Alright, this is my first Glee fanfic, and I'm actually super excited! It didn't really turn out like I wanted it to, but I think it's still good! Kurt/Mercedes friendship, a mention of Kurt/Finn romance. And I think like, one or two swears, so that explains the rating. And yes, before anyone asks, the title is from the song Reflection in Mulan, and that's the part that's being sung at the end by Kurt. The inspiration for this story came while I was watching that video. It's a great song =).

Italics- Thoughts

Bold italics- Singing

Oh and here's another thing that has been on my mind lately. I hear Kurt gets a boyfriend in the 2nd season. Who else is waiting for Finn to get jealous of his new boyfriend and come out of the closet and say he likes Kurt? I say it could (and should) happen. I may not like Finn all the time, but he really is nicer than the other football players, especially Puck. I only like his voice. Anyway, please read on!

Kurt stood in the almost empty hallway, trying to balance his books, homework, music for Glee Club, and Marc Jacobs bag, all while trying to open his locker. Oh yeah, and did I mention he was on crutches?

He had had a little accident involving the football team and a dumpster. And not the normal dumpster throwing that he's gotten oh-so used to. This time, they didn't throw him in all the way and his leg was hanging out over the top where they closed the lid. Hard. As you can probably guess, he broke his leg.

Because he was in the hospital all last week due to his injury, he had missed a lot of classes. That's the reason he was there at 4:30 in the afternoon when school got out at 3. The only other people there were the football players, who just got out of practice and were basically making it there pride and joy to come by and torture him.

"Hey, Hummel!" an all too familiar voice shouted down the hallway. Kurt sighed dismally.

"What do you want, Azimio?" he asked without stopping his fidgeting with this locker.

"Oooh, the faggot has turned nasty on me." Kurt winced slightly at his disgusting use of words. "What's next? You gonna take my lunch money? Tell a teacher that mean old Azimio was making fun of you again?" he taunted. Kurt heaved a big sigh in order to keep himself calm.

"I would do a lot more if I didn't wanna sink down to your level." For the first time, Kurt stopped trying to open his locker for a second and looked up. "I'm the bigger person here. If you want to make fun of me, go right on ahead. Just don't expect me to cry over it."

"Why not? You have before. That's what made it fun." Azimio said with a dirty smirk on his face. "But, since you did give me permission…"

He didn't even need to finish the sentence before he knocked Kurt's books, papers, and music out of his hands. They spilled all over the floor. Apparently not satisfied yet, he slid his foot underneath Kurt's right crutch, then the left one, which he was supporting himself with. Kurt's whole body went toppling to the floor, his broken leg hitting a locker and his head falling on one of his books. No matter how much pain he was in, he refused to let Azimio see it.

"Have a nice day, fag" was all he said as he walked off laughing.

Kurt fumed at his retreating form, but decided to stay above this. Besides, all he could do right now is try to clean his stuff off the floor, get his crutches, and stand up. Suddenly he heard a pair of high heels clicking toward him.

"Kurt?" He looked up and heaved a big sigh of relief.

"Hey Mercedes" he said, still trying to get himself into an upright position. He then felt two hands under his armpits, lifting him so he was standing on his own two feet. When he looked at Mercedes, she was holding his crutches out to him. He grabbed them and balanced his weight between them while his best friend picked up his stuff.

"Thanks. So, um, what are you doing here so late?" Kurt asked while he opened his locker, finally.

"I could be asking you the same thing" she said as she straightened up with all of Kurt's stuff in a neat little pile. "But, to answer your question, I was going over some stuff with Mr. Schue for Regional's. I actually left at about 3:30, but then I realized I forgot my music. So what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I had to make up some homework and tests from when I was gone last week" Kurt stated, taking his stuff from Mercedes and setting it inside his locker. She raised her eyebrow and looked at her watch.

"Kurt, it's 5:00. How much homework could you possibly have to make up?"

"I only spent about an hour of that time actually working. The other hour was spent trying to get up the stairs because the elevator is broken and having a little run in with Azimio."

Mercedes put her hands on her hips. "Alright, that boy has a death wish. What'd he do to you this time?" Kurt shrugged.

"Nothing really, just knocked my stuff onto the floor and tripped me" he said in a bored voice. Just the fact that he has been thrown in dumpsters and had his leg broken by him, this seemed like almost nothing. But Mercedes didn't think so.

"How can you say that like it's nothing? You have a broken leg and he tripped you! If I wasn't here, you would've been helplessly laying there for God knows how long until someone came along that would help you! I don't think that's nothing!"

"Mercedes, calm down. I've been through worse. It's not like I'm fine with it by any means, but I've just learned that ignoring it is the best thing." Mercedes sighed. She could tell this was upsetting him, but she decided not to push it any farther.

By that time, Kurt had stuffed all his homework into his bag and slammed his locker shut. He leaned his crutches up against the lockers and swung his bag over his shoulder while trying to stand on his cast. Then he tried to put his crutches under his arms, but he couldn't because his bag kept swinging and getting in the way of his movements. After a couple of failed attempts, he just threw his bag on the floor, not even caring anymore that it might be getting all dirty, and huffed in frustration.

"Fuck my God-forsaken life." Mercedes's eyes widened in shock. She'd never heard her best friend swear before, at least not dropping the F-bomb. "Why does everything always have to happen to me? I'm eco-friendly, the world should not hate me! It's not my fault that I have a high voice and that I'm skinny, and yet, I get harassed for it! And don't even get me started on being gay, I was born with these feelings! I didn't just choose to like guys! If I could've chosen, I would've liked girls, but I couldn't, and now I have to suffer for it? Where's the fairness in that? Why can't I just be normal like everyone else?"

This whole time, Mercedes had been listening and fighting back tears. Somehow she knew Kurt was holding back all this anger, and yet, she didn't know it would all come bursting out of him like a volcano. She hated to see him like this. She missed how carefree and happy he was, way before all this bullying started.

"Kurt…" she said softly, trying not to set him off again. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder, which was shaking with sobs. He looked up at her with red stained eyes and tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Your life isn't God-forsaken. You shouldn't let those jerks get to you. The only reason they make fun of you is because they're uncomfortable in their own skin and need something to make them feel superior. I understand how hard it is for you to have to deal with this every day. Believe me, I do get it. But, don't bottle up your feelings just because you're afraid to tell someone. Talking about it does help. And yes, you were right, ignoring them is probably the best thing right now, but don't go brushing it off as if it's nothing. We might end up having another explosion on our hands, but this time, your head will be leaking brains."

At least that got a smile out of him. "Okay" he said. "I'll try."

This is why he loved Mercedes so much. She always knew what to say and could always make him feel better when he was in his lowest of moods. She just had that certain charm about her. Just the fact that she understood what he was going through and could go from a cheesy lecture to making him laugh was amazing to him.

"Good" she nodded, satisfied with her work. Then she just realized something as he was picking up his bag. "Uh, how exactly are you getting home?"

"Walking" he said simply. "My dad needed the car this morning to get to work. I had to walk to school too."

"Wait, what about Finn? Couldn't he give you a ride home?" Mercedes asked.

"Finn left right after football practice" he told her, feeling slightly hurt that his new step-brother forgot about him.

"And he just left you here, alone, while you're crippled?" She sighed. "White boys nowadays…" She shook her head. "Well, I have my car. If you want, I could give you a lift. And help you with that poor bag that you keep beating up." God, he loved that she could make him laugh whenever he needed it.

"Sure, hun. Let me just get situated here…" Before he could start struggling again, Mercedes picked up his bag and threw it around her own shoulder. He smiled at her in gratitude while he crutched down the hall next to her, toward the front door.

"Everyone else is gone, right?" Kurt asked as they made their way to the stairs. "I don't wanna have to try to go down the stairs with people pointing and laughing again."

"Yep, everyone's been gone for a good 15 minutes or so" Mercedes replied. Then they got to the stairs.

"Alright, let's get this over with…" Kurt said as he tried to take his first step.

"Wait, wait" Mercedes interrupted. "I have a better idea…" She leaned Kurt up against the wall, safely away from the staircase, while she pushed his crutches down the stairs. And before he could say anything, he was being cradled in Mercedes's arms like a baby as she quickly walked down the two flights of stairs that were separating them from the outside world.

When they got to the bottom, Kurt's crutches were lying on the floor. Mercedes propped him up against the wall again and bent down to get his crutches. He took them happily and walked out of the door she was holding open for him.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" he asked once they were outside. Mercedes smiled.

"Yes, you have, but thanks for telling me again" she replied. "And I love you too. Why else would I carry you down the stairs?"

Kurt laughed. "I guess that's a legitimate excuse."

When they got to her car, she opened the door and tried to seat him comfortably inside the passenger seat while she put his crutches and bag in the back. She got around to the driver's seat.

After about 15 minutes of singing along to show tunes on the radio and laughing their heads off, Mercedes pulled up to Kurt's house. It looked like no one was home.

"Hmm. Shouldn't Finn be home by now?" Mercedes asked. Kurt shrugged.

"He's probably out with the team somewhere. To be perfectly honest, I'm kind of glad he's not home. I may like him, but when he doesn't even show me any kindness, he kind of loses his appeal." Mercedes looked at him sadly.

"Ya know, if you want, I could stay here with you" she offered.

Kurt smiled at her. "Of course I want you to stay. Right now, I really don't wanna be alone."

Mercedes couldn't help the thoughts in her head. "Aw, this poor boy just wants some company. And who better to give him that than his best friend, right?" she thought.

She got his crutches out of the backseat and went over to open the passenger door. Kurt struggled a bit getting his broken leg out of the door, but eventually was completely out and on his crutches, heading up the sidewalk to his house. Mercedes grabbed his bag from the back, slammed the door shut and locked the doors, then ran to catch up with him at the front door. "Boy, for a kid in crutches, he can really move…" she said to herself.

She dug the keys out of Kurt's bag and unlocked the door, letting him go in first. She came in after him and shut the door. The house was completely silent. She was right, no one was home.

"Kurt, where do you want this?" Mercedes asked as she held up his bag.

"Oh, just put it anywhere, I'll get to it later" he replied. This was when she figured he must still be upset. He would never want his sacred Marc Jacobs bag anywhere other than in it's place in his and Finn's room.

But, she threw it on his dad's recliner, then helped him to sit on the couch. She cleared a spot of the coffee table and put a pillow on it, then lifted his leg so it rested on the pillow. "Comfy?"

All Kurt could do was nod as he laid his head back and started to close his eyes. Mercedes, although she didn't really want to, shook him awake. He looked up at her with that "what-could-you-possibly-want" look.

"Don't you wanna eat something before you fall asleep? Or at least change into pajamas?" she asked. He considered this.

"Maybe I could change first. Armani may be stylish, but it's not that comfortable to sleep in." Mercedes nodded and, after confirming permission to go into his room, snatched his pajamas and gave them to him.

"Do you want me to like, look away or something?" Mercedes asked, only out of politeness.

"Mercedes, I'm gay, you're a girl. It's fine. Really" he assured her as he started taking his shirt off.

Mercedes knew she shouldn't be staring at him, but she couldn't seem to tear herself away. As he began to peel his shirt off, she noticed that he has a pretty toned stomach for being so skinny. What could she say? She loves nerds. Especially cute nerds, like this one.

Kurt caught her grinning like an idiot. "Uh, Mercedes? Hello? Anyone home?" He started to put his shirt on a bit faster as he realized what she was staring at. He may be okay with her being in the room while he was changing, but he was still self-conscious about what he thought of as his mini beer belly, when he really had no fat whatsoever around that area.

Mercedes's grin faltered a little bit. "You didn't have to rush. I like your body. At least from a friend's point of view."

Kurt's face turned a brilliant shade of red as he avoided looking her in the eye as he tried to get his pants off over his cast. "Uh, thanks…but I'm not as toned or husky as say, Finn or Puck." Finally his pants were off and he was beginning to put his pajama pants on.

"Kurt, sweetheart, why do you always compare yourself to Finn and Puck?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's because they're the model guys. I'm just a freak."

Mercedes knew where he was getting this from, and she wanted to slap someone across the face for implanting this in his head. "Kurt, don't listen to your father."

His head shot up and a look of confusion was on his face. "Who said anything about my father?"

"No one, but you implied it. Kurt, I know he thinks Finn is the perfect son and you're not and that he thinks you're a freak for being gay. That's just how people function nowadays. I'm just saying, don't listen to him. You're unique and special in your own way." "God I sound like Barney right now…"

"I know, but sometimes I can't help but compare myself to them. I mean, face it, I'm not the normal guy and I happen to be the only gay guy in that whole school. Can you really blame me for comparing myself to them?" His pants were on and he was now sitting back on the couch with his head resting on the back, facing Mercedes. She went to sit next to him and grab a hold of his hand.

"No, I guess I can't really blame you…but you shouldn't be comparing yourself to them. Everyone's different, there's no such thing as "the model guy". Just like "normal" is only a setting on a washing machine. I wish you would believe in yourself as much as I believe in you." This made Kurt smile.

"Thanks. You're really a great friend, you know that?" he said. Mercedes responded by pulling him closer to her and resting his head on her chest. "I'll take that as a yes" he said, sighing happily as he listened to her steady breathing and the beating of her heart. Mercedes giggled.

"I love you, Kurt Hummel. Anyone who gets in the way of that has to deal with the wrath of me." Kurt laughed.

"Yes, and your wrath is pretty darn scary, if you ask me."

After what seemed like only 5 minutes, but was really a half an hour, Kurt was sound asleep in Mercedes's arms. She was stroking his hair, feeling the familiar grease he normally put in it, since it seemed to relax him.

She really didn't wanna leave, but if she didn't soon, her mom would blow up about her missing curfew and she'd have to deal with Finn and their parents when they got home. So, she wriggled herself away from Kurt, careful not to wake him. He only mumbled a bit, then turned over and went back to sleep.

She realized she had to leave a note or something so he wouldn't think she'd left him. And she had the perfect idea…

She took out a pen, and went over to his bright green cast and started writing…

When Kurt woke up, it was about 3:00 in the morning and he was laying in his bed. He looked to his side to see Finn snoring lightly in his own bed. He must've carried him up to his room after he fell asleep with Mercedes on the couch.

"Wait, what happened to Mercedes?" he thought.

He started to get out of bed, but then remembered his leg was in a cast and very hard to move. He sighed and went back under the covers, but not before seeing bright pink pen on his cast. Curious, he took out a flashlight and read what it said.

~Kurt

You're a wonderful friend and I'm sorry I had to leave, but my mom would've killed me if I came home any later than I already did. Just remember, your reflection will always show who you are as long as you believe it. Please, keep smiling. It's what you're best at =). I love you and I'll see you later!"

~Mercedes

Kurt couldn't help but obey Mercedes's orders.

"When will my reflection show who I am inside?" he started singing silently.

"I'd say right about now" was his final thought before he drifted off into dreamland with a smile plastered on his face.

Yeah, I know, cheesy ending, but all friendship stories have some amount of cheese, don't they? Please review, it would make my day!