"Hey, princess."

The whisper made the hairs on the back of Kurt's neck stand up. He could feel that huge body behind him, not touching him – not yet – but radiating heat in his direction.

"Go away."

Karofsky stepped in front of him.

"That was rude. I'm just making a little lunch line conversation. There's no need to be hostile."

Kurt closed his eyes.

"I- I'm sorry." He made himself as small as possible. He wanted to fold himself into a ball, disappear somehow, but he had to settle for hunching over his tray. "I don't want to fight. Just go in front of me."

A couple of months ago, he would have been angrier. He would have felt it bubble up in his stomach until he spat out something vicious and cutting – but he'd learned that it was useless in here. Fists beat words every time, and his fists could rarely do any damage.

"You don't wanna fight?" There was a rumble around him, other boys jeering. "Oh, but Hummel, there's not much else to do around here. I think my boys need some entertainment."

Kurt's eyes stung.

"Please. Just leave me alone."

"Karofsky, maybe you should back off," a voice muttered from behind him, "everybody just wants to eat, okay? This is too public."

"You questioning me, Puckerman?"

"No, man, just- just get him later. In private. You can't get this close to him out here."

Something defensive flashed in David's eyes.

"What are you trying to say? You think I wanna get up close and personal with him after hours?" He forced a laugh. "I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you, Hummel?" Kurt didn't respond, and Dave's voice cracked when he spoke again. "Wouldn't you?"

Kurt knew the fear in his voice a little too well. The fear of being found out. He had a feeling Dave would have a different coping mechanism to just hiding. Puck's face was starting to show real concern, whereas Dave's was just panic.

"Hey, man, chill. Leave the kid alone. He said we can go first, right? And it's meatloaf. Just get something to eat."

"You can't fucking tell me what to do!"

One of the officers looked up.

"Boys! Get your food and sit down."

"You wanna see close? I'll show you how close I wanna get to the faggot."

Kurt felt cold all over – screams, a fist coming at him, then blackness. Just some steady thumps to his cheek, then his shoulder, then a heavy one to his stomach before Dave was pulled away and he blacked out.

"Please, Julia, you know I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate."

"I said no more, and now you're giving me one fresh out of juvie?"

"He's not violent. He barely even speaks. I'm telling you, he's a good kid; he's just had a lot of bad luck. He can't stay in there, and another group home would just be a disaster. You could really help him. You'd probably be saving his life."

"Alright, alright, you can stop manipulating me. I'm on my way."

She pulled up to the centre to see Stuart waiting with a clipboard and a boy. He was 16, but he looked younger. His face was badly bruised. Stuart greeted her with a peck on the cheek.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. And Kurt does too, right buddy?"

Kurt tried to nod, to say 'thank you' the way his mother taught him, but all he managed was a frightened stare. Julia smiled at him. It was so warm and kind, it ignited something in him he'd almost forgotten was there. His shoulders sagged with relief.

"Hi, Kurt. It's so nice to meet you. I'm Julia." One corner of his mouth twitched. It would have to do. "That's quite the battle scar you've got, honey. Did they put ice on it?" He nodded. "Well, I've got stuff at home that should help the bruising. I've just got to sign a few papers and we'll get going; how does that sound?" Another nod. Julia had hoped the side of her that was desperate to help every stray that crossed her path would fade away as she got older and more cynical, but this boy made her stomach twist with an urge to whisk him away and rescue him. Julia felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. "Oh, that'll be my husband. I couldn't get a hold of him earlier. Give me a second?"

Stuart nodded. "Come on, Kurt. Let's get these papers together, make sure everything goes smoothly."

"Hey, honey, I'm glad you-"

"Give me the story."

She paused. She'd have to lay it on as thickly as Stuart had if this was going to work. She couldn't abandon that poor boy now, not when he'd looked at her like that.

"There's a boy. He's sixteen, had a really awful time, no parents, he's been beaten up in Stonefield-"

"Stonefield? He's been in juvie? Julia-"

"Look, he really doesn't seem like a bad kid-"

"You're already there, aren't you? Have you already signed the papers? Enrolled him at school, built an extension on the house for him…"

"Robert, come on. It's just for a couple of weeks, until they can find him somebody else. They just wanted someone they knew they could trust. It's actually a huge compliment that they've asked."

"Sure it is." He sighed. He'd only just gotten used to the idea of stopping, of being permanent and stable for once, and now – now his wife just had to go and be the caring, wonderful woman he'd fallen in love with. She had an instinct for this. She wouldn't take on more than they could handle. "So by a couple of weeks, I'm going to assume we're talking a month. At least."

"Probably." She could tell he was coming around. "Darling, he needs us."

"Okay. Okay, we'll do it. I'll go home now, make the place presentable. Should I pull the kids out early so I can explain?"

"No, no, just get Libby at the normal time, try to keep things as normal as possible. Leave her brother to me."

He laughed.

"You know, he might not even notice he's there."

"Hilarious. He'll be fine. Look, I've got to go sort this out. You sure it's okay?"

"I'm sure. I trust you."

She smiled.

"I love you."

"I love you, too. See you tonight."

"Dad! He's home! Can I tell him?"

"No, Lib. I think I better do it."

Libby rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She ran to the door anyway. "Hi Blaine!"

"Woah!" Blaine said as his little sister wrapped her arms tightly around his middle. He bent down to kiss the top of her head. "Hey, munchkin. What's got you all excited?"

She looked up at him, eyes wide.

"I'm not allowed to tell you."

He frowned and looked at his father.

"Dad? What's going on?"

"Hey, Blaine. How was school?"

"Oh, fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. What do you need to tell me?" Robert paused, looking a little guilty. "No. No, Dad, you promised."

"We're getting a new foster brother! His name's Kurt and he's sixteen and Mom says he's having a really hard time so we're going to take care of him for a while. Isn't that cool?"

"Sweetheart," their father interrupted before Blaine could answer, "why don't you go and get all your homework done before Kurt gets here?"

She looked between her father and her brother.

"Sorry, I wasn't supposed to say anything. Am I in trouble?"

"No, baby, I just need to talk to Blaine for a minute."

Blaine's expression was blank.

"Yeah, Libby. Go upstairs."

She did as she was told. Blaine turned to his father again.

"You have some explaining to do."

Robert nodded to the living room, and Blaine led the way to the sofa.

"This is a one-off."

"Isn't it always a one-off? Didn't you both say you weren't going to take any more?"

"I know, I know, and we meant it, but- Blaine, there are millions of kids out there who have awful, awful lives, and we-"

"You just want to help, right? So what's the deal with this one? Drug addict? Shoplifter?"

"Blaine, he's gay. He's been the target for a lot of homophobic bullying, and today he took a pretty serious beating. That's why he can't stay at Stonefield."

"Why was he there in the first place?"

"He took a knife into school. The bullying got too much, and he wanted to defend himself. I can't say I blame him."

"Oh, great. A kid who carries weapons is coming to live with us. Can't wait to meet him."

"Come on, I'm being straight with you, Blaine. Total honesty at all times, right? Have we ever let anyone into this home who has put you or your sister in danger?"

He thought back over the different teenagers that had been in Coop's room since he left. They'd been difficult, often angry and hurt, but he'd never felt unsafe. He looked at his parents, the wrinkles around their eyes, those comforting smiles – they'd always done so much for him and Libby. He'd been through his share of torment for being gay. Comments, funny looks, but overall he'd been lucky. His parents and friends were beyond supportive, and it wasn't like that for everyone. He couldn't deny the support his parents could offer to a boy who needed it.

"Okay. Until they can find him somewhere else."

Robert grinned and hugged Blaine, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Thank you. I know we can do this. He needs us."

The Anderson house welcomed Kurt Hummel at 6:14pm, with a roast dinner already on the table. He was immediately ambushed by a white, fluffy blob on the ground, jumping as high as his knees. It seemed to know not to jump any higher, and settled for hopping excitedly from side to side.

"I hope you're not a vegetarian!" Robert called when he heard the door open.

"Oh. Um, no, it's fine. It smells really good. Thank you."

"Sorry, I should introduce myself properly. I'm Robert, that's Libby setting the table beautifully-"

She ran over and hugged him. As hard as he tried not to, he flinched at the contact.

"Hi, Kurt! We made you a nice dinner for your first night here. You're gonna sleep in my big brother Cooper's room – except he doesn't live here anymore, so it's your room now really. Do you like lamb?"

Kurt nodded.

"Yeah. My mom used to make it on Sundays when I was little."

Julia smiled. Even the shyest kids opened up with Libby. She rushed over to stop the dog from slobbering on Kurt. "Sorry – I forgot to ask if dogs were a problem if this thing could even count as a dog. Max mostly just sleeps and drools on stuff."

Kurt forced a smile. The dog was a husky, so he was enormous, but the way his tongue lolled out of his mouth reassured Kurt that he probably wasn't dangerous. He liked dogs anyway, as long as they didn't bark too loudly near him.

"He's fine."

Libby carried on as if the family's attention had never left her.

"And that's Blaine, my other brother. He's the same age as you so you'll go to school with him. He's gay too, so you can be friends."

"Libby-"

"What? You are. Blaine, come say hi to Kurt."

Blaine pulled himself away from the oven (he'd offered to cook) and waved at Kurt, still wearing an oven mitt. As soon as he saw Kurt's face, his own smile disappeared.

"Gosh, that looks so painful. Does it hurt? Hey, we have some arnica upstairs- Mom, can you take care of the food while I go get it?"

"Sure, sweetie. Kurt, are you hungry?"

Kurt wasn't used to this kind of activity – there was so much buzz, movement, chatter, but without a single cruel voice or vicious glare. He was half expecting someone to shove him into a wall, but there were just gentle voices and an amazing smell. He half-shrugged, half-nodded.

"Mom, can we listen to music over dinner?"

"Taylor Swift's still in the car, baby."

"Oh. Never mind. Kurt, do you like Taylor Swift?"

"Um… I guess. I don't really know."

"I've got all her albums. We can listen to them some time if you want."

Robert stroked Libby's hair and smiled.

"Don't worry. You don't have to. Honey, why don't we just let Kurt settle down for a second, huh? He's still got his jacket on. Blaine?"

Blaine had reappeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Why don't you show Kurt his room while we dish up? Give him a little peace and quiet before this one interrogates him?"

Blaine grinned.

"Sure. Hey, I'll take your bag. Just up here."

Kurt was relieved to get away from the chaos for a second, and although Libby was sweet, there was something about Blaine that just made him feel a bit calmer. It was hardly surprising – after where he'd been, he would have been grateful for any kindness, never mind a family taking him in and giving him dinner – but Blaine had the same warm smile as his mother and his father's smooth voice and the same sparkle in his eyes as Libby.

"So, this is your room for now." The 'for now' stung a little. It was like a pinch in a dream, a tiny reminder that this, just like every other home he'd had the last few years, was temporary. "Make yourself at home. You know, unpack and stuff. I know it's important to make it feel like – well, you know." Kurt nodded.

"You must do this a lot. How many kids have been in here?"

Blaine sat on the bed, and Kurt copied him – making sure he left space between them.

"Oh, um… seven? Well, eight now. Cooper moved out when Libby was two, and it was a little too quiet for my parents, to be honest. He leaves a pretty huge gap whenever he goes."

"Is he far away?"

Blaine nodded. "LA. He's an actor;" he made his fingers into quotation marks, "I'll show you his commercial some time."

Kurt let out a little laugh. He looked so different when he smiled, less scared, even though the cut on his lip limited how much he could open his mouth without it hurting. "You hate it, don't you?"

"What? No. I mean… he's pretty embarrassing, but I respect him for chasing his dreams."

"I didn't mean your brother. This whole taking in strays thing. Must get annoying."

His reflex was to say the usual sweet, comforting things: 'Of course not;' 'we all just want to make sure you feel safe;' 'helping all these kids is its own reward;' He was well-taught when it came to foster kids; he knew all the proper lines to recite. But for some reason, he didn't say them this time. He did want Kurt to feel safe, to have less of that scared, nervous expression and more of the smile, but he also felt an urge to be honest with him. Maybe it was because of what they had in common.

"Sometimes. I mean, I worry about Libby. I think she should have more stability. I guess I wish it could just be us, you know?"

Kurt nodded. He remembered being 'just us', just him and his mom, and he would have given anything to go back to that.

"That's fair. I'm sorry."

"No, I didn't mean you. They- they told me you've been bullied. For being gay." Kurt's back stiffened. That word usually meant something was about to get broken. Then he remembered Blaine was like him. "When Mom said we were getting another kid, I got pissed off, but- I wanted you to know it doesn't have to be awful. If anything, Mom and Dad are too supportive. There's always a supply of condoms in my nightstand, and I don't put them there."

Kurt was a little grateful for the damage done to his face – maybe it could mask his blush.

"Oh."

"Oh, sorry. I probably shouldn't talk about – have you ever known any other gay people before, Kurt?"

Kurt shook his head.

"No."

"Well, you're gonna love my friends. Do you think you'll be up for school tomorrow?"

"Um, maybe. You don't have to-"

Blaine waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. They're even worse than my mom and dad for taking in newbies."

"What are they like? Are they loud?"

Blaine's broke out into a grin. It was so bizarre to Kurt, the idea that someone like him could be happy. Not just 'looking forward to escaping' way, but really happy. An accepting family, a group of friends, a real life – it seemed too good to be true.

"You could say that. Okay, this is super lame, so don't judge me, but we're… a choir. My whole friendship group formed through glee club. It's so embarrassing, but that big bunch of losers is kind of everything to me."

"Showchoir? You sing?"

Blaine's face lit up, and he sat up a little straighter – he spoke as if he was embarrassed about it, but Kurt could tell he was more than a little proud of it.

"Oh, God, yeah. Singing, piano, guitar, all that. Some dancing, but it's mostly just walking in different formations. You're welcome to join us if you want."

Kurt shook his head. He probably wouldn't be here long enough to join any clubs, and the idea of standing up in front of a whole crowd of people scared him to death. He hadn't really sung anything since his mother had died, anyway. "No thanks," he mumbled, bringing a hand up to cover his face only to be reminded of how bruised it was. He hissed and Blaine winced.

"Shit, I forgot." Kurt tensed. Blaine made a mental note not to swear around him. "Here-"

"Thanks." Kurt took the tube of ointment from Blaine's hand and went to the mirror on the wall to try and apply it himself. The lighting was terrible, his eye still wasn't opening properly with the swelling, and he kept pressing too hard and fumbling with the cream. "Ow. Blaine, I- would you? I can't really see what I'm doing."

"Oh. Yeah, just- sit back down. Let me-"

Kurt passed the tube back to him and sat as still as he could while Blaine shifted closer and squeezed a small blob into his palm. The concern on his face, the worry about being too rough, was enough to make Kurt shut his eyes. He told himself he just didn't want to get anything in his eye, but he just didn't know how to cope with that level of worry, with someone caring about him again. He felt the cool of the gel on his cheekbone, but barely any pressure. He started to wonder if he was imagining the touch, when there was a slightly firmer one on his chin, holding him still. There was something soporific about the gentleness of Blaine's hands; he could have curled up and fallen asleep right there. As Blaine's fingertips soothed over his skin in circles, he found himself leaning towards him, his breathing slowing down and his body feeling heavier.

"Hmmmm…"

He opened his eyes as soon as he realised he was humming. Blaine was smiling at him, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I think I've covered it. Are you okay? Ready for dinner?"

"I… uh- yeah." He could barely keep his eyes open. Somehow the idea of standing up seemed impossible. When Blaine stood up he took hold of his wrist to try and balance. "Um. Can I come down in, like, five minutes?"

Blaine smiled. "Sure. Hey, why don't you lie down for a little bit? The food isn't going anywhere."

Kurt gave another little hum, this time in agreement rather than just comfort.

"Okay. Just for a little bit." He toed his shoes off and shuffled further up the bed, resting the less bruised side of his face on the pillow. "Thanks, Blaine."

Blaine just kept smiling as he watched Kurt fall asleep – it couldn't have taken more than ten seconds, but Blaine could have stayed for hours. He looked so peaceful and small, even though Blaine knew he was taller than him; he couldn't see how anyone would want to hurt him. The sight of his swollen lip and eye made Blaine's insides clench uncomfortably. He picked up the blanket from the end of the bed and draped it over Kurt, who hunched his shoulders up and nuzzled into the pillows, humming again. It was light and soft, with a slight musical lilt – maybe New Directions wouldn't be such a bad idea for him. Even if he didn't want to sing, he could probably do with being part of a group. He'd have to warn Tana to be nice, but Rachel and Brittany would adore him.

As he watched Kurt sleep, he made a promise to himself – Kurt could stay here as long as needed- as long as possible. And Blaine was going to do everything he could to help him.