. "Maybe you should just tell him."

Kurt's eyes widened at his friend, his spoon with yogurt on it pausing just outside his mouth. "How about no?" Kurt finally responded after the initial shock wore off. "I'm not ready for that."

Rachel sighed and took Kurt's hand. "Look," she said. "I can be there with you, if you want. I could bring my dads, and they could explain everything, if that's what you want. Heck, we could even bring Blaine along for good measure."

Kurt took a shaky breath and set his spoon and yogurt down, no longer feeling hungry. "Rachel, I appreciate the concern," Kurt replied slowly. "But I don't think I want my dad to know yet."

Rachel's face crumpled a little, but she nodded in understanding. "You know you'll have to tell him eventually."

Kurt nodded and looked down at his yogurt. "I know," he said as he took his spoon and put it in his yogurt, stirring it absently. "But that doesn't mean that it's going to happen any time sooner."

The two fell silent after that, neither knowing quite what to say.

He knew Rachel was right, of course. He was aware that his father deserved to know.

But he had done some research on 'coming out.' And it had scared him. He didn't know how his father would react, what he would say, what he would believe.

And, frankly, he didn't want to know.

Kurt wasn't stupid. He knew that his father had sent him to soccer camp over the summer with hopes of it making him more masculine. He knew that he taught Kurt how to fix cars for similar reasons.

So Kurt really had no reason to believe that his father would be okay with him being gay. All the signs obviously pointed to him wanting a masculine son.

But then there were also times where he would buy Kurt tickets to a musical for his birthday, or give him gift cards to his favorite stores.

Kurt really didn't know, and that was what scared him.

"Oh!" Rachel sat upright a few minutes later, her eyes shining. "Just tell your dad that you're having a sleepover with Blaine."

Kurt paused and thought that over for a moment. That wasn't a half bad idea, actually. His dad would see it as acceptable, and then he'd still be able to have his sleepover with Rachel.

"Alright," Kurt nodded after thinking for a few moments. "I can do that."

Rachel beamed and then the bell rang, signing the end of their lunch period.

"I'll see you in English, okay?" Rachel said once they arrived at Kurt's locker.

Kurt nodded and the girl pressed a kiss to his cheek before skipping away.

That was completely unexpected.

Kurt turned to his locker and easily opened it, smiling at how organized it still looked. It had only been two days, but still. It looked nice.

"Hey, Hummel," came a deep voice from behind him. "Got yourself a little girlfriend?"

Kurt froze, his hand gripping his locker door tightly.

"Oh, wait," the voice went on. "She's not your girlfriend, 'cause you're a little faggot."

Kurt gulped loudly. He hadn't been called that since seventh grade. He thought everyone had outgrown that slur.

"Why so tense, Hummel?" Karofsky went on, his voice coming closer and closer. "It's not like you have anything stuck up your –"

Kurt whizzed around, knowing that his face was red and that there was practically steam shooting out of his ears. "Leave. Me. Alone." He hissed. "I never did anything to deserve this."

"Oh, yeah?" Karofsky sneered back. "You deserve this just for existing, fairy boy."

Kurt practically growled in frustration as he turned back around to close his locker, but he could feel his body shaking in terror.

But then, before he could even completely face his locker again, there was a firm hand on his back, shoving him roughly into his open locker.

Kurt cried out as his chin came in contact with the shelf inside the locker, wincing as he tried and failed to grab the locker door, falling roughly to the ground.

He heard Karofsky laughing as he walked away, leaving Kurt's crumpled form on the floor.

And, for the second time that week, Kurt made his way to the girls' bathroom. He slowly stood up, leaning against the lockers for support as a wave of dizziness overcame him, taking tentative steps once he decided he was stable enough to walk.

Finally, after what seemed like ages of painful walking, Kurt managed to open the door to the bathroom. Once he was in, however, everything became much more serious.

His chin was bleeding.

His chin was bleeding a lot.

Kurt felt himself panicking as he ran – or at least tried to run – to the paper towels, gathering up a decent sized wad and pressing it to his bleeding chin.

Kurt didn't know what to do. He couldn't go to the nurse – they would call his dad, which would then lead to a whole lot of explaining. And he couldn't go home for similar reasons. Rachel was in class, but maybe she had her phone on.

Kurt quickly fished his phone out of his pocket and sent her a quick text, saying that something had happened and he wasn't sure what he should do. He didn't go into specifics and included a line that said that he was fine and that she shouldn't worry, but that he really just needed somewhere to go that wasn't McKinley.

Rachel responded after about ten minutes, saying that her parents weren't home but that her house was close enough to walk to and that Blaine was on his way, coming to get him so that he wouldn't get lost.

He had only been to the girl's house once, after all. So that he might get lost was a perfectly good assumption.

But…Blaine was coming to get him.

Why did the younger boy always manage to see him at his weakest points?

Kurt sent her another text, telling her that he would be in the bathroom.

Still holding the paper towel to his chin, Kurt gingerly sat down against the wall. He wanted nothing more than to just run home to his dad and launch himself in his arms, his strong hands rubbing soothingly against Kurt's back and reassuring him that everything would be okay.

But he couldn't, no matter how much he wanted to.

And with that, Kurt decided that he would tell his father soon. Not today, and maybe not even before Friday. But soon. He would just have to deal with whatever his response was, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep this from his father for much longer. He didn't want to keep this from him.

Kurt gently brought the paper towel away from his chin and threw the bloody one away, replacing it with a fresh one. His chin was still bleeding pretty bad. He needed to get a Band-Aid on it or something, before it became infected. Kurt made a mental note to keep band aids as well as a fresh change of clothes in his locker from now on. He knew he would probably need them.

He didn't know how long he just sat there, holding the paper towel to his bloody chin, but eventually the door to the girls' bathroom opened slowly and Blaine's head popped in.

"Oh," Blaine said when he saw Kurt on the floor, opening the door all the way and walking into the room. "I had a feeling you'd be in here."

Kurt nodded and looked down at his feet, keeping the paper towel pressed against his chin. He could feel Blaine's eyes on him, just waiting for the realization of what had actually happened to dawn on the younger boy.

"Oh my god," and there it was, "Are you bleeding?"

Kurt nodded, still keeping his eyes away from the boy.

And then Blaine was crouched next to him, his hand prying the paper towel away from Kurt's grasp. "Let me see," he said soothingly.

Kurt relented, and Blaine removed the paper towel and tilted Kurt's chin up to get a better look.

"We'll get some band aids on that when we get to my house," Blaine murmured after a few moments of inspection. "It doesn't look like it needs stitches, so that's good."

Kurt nodded again and brought the paper towel back up to his chin, not wanting the blood to get on his clothes.

"C'mon," Blaine said as he stood up, holding his hand out for Kurt to help him up. "We can talk about this back at my house."

Kurt sighed and grabbed Blaine's hand. A quick spark shot through his fingers, causing him to flinch as Blaine pulled him up.

"Sorry," Blaine said with a chuckle. "Must be a little static-y today."

Kurt gave him a weak smile and followed Blaine out of the school, catching up and walking beside the boy once they were out of the parking lot.

"Your dad won't be mad that you're skipping school again?" Blaine asked, quirking an eyebrow at Kurt as they walked.

Kurt sighed and dabbed the paper towel against his chin again. "He won't know," Kurt replied. "At least he won't find out from me."

Blaine nodded and looked at Kurt for a moment before speaking again. "You guys don't talk very much, do you?" He asked. "And I'm not trying to pry, it's just that – well, my dads were the second people I told I was gay after Rachel."

"I'm just not sure how he'll take it," Kurt replied softly. "He – He hasn't particularly done anything to reassure me that he'd be fine with me being gay."

Blaine nodded as they rounded the corner, turning onto a street that Kurt recognized their house was on. "I know what you mean," he responded. "I mean, not personally. But I understand."

Kurt didn't respond until they were walking up the driveway and Blaine was shoving his key into the door.

"How did you tell them?" Kurt whispered. "Like – I don't even know how I would go about it."

Blaine turned the key and pushed the door open, ushering for Kurt to come inside.

"Well, I'd imagine it's different, since their both gay," Blaine said with a small smile as he dropped his key into a little tray next to the door. "But I pretty much just walked up to them and said "Dads, I'm gay.' And then they were just like, 'Okay.'" Blaine shrugged, walking into the kitchen.

Kurt followed him, once again taking in the excellent interior design.

"Do you want something to eat?" Blaine asked.

Kurt shrugged again and Blaine opened the freezer before pulling out a frozen pizza, setting it on the counter and turning on the oven.

"I'll go get some band aids," Blaine told him as he turned back around. "I'll be right back."

Kurt nodded and removed the paper towel from his chin, cringing at how much blood was actually on it. He looked around the room, noting all the framed pictures scattered on various counters and hanging on the walls.

He saw one with Blaine and Rachel when they were probably in preschool, their cheeks pressed together with huge grins on their faces as they held their respective book bags.

Then there was another one of Blaine only in a diaper, his hair curly and his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Alright," Blaine's voice broke Kurt out of his trance. He turned his head towards Blaine, who was giving him an amused look. "Ah, the pictures," he said, Kurt noting that he was blushing a little.

"You were cute," Kurt noted, watching as the boy flushed even more.

Blaine ducked his head as he unwrapped a band aid and lifted Kurt's chin up so that he could see what he was doing. "I bet you were cuter," he said absently as he placed the band aid gently on Kurt's chin. Seeming to realize what he said, his cheeks tinted several shades of red. "I – uh – I mean –"

Kurt just laughed, trying to ignore the tingles that were coming from his chin whenever Blaine put a band aid on. "It's fine," he replied after a moment. "I was pretty cute."

Blaine chuckled sheepishly as he placed the last band aid on Kurt's chin, stepping back to admire his handy work. "There," he said, a small smile on his face. "We can replace them in a few hours if we need to."

Kurt nodded and watched as the younger boy put the frozen pizza in the oven. It was strange. He seemed older than Kurt, not younger.

"So," Blaine said as he plopped into the chair besides Kurt. "What happened?"

And Kurt told him everything. He told Blaine how Karofsky had approached him in the hallway, how he had called him names and slurs that he thought people had grown out of, and how he shoved him into his locker.

Blaine let out a deep sigh and ran a hand across his face. His forehead crinkled and he closed his eyes for a moment, clearly thinking about something unpleasant.

And then Kurt remembered why Blaine had transferred. And he couldn't help but wonder if maybe it had been worse than he let on.

"I knew I was gay for a long time," Blaine whispered after a few moments of silence. "In third grade I watched Aladdin and apparently said out loud that I thought he was cute for a cartoon."

Kurt chuckled, as he watched Blaine carefully, not sure where this was going.

"So of course I didn't like, know know until around sixth grade," Blaine went on. "But – you know how bullies are. They seem to have exceptional gaydar."

Kurt nodded, his eyes trained on Blaine as he watched the boy's face crinkle at whatever he was thinking about again.

"Kurt," Blaine's voice broke around the name, his eyes opening and meeting Kurt's. "I used to be in the same grade as you and Rachel. I'm younger, but our dads wanted us to be in the same grade so it would be easier, and they let me."

"You – what?" Kurt's eyebrows raised. "So –"

"I got beat up in sixth grade," Blaine whispered. "Me and Rachel went to a different public school and – and some jerks came and beat the crap out of me. It was pretty much the same week when I realized that I was gay for sure and – and it wasn't so much the physical but –"

Blaine broke off, his voice cracking. He took a deep breath to compose himself. "I just missed a lot of school," he whispered, his voice sounding broken. "And then they told me I had to redo sixth grade."

Kurt stared at Blaine with wide eyes. This boy had been through so much already, and he was only thirteen.

"And then my dads sent me to private school, and I start at Dalton on Monday," Blaine shrugged. "Simple as that."

Kurt swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, unsure as to what he should say. "You didn't have to tell me all that," Kurt whispered eventually, finally able to form words.

Kurt didn't think it was fair. He didn't think it was fair that Blaine had to be held back because he'd been beaten up the week he knew for sure he was gay.

But now Kurt didn't feel like he had it so bad.

"I think you needed it," Blaine said softly, a small smile on his lips. "And, besides, I could tell you were uncomfortable with me being younger than you. So now you know that I'm technically supposed to be in the same grade as you."

Kurt gave him a small, tentative smile. "Thank you," he said quietly, not even sure if Blaine could hear him. "Just – thank you."

Blaine smiled and squeezed his knee tightly for a moment. "Stay strong, okay?" Blaine whispered.

Kurt nodded and Blaine got up to get the pizza out of the oven.

They ate their pizza mostly in silence, occasionally talking about movies or songs that were popular.

But once their plates were in the sink, Kurt knew that he needed to ask Blaine something.

"Blaine?" He asked, walking over to lean against the counter as Blaine washed their dishes.

Blaine turned his head to the side, acknowledging that he was listening to Kurt.

"Should – Do you think I should tell my dad tonight?"

Blaine looked over at him again and set the dishes down in the sink, drying his hands off on a towel. "I think you should tell him as soon as possible," Blaine replied after a few moments. "And that way you can tell him about your bullying situation."

Kurt nodded and looked down at his hands in his lap. "Could – Could you come with me?" Kurt asked quietly. "For moral support?"

Blaine smiled at him, his eyes crinkling. "Of course," he replied. "But you don't think it's weird that you're having an eighth grader help you?"

Kurt laughed softly. "No," he replied. "Give it a year and that weirdness will wear off."

Blaine laughed and shook his head. "Just wait till you see me in my Dalton uniform," he said, his eyes shining a little. "Then I'll look older than you."

The two fell silent again, Kurt staring at his hands in his lap.

"Can we walk to your house?" Blaine asked after a moment.

Kurt nodded. "It's probably take half an hour," he replied. "But yes."

Blaine set his towel down and came over to where Kurt was sitting and stood in front of him.

"It'll turn out okay," he murmured. "And – And if he doesn't approve, I'm sure Rachel will adopt you."

Kurt chuckled, feeling the tears forming in his eyes again. He stood up and wrapped his arms around Blaine, burying his head in Blaine's shoulder.

And he didn't care that he was hugging another gay boy. He didn't care that it was Rachel's younger brother.

Because this boy was genuinely helping him, and Kurt had never felt more accepted in his entire life.

"Thank you," Kurt whispered as he felt the tears beginning to fall from his eyes. "Thank you."

Blaine hugged him back after a moment, Kurt sensing that he knew this was what Kurt needed.

"Anytime," Blaine whispered in reply. "I've been there, remember?"

They stayed like that for a few more moments, Kurt not really wanting to ever let go of the boy whose arms were currently wrapped around him.

"Blaine!"

The front door swung open and Kurt heard Rachel walk into the room.

"Oh," she said abruptly, her eyes widening. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Kurt replied as he pulled away from Blaine, his eyes still watering. "I just needed some comforting."

Rachel seemed to melt at the sight of Kurt's tears before rushing over to him and enveloping him in her own hug – which was undoubtedly not as strong and firm as Blaine's had been.

"What happened?" Rachel asked, her eyes widening when she saw Kurt's chin. "Was it Karofsky again?"

Kurt nodded and glanced over at Blaine, who was blushing again for unknown reasons.

"Kurt," Rachel cooed, patting his hair gently. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Kurt just shrugged and cast his eyes down at his shoes.

"Well," Rachel went on after a moment. "I'm not leaving you alone in the hallways anymore. And since Glee starts tomorrow, you have something to look forward to."

Kurt nodded but sighed. "I'm telling my dad tonight, Rachel."

Rachel paused her rant, her eyes widening at Kurt. "That's great!" She said, a huge smile on her face.

Blaine looked up and gave his sister a confused look. Kurt could tell that he was thinking something along the lines of 'are you high or something?'

"Rachel," Kurt went on. "I don't know how he's going to take it. He's not gay like your dads are. For all we know, he could be like the rest of Ohio."

Rachel abruptly stopped talking, Kurt noting that Blaine took a small step towards him. Whether unconsciously or not, he didn't know.

"But we're going now," Blaine said abruptly after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Can I –" Rachel started, but Blaine shook his head.

"No," he told her, putting a hand on her shoulder and holding her in place. "It'll be easier with just us, okay?"

Rachel nodded and started climbing the stairs up to her room. "Wait!" She called, stopping halfway up the staircase.

Kurt turned to look at the girl, her face splitting into a smile. "This means you can spend the night on Friday!"

Kurt let out a laugh despite knowing what he was about to do. "Yeah, Rachel," he said. "It does."

Kurt felt himself starting to shake as they walked up Kurt's driveway and he saw that his dad's truck was in the garage.

"It'll be fine," Blaine said softly as they approached the door. "And I'm here."

Kurt nodded and slowly opened the door, revealing his dad sitting on the couch watching a football game.

"Hey, kid," his father greeted him, grinning at him. "Games on. Wanna watch?"

Kurt gulped and walked further into the house, Blaine following in after him.

"Oh," Burt sat up, his eyes on Blaine. "Who's this?"

Kurt gulped again, and why did his dad sound angry about Blaine being here?

"Umm, this is Blaine," Kurt said after a moment. "Rachel's brother. Remember her?"

Burt nodded, his eyes still on Blaine.

"Dad," Kurt went on when Burt didn't say anything. "I – I need to tell you something."

Burt muted the TV and turned back to Kurt, who took a deep breath and went and sat in the chair across from the couch. Blaine was standing next to him, his eyes trained on Kurt's face. Kurt chanced a glance back up at Blaine, who gave him a small smile and an encouraging nod.

"Dad," Kurt whispered, his voice quiet and his eyes staring at the coffee table in front of him, refusing to meet his father's eyes. "I – I'm gay."

Kurt heard Burt's intake of breath and saw out of the corner of his eye as he brought his hand up to rub his face.

Kurt chanced a glance at Blaine, who appeared to be holding his breath.

And then Kurt realized that yeah, he was holding his breath too.

Burt stayed like that for a moment, his hand pressed against his face and his eyes tightly shut.

And then he spoke.

"I know. Well, I figured."

Kurt had to do a double take – well, in the figurative sense. "You – know?"

Burt nodded and finally met his son's eyes. "Call it a father's intuition," he said, although his voice sounded strained. "But, yeah, I guess I knew."

Kurt heard Blaine let out a sigh of relief next to him. "And you're – okay with this?"

Burt nodded and stood up, kneeling in front of his son and taking his hands in his own. "You're still my son," Burt said firmly. "And who or what you love doesn't change that."

And then Kurt burst into tears. He wrapped his arms around his father's neck and held him tightly, his father's hand stroking his hair gently.

"It's okay, kid," Burt said as Kurt buried his head further into his father's shoulder. "I'm here."

Kurt eventually unlatched, his eyes still staying on his father. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Don't thank me," Burt grunted as he stood back up, straightening out his shirt. "I'm just doing my job."

And, just like that, all the tension in the room was broken. Blaine let out a soft chuckle and patted Kurt's shoulder gently, communicating that he had done a good job and that he did the right thing.

"Blaine," Burt turned to the boy, "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Oh, no sir, I don't want to impose," Blaine responded and, oh yeah, Blaine did go to public school.

"You're staying," Burt said. "I imagine you're the one who talked Kurt into telling me, and judging by the band aid on his chin you've helped him a lot too."

Both Kurt and Blaine blushed, but Blaine nodded. "Okay," he said. "Let me just tell Rachel."

"Oh, speaking of Rachel," Kurt piped in after a moment. "Can I sleep over her house on Friday?"

Burt narrowed his eyes at Blaine for a moment and looked between the two before nodding. "Yes," he said. "But only with Rachel."

And Kurt blushed again, knowing that the younger boy beside him was too.

"Now, c'mon," Burt said to the two, chuckling slightly at their red faces. "Let's go eat."

Kurt stood up and went to follow Blaine into the kitchen when his father caught his arm.

"Blaine," he said quietly, "Is he…?"

Kurt nodded slowly, not sure where his father was going with this. "He's still in eighth grade, Dad," Kurt responded. "I don't think you have to worry about anything. He's just a good friend."

Burt nodded and started to walk into the kitchen.

But why Kurt felt his heart flutter whenever he heard Blaine's name, he had no idea.