“Dude. Deep breaths. Count to ten.” David said calmly but still held his grip on Blaine’s arms.

The whole room had gone silent.

“Jeff, can you go and find Kurt?” Nick pecked his boyfriend on the cheek and sent him away before turning his gaze onto Jake. The other boy shrank into himself as Nick approached.

“I don’t see why Blaine’s angry with me. That prick was going to do something and I stopped him.” Jake snapped and backed away further from Blaine when he sent him a dirty look from across the room.

“Yes. Kurt was going to do something in a room with about twenty people in. Well done Jake. Once again your stupidity astounds us.” Blaine tried to take a step forward but David just pulled him back again.

“Jake…” Nick sighed. “I appreciate what you were trying to achieve but you were completely out of line. There was no evidence that Kurt is like that. He was just staring. If you haven’t noticed he does that a lot.”

“What do you mean he does that a lot? I thought he was just the new kid…” The look on Jakes face was almost comical with the amount of confusion.

“He is the new kid! That’s why no one really knows who he is. He doesn’t go near anyone. Nick, Jeff, Wes, David and I just about managed to get him to at least leave his room and the library. All this week we’ve been trying to get him to talk to us and now you’ve ruined it!” Blaine was struggling in David’s hands.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know. I just thought he was an asshole so I was-”

“Just don’t next time. Okay?” Wes said from behind the council desk. His tone implying there was to be no arguments. “Now that’s settled. We need to focus on song selections.”

-----------------------------

Jeff had no idea where Kurt had gone. He had tried to follow the panicked boy but after he turned the corner Jeff had lost him. So he had settled on trying every classroom down the corridor until he found him. Opening the next door he couldn’t see anyone but he could hear sniffling coming from the back of the classroom.

“Kurt?” Jeff called out tentatively. He received a sniffle and a choked off cough.

“Kurt?” He whispered and followed the sound.

In the corner Jeff found a small ball. Kurt had curled up in the corner of the classroom and was crying. Jeff carefully made his way over to the sobbing boy and quietly sat down next to him making sure there was at least a foot of distance between them.

“Kurt?” Jeff tried again hoping to get a response from him other than the crying.

“I-I-I didn’t me-mean t-” Kurt was trying to talking through his sobs.

Jeff shuffled closer on the floor and wrapped his arm around Kurt cradling him into his side.

“I know. I know. Come on. Breathe. Don’t worry about anyone else.” Jeff tried to shush him while rocking them both back and forth.

“O-Okay.” Kurt’s breathing got deeper and after a while it started to settle down into a reasonable rhythm.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Jeff asked but Kurt shook his head. “That’s okay. Do you want to go back to your room? Or we could go back to my room and watch a movie on my laptop?”

Silence.

“Kurt?”

“What kind of movie?” The answer was virtually non-existent and Jeff struggled to hear it.

“What kind of movie?” Kurt nodded. “Umm…whatever you want. I don’t mind.” Jeff stood up and held his hand out for Kurt to take and led him to his dorm room.

“My roommate went home to visit his parents this weekend so we can stay up as late as we want.” Jeff smiled at Kurt.

“I thought that we couldn’t have home visits this week?” Kurt’s voice was still ruff from the crying.

“Dalton made an exception for him. His older brother is in the hospital. Nothing serious, something about trying to kick a football upside down?” Jeff shrugged. When his roommate tried to explain what his brother was trying to achieve he got confused when the phrase ‘Bend it like Beckham’ was used and checked out of the conversation.

Kurt just nodded but there was small smile forming on his face. Though he was still avoiding looking at Jeff directly.

“So…movie? Tom and I have a load between us. Tom even has some TV shows on DVD. I think he has the latest Doctor Who series. It’s really addicting when your roommate watches it all the time. Come have a look.” Jeff walked over to the wardrobe and opened it. He beckoned Kurt over.

“I don’t mind.” The other boy had wrapped his arms around himself in discomfort and looked like he was on the verge of crying again.

“Hey…we could just talk if you want? Nicky says that I’m a great listener…when I stop talking.”

“Why don’t you tell me about you and your Nicky?” Kurt said with a smile.

So Jeff talked about Nick. The story of how they met while both being given a tour of the school with their families, how their parents are all good friends now and how their first date went.

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When Nick opened the door to his boyfriends’ room he couldn’t be more proud of him. Both Jeff and Kurt had fallen asleep. Kurt on the bed and Jeff in a beanbag on the floor. He quietly made his way over to the boy asleep on the beanbag and stroked his hair back from his eyes.

“Hey honey.” Nick whispered and placed a kiss on the sleeping boy’s forehead. “You did good.”

Jeff didn’t even shift in his sleep so Nick went over to the bed.

“Kurt?” Nick softly nudged the other boy. “Kurt?”
Kurt snuffled into the quilt has shifted slightly.

“Kurt? Can you wake up for me?”

“Mmmmm?” Slowly he opened his eyes.

“Do you want me to help you back to your room?” Nick whispered.

“Yes please.” Kurt muttered and tried to stand; Nick helping him getting his balance.

“Come on. I’ll take you.” Nick offered Kurt his hand and the other boy latched on.

Nick took this opportunity to really look at Kurt. He was tall and slim with brilliantly pale skin and chestnut brown hair. He really was good looking but he had this blank expression in his eyes. Nick put it down to him being half asleep and carried on guiding him back to his room.

“You okay from here Kurt?”

Kurt nodded. “Thank you.”

Just before Kurt shut his door Nick heard him say something.

“I think you and Jeff are really cute together.” And then he was gone behind his door.

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The next morning Blaine needed to see Kurt.

The night before Nick had persuaded him to let Jeff take care of the nervous boy but Blaine needed to see him now. He needed to make sure that Kurt was all right. He needed to see it with his eyes and not by a text from Jeff claiming that Kurt was fine and that he just went to sleep. Blaine needed to talk to him now.

At breakfast he tried to see through the crowds of boys but could see Kurt anywhere. So he decided that the best option was to go and find Kurt himself. When Blaine knocked on Kurt’s door there was no answer. So he tried again. After five minutes of knocking he sat down on floor against the door and waited.

Once again he was falling to the floor but this time there was a giggle that accompanied it.

“Why do I always find you lying on the floor?” Kurt said through his laughter.

Blaine smiled at the sound. When Kurt smiled or laughed his whole face lit up. In Blaine’s opinion it was beautiful.

“Beats me. You’re the one that opens the door.” He shot back.

“Umm…hey.” Kurt mumbled nervously. His smile was gone, replaced with a guarded expression.

“Hi. I was going to go down to the library. Would you like to join me?”

The smile was back.

“I would like that.” And this time Kurt offered his hand to Blaine.