The next day after kissing Kurt, Blaine was on cloud nine. That kiss had been perfect, especially by Kurt's standards. He only hoped Kurt felt the same. Blaine had sent him a couple of random ‘courage' texts as he knew that Kurt would be confronting Karofsky soon. Kurt had sent back smiley faces and mentioned seeing Les Mis together the next day and how excited he was.

Blaine had just sent off another ‘courage' text and was heading off to lunch. He could have no idea that at that moment, Kurt was confronting Karofsky in the men's locker room. After yelling for several minutes and threatening him, Karofsky shocks Kurt by grabbing him roughly by the face and kissing him. There was an air of desperation to the kiss, of need, of fear. Kurt recognized it all, but it didn't mean he had to stand there and take it when Karofsky dove in for another kiss. He backed away, full of fear and anger. Immediately he knew that Karofsky was gay and had been hiding it for some time. But just because Kurt was the only openly gay kid at school didn't buy Karofsky a free make-out pass. The kid was obviously confused. So was Kurt.

Blaine was heading to his next class when he got a text from Kurt.

Kurt: Blaine, please. I need your help. Call me if you can.

Blaine was immediately concerned and walked out of the building, ignoring his last class in favor of calling Kurt.

The phone rang once. "Blaine, he kissed me."

Blaine's hackles rose. "Who?" he knew who, he just had to hear it.

"Karofsky. I was confronting him like we talked about and he was threatening to hit me and I was telling him to go ahead," Kurt began.

"Oh, Kurt, please tell me he didn't hit you," Blaine interrupted.

"No, I'm fine, he punched the locker instead. But then, out of the blue, he grabbed me by the face and kissed me. It kind of hurt, but based on how he was acting, Blaine, I think it may have been his first kiss. He was really bad about it and it kind of looked like he was crying. I hate him, but I kind of feel bad for him, too," Kurt said.

"But you're okay?" Blaine had to clarify. It didn't matter if he knew how this had all played out before; this was a different time and something, namely him, could still manage to screw things up.

"I'm a bit shaky, but I'm okay. What do I do about Karofsky though?" he asked.

"I could come there and help you talk to him if you'd like," Blaine offered, knowing why he'd done it originally. Anything to put him in the way between the jock and Kurt guaranteed he would do it.

"That would be wonderful, actually," Kurt answered. "Say about 11:15? It's between classes and he'll be headed to the gym. I know when his classes are so I can try and avoid his regular paths. Will that time work for you? I know you have a long drive."

Nothing would prevent him from being there. But he couldn't tell Kurt that. "That'll be fine. I actually enjoy the drive. Meet me in the parking lot?  I have a silver sedan. I saw your Expedition when you were here, I'll try and park near that and text you," Blaine said.

"Thank you, Blaine. I know it's a lot to ask, but it really means so much to me. I've never tried to talk to someone about coming out. And definitely not someone who has the potential to squash me like a bug," Kurt said with a chuckle.

"Well, we'll either persevere and have a potential friend out of this or we'll both be squashed like bugs," Blaine teased.

"Oh sure. Just so you can blame me," Kurt said.

"You know you would if you had the opportunity," Blaine said, knowing this for a fact, but hoping Kurt didn't catch on to him too much.

"Whatever. Like you know me," Kurt laughed.

Blaine laughed to himself. Yes, he did indeed know Kurt. "Yeah, well, I might not know everything about you, but I'd like to," he said softly, putting himself out there. He definitely hadn't said that when they'd first met. But this was his chance to do something different as long as he didn't screw up. Knowing he'd better get back in to class, he went over their plans again with Kurt, making sure he had it all straight in his head.  "I'll see you tomorrow, probably closer to 11 just so we can be in place on time in case he decides to come through the area earlier. Sound good?"

"Sounds great. Have a good day Blaine. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow," Kurt said politely.

Blaine agreed and they hung up.

That night as Blaine set his alarm, he scrolled through the list of songs he had. He'd been trying to make sure he put a new one on each night so if he looped, whatever song will play twice and urge him to check the date on his phone. He couldn't risk not knowing. This was his and Kurt's future. He couldn't mess it up again. Giving some thought to which song to pick, he thought about what he was doing tomorrow. Facing the enemy. He grinned as he picked the song "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. He knew that song would inspire him, just like it inspired Rocky. Crappy movie; great song. He lay down in bed, wishing Kurt were next to him, spooning him; or Blaine were laying on his back with Kurt snuggling on his chest. They each had their favorite cuddle positions and it hurt his heart to not have his cuddler with him. He missed his Kurt so bad. The ache in his chest had become a permanent thing, always there to remind him what he was missing out on. But now that he'd ‘progressed' enough to have Kurt in his life again, he definitely planned on urging their relationship along at a faster rate than his pathetic, scared ass had done in high school. He fell asleep, thinking of ways to romance Kurt.

. . . . . .

He woke up to the rock ballad that inspired many a mullet hair-do. With him, though, it got him out of bed and motivated to help Kurt. A bad ass song for one hell of a bad ass, he told himself in the mirror before laughing.

Rising up, back on the street

Did my time, took my chances

Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet

Just a man and his will to survive

So many times, it happens too fast

You change your passion for glory

Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past

You must fight just to keep them alive

He grabbed a comb and jumped on his bed, unashamedly bouncing in nothing but his boxers. Singing along with the song, he realized unlike his thirty year old self, he didn't mind head banging at this age. His older self got massive headaches and got dizzy if he swung around too much.

It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight

Rising up to the challenge of our rival

And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night

And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger

Face to face, out in the heat

Hanging tough, staying hungry

They stack the odds 'til we take to the street

For we kill with the skill to survive

It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight

Rising up to the challenge of our rival

And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night

And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger

Rising up, straight to the top

Have the guts, got the glory

Went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop

Just a man and his will to survive

He pictured Karofsky - whom he had to remember he ‘didn't' know when Kurt was around - and practiced some boxing moves. He may be small and compact, but every spare inch was covered in muscle. There was a large piece of him that hoped he and Karofsky could get into it today. Kurt was very peace-driven, hating all forms of violence. So Blaine only had a chance to go after Karofsky if he started something.

It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight

Rising up to the challenge of our rival

And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night

And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger

. . . . . .

At five until eleven, Blaine was sitting in the parking lot, two spots away from Kurt's Navigator. He remembered Kurt telling him about the time he didn't have his baby anymore. Luckily, Burt Hummel was a man who could be sweet-talked by his son who promised endless hours at the mechanic shop if he could just have the car back. That mixed with the power of large blue eyes giving the puppy look, anyone would be powerless to resist.

Blaine had sent a text to Kurt letting him know he was there and minutes later, he saw the brunette's head bobbing through the parking lot. He got out of his car, beeped the alarm and walked to meet him. He was still in his Dalton uniform, but his tie was loosened and the first buttons were undone. Kurt noticed the small V of flesh exposed and Blaine almost lost it when he saw Kurt lick his lips. That had always been one of Kurt's signs that he was getting aroused. Usually, Blaine would take him to the nearest empty room and make sure that Kurt's needs were taken care of, but there was no chance of that right now. Not yet, at least, he grinned to himself as he adjusted his pants as subtly as he could manage.

They spoke a bit more about what had happened as they made their way around the school. Blaine took it all in as if it was his first time. And it was his first time, in twelve years anyway. It looked so much smaller than when he'd gone here. Kurt took him by the choir room, the cafeteria, the auditorium, and finally to the stairwell where Karofsky was due any minute. Kurt had guaranteed a late exit from Karofsky's last class thanks to a favor from Puck who shared the class with Karofsky.

"Thanks again for coming," Kurt said gratefully. "That's him."

As they were coming up the stairs, Karofsky was already on his way down.

"Let me handle this," Blaine said, ready to kick this guys ass. "Hi, we'd like to talk to you."

"Is this your new butt buddy, Kurt," Karofsky scoffed, giving Blaine a once over.

"Hi, my name is Blaine. Kurt told me what happened," Blaine said gently. He knew where this was going to go, of course he did. But he had been given a new chance. There was no need to squander it.

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" Karofsky said, his eyes going cold.

"You kissed me, Karofsky," Kurt answered softly. He was making sure nobody else heard.

"Karofsky, this is such a confusing time. When you're struggling with your sexuality and coming out, there are feelings of anger, shame, fear, feeling repressed from what you most desire. It is enough to drive anyone past their limit," Blaine said. He kept his voice gentle and his expression sincere, hoping that he could get past Karofsky's walls.

"Shut the hell up, Dr. Phil," Karofsky growled. "And you, you have no proof that... you kissed me."

"Karofsky, come on, at least admit to the truth," Blaine said, his voice a bit firmer.

"I don't have to admit anything," he said, coming closer to Blaine, his eyes going hard and cold. "And he kissed me. He's lucky I didn't kick his scrawny ass into next week." He chuckled. "Course, he probably likes stuff shoved up his ass, eh Blaine?"

Blaine accepted the fact that he was going to loop. But this time would be worth every frustrating second of repeating time. He was glad for the young body he was using and grateful he'd started the fight club at Dalton. Now would be the perfect time to show what he learned.

"I'll give you one chance to take that back," Blaine warned, his voice hard but still gentle.

"The only thing I want to take back is the horror of Kurt's fat lips on mine. I vomited a little afterward," Karofsky said with a grin. "But I could get into the whole idea of shoving something up his ass." He cupped his crotch and gave Kurt a lewd smile.

Blaine yelled and ran at Karofsky, pulling his arm back and swinging forward with all of his power into the center of his opponents face. Karofsky cried out, clutching at his face and backing away. Blaine didn't let him get far before grabbing Karofsky's head and smashing it against his knee. Karofsky stumbled back even more and before any of them could realize what was happening, he fell. His foot had reached the edge of the stairwell and with the force of the contact with Blaine's knee, he slipped off the step and fell, head over feet, down the set of stairs. Trying to stand on the next landing, he stumbled, still dizzy from Blaine's beating. He fell again, falling down the next two flights of stairs and this time didn't move again.

Blaine looked at Kurt sternly. "Stay here. Do you understand me?"

Kurt nodded, his eyes wide, clutching his satchel closer to him. "I'm going to call 911," he whispered.

"I think that would be wise," Blaine said. He cupped Kurt's chin in his hand. "This was my doing, you know that, right?"

"I asked you to come here," he said as someone screamed below.

"I'll be right back," Blaine called out and hurried down the stairs, wishing he had more time to comfort Kurt. He slowed as he neared Karofsky, needing no medical degree to know he was dead. His head was cocked the wrong way, his neck resting on the corner of a step.

Blaine hoped for the loop soon. He had no desire to go to jail. Looking back at Kurt, he saw his head was in his hands. Taking the stairs back up, two at a time, he reached over and pulled Kurt into his arms, his heart breaking at the sobs coming from Kurt.

"I just wanted to help him," he sobbed. "I knew he was going through something and that he must feel so alone. I never wanted him to die."

"I know," Blaine said, rubbing his cheek against Kurt's hair. "I didn't want him to die either. I was just so mad. If we hadn't been in a stair well, it never would have happened."

"I wish it was me," Kurt said. "He didn't deserve to die."

Blaine pulled back and stared into Kurt's eyes. "Don't ever say that. Do you understand? You are too important to me to ever talk like that."

Kurt looked at him through tear filled eyes. "How can you say that? You barely know me. I thought I could trust you. I see now I was very naive. You're more dangerous than Karofsky. Please stay away from me, Blaine."

Rising up, back on the street

Did my time, took my chances

Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet

Just a man and his will to survive

So many times, it happens too fast

You change your passion for glory

Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past

You must fight just to keep them alive

Blaine was more than happy to hear the guitars coming to life in the song. He hadn't wanted to kill Karofsky. Beat the shit out of him, absolutely, but never something as serious as death. And he refused to be put in the position of having Kurt say those horrid words again. They belonged together. Blaine just needed to take it slower.

. . . . . . .

"You'd better not tell anyone," Karofsky warned as he stalked off down the stairs. As it was meant to be. The only difference had been Blaine hitting him once before Karofsky pushed him into the fenced in stair well.

"That was intense. I don't think he'll be coming out anytime soon," Blaine smiled at Kurt.

Kurt looked upset, going to sit on the stairs, is face dejected.

Blaine went to sit next to him. "What is it? Why are you so upset? I know we didn't get an apology but that is just his walls he's using to protect himself," he said, lightly rubbing Kurt's back, hoping it wasn't being too forward.

"I was thinking that if you hadn't kissed me, Karofsky's kiss would have been my first. It's horrifying," Kurt said, his voice shaking.

Blaine leaned over, his hand moving to grip Kurt's shoulder. "But I did kiss you. And I don't know about you, but it was pretty much perfect to me."

Kurt smiled tremulously. "It was perfect, wasn't?"

"Indeed. Come on, you, I'm going to treat you to lunch," Blaine said, standing and brushing his pants off.

"What about school?" Kurt asked, not really caring, but trying to appear responsible. They went down the stairs slowly, standing next to each other though it wasn't wide enough for two. Blaine loved the gentle contact of their hands brushing against each other and shoulders bumping.

Blaine grinned. "Well, maybe we should be more responsible. I could make it back for my last class," Blaine said, looking at his watch and testing Kurt's resolve.

"I wouldn't want you to drive all the way home and then back. It wouldn't be the right thing to do," Kurt said quickly.

"Why would I need to come back?" Blaine asked, a questioning look on his face. His eyes were sparkling as he tried to fool Kurt.

"Les Mis? Does that ring a bell?" Kurt said, slightly panicked

"Les Mis? But that isn't until next week," Blaine said, his eyebrows scrunching together.

"Oh, don't do that," Kurt said, reaching over and lightly rubbing his eyebrows until they relaxed. "You give yourself unibrow when you scrunch up like that. Not a good look for anyone," Kurt said seriously, then remembered he was supposed to be panicking. "The tickets are for tonight. As soon as you told me, I put it in my phone," Kurt said as they left the stairs and headed for the parking lot. He dug out his phone and opened his calendar, showing it to Blaine. "See? Les Mis, tonight at six pm at the old opera house downtown."

Blaine peered at his calendar, pretending to be confused over the whole situation, while his face continued to tingle from the touch of Kurt's finger.

"I'm going to have to go home and find the tickets and see when they are for," Blaine finally decided.

"Find the tickets?" Kurt asked in such a high pitched voice that he and Blaine stopped and stared at each other.

"Impressive," Blaine said.

Kurt smacked him on the shoulder. "It's your fault for making me upset and freaking about the tickets."

"No, it's my fault for playing a joke on you. The tickets are in my bag and they are for tonight," Blaine confessed.

Kurt smacked him again. "That was for playing a joke on me. Mind if I drive?"

"Sure," Blaine said, excited to be able to stare at Kurt as much as possible while they were in the vehicle.

Kurt followed Blaine to the passenger door and opened it for him. He could use this opportunity to ‘get to know' Kurt. To get him to open up and share more details of his life, so their relationship could continue to grow. Blaine turned at the last moment to say something to Kurt and found they were literally standing nose to nose. He immediately forgot what he was going to say. They stood there for a time and Kurt couldn't help himself. He leaned in and gave Blaine another soft kiss, with the tiniest bit of pressure and whisper-soft movements this time. Blaine grew hard as a rock and was glad his pants were so wrinkled at the crotch.

"Blaine?"

"Yes?"

"If you play another trick on me, I won't kiss you anymore," Kurt said with a smile and wink.

Blaine groaned, filing that note away for future reference