It had been a long day. Kurt sighed as he put on his coat and headed out the door. He needed a walk to clear his head. His morning started off bad when his alarm didn't go off and he woke up late. He barely had enough time on throw on the first outfit he could find and half way fix his hair. He groaned as he headed out the door on his way to school, thinking the day just couldn't get any worse… until it did.

10:02 am: Slushy to face.
10:12 am: Exit bathroom; late to class; detention.
12:04 pm: Lunch. Smell of tuna salad emitting from cafeteria. 'Nuff said.
1:13 pm: Slammed against locker, twice.
1:58 pm: Ran out of hairspray.
2:51 pm: Go to music room to tell Mr. Schue about detention. Found out I had a chance at singing a solo today. Solo went to Rachel.
3:00 pm: Beginning of one hour to spend with hockey and football idiots who go back and forth trying to come up with the best 'gay' jokes.

Not even writing this all out in his diary helped him feel better today. Hence the walk.

He had just finished eating dinner alone. Finn wanted to play video games and his dad and Carole were out on a date.

He walked down the street, his hands cozy in his coat pockets, and made his way to the park. Usually he wasn't a fan of nature, but the park was considered "controlled nature" to him, so he didn't mind going there. Also, the sound of trees blowing in the wind always made him feel relaxed.

He crossed the street. 'Jaywalking, Hummel?' He thought to himself sarcastically, 'You're a dangerous guy.'

He walked down the sidewalk, smiling as he watched people pass by with their dogs. He liked to try and guess their names, even though he knew he'd never find out if he was right or wrong.

He was about ten minutes into his walk when he noticed someone on a park bench. It was their posture that drew his attention. Their back was hunched over, with their elbows on their legs and their head in their hands.

Kurt got a little closer and saw that this person was male and, by what he could make out, he looked to be around Kurt's age.

None of that made him want to stop to check on the boy however. No, what did that was the sniffling he heard when he got up close. He knew that sound all too well, although it was usually him making it.

He quietly sat down on the opposite side of the bench, waiting a moment before asking, "A- Are you okay?"

The boy's head shot up and he hurried to wipe the tears off of his cheeks. "I'm fine," He replied much too quickly. He was looking in Kurt's direction as he replied, but he refused to make eye contact.

"Really?" Kurt answered. "So, you just like to cry for the fun of it then?"

The question made the boy smile and he let out a small laugh. The smile, however, faded all too quickly for Kurt's taste and was replaced with a shaky intake of breath.

"It's just been a long day," The boy finally replied.

Kurt nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it."

"You too?"

Another nod.

They were both silent for a moment before Kurt spoke again. "So, are you gonna?"

"Gonna what?"

"Tell me about it."

"Oh," The boy looked surprised. "You really want me too?"

"If you want to." Kurt didn't want to sound pushy, but he didn't want their conversation to end yet either.

"Um, well," The boy cleared his throat. "I go to Dalton Academy and today was a teachers workday, so their was no school. I decided to go home early and spend the weekend with my family." He stared down at his feet, which only barely reached the ground, as he told his story to this random boy. "I- I needed to talk to them," He paused before clarifying. "To come out to them." He waited for the judging, or for the boy just to get up and leave, but that didn't happen.

"They didn't take it well?" Kurt guessed, although it was more of a statement than a question.

He shook his head. "No. No, they did not. I believe my dad's exact words were "There's no way I'm lettin' a fag live under my roof," to which my mother agreed."

"That's… That's horrible. I'm so sorry."

He nodded, silently thanking him for his sincerity. "I don't know what I was expecting," The boy continued, "but I do know that I was not expecting my dad to basically push me into his car, drive here, then just… dump me off."

Kurt's eyes widened in shock. "He left you here? You didn't just come here by yourself?"

"Nope." The boy felt tears stinging his eyes once more, so he returned to the position Kurt had first found him in.

Kurt was tempted to grab the boy, pull him into a hug and squeeze the sadness out of him, but he figured that would be a little too forward and awkward.

He waited a moment before scooting closer and softly placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy looked back at the hand, then to Kurt, finally looking him in the eyes.

"I… I hope you don't mind me touching you. I just figured you might need it," Kurt said.

"No, it's fine," He replied, not leaning into nor pulling away from the touch. "You know, I was sitting here for two hours before you showed up and not one person stopped to see if I was okay. Why'd you stop?"

Kurt shrugged. "I see someone crying, especially a teenage boy, and I… I get it. Whether you pretend you don't want it or not, you just want someone to ask if you're okay. You want someone to genuinely care… and I do."

The boy looked back down at the ground. "Thank you," He said quietly.

"No problem."

The boy once again wiped the tears from his face. "You must think I'm a jerk. You were having a bad day too?"

"I was," Kurt replied, removing his hand from the boy's shoulder and returning it to his coat pocket, "but it doesn't really seem that bad anymore." He smiled, hoping it would get the boy with too much product in his hair to smile again. It did.

A comfortable silence took over them as they both just looked around the park. It was beginning to get dark now, so the forty degree, sunny weather was turning into thirty degrees and dusky.

"Do you have anywhere to go?" Kurt asked after a moment.

He looked down at the bench. "It's a clear night. I'll be fine here."

Kurt just stared at him for a moment before standing up. "Come on."

The boy quickly looked up at him and his eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"Come on," Kurt repeated, motioning for the boy to get up.

"What for?"

"Well, I'm not letting you sleep on a park bench. There's an extra bedroom at my house. You can stay there."

"Are- Are you serious?"

Kurt nodded. "I don't live far from here. My step-brother's home, and my dad and step-mom are either home or will be home soon." He looked around the boy and saw he had nothing with him. "Your parents didn't let you bring anything with you?"

He shook his head in response, looking ashamed.

"Well, you don't really seem to match my body type, but I should have something that fits you."

"I- I really don't-"

"Listen, I'm not some serial killer trying to lure you into my trap. I mean, look at me, you could take me down in a heartbeat. I'm not gonna let you freeze to death, so you have two options. Number one: I take you to a shelter where you sleep in a room with fifty or more old, sweaty, dirty men; or, come with me and get your own, comfy, and well-decorated room."

"I don't want to intrude."

Kurt rolled his eyes as he reached out and pulled the boy up by his upper arms.

They began their walk back to Kurt's house, both with their hands in their pockets as they quietly made their way.

"This goes against everything my parents ever taught me," The boy said as they neared the house.

"Mine too," Kurt replied with a smile. "Oh, they're home. Good," He added once he saw his dad's car in the driveway.

They walked up to the front door and the boy took a deep breath.

Kurt pulled his key out of his pocket then unlocked and opened the door. He held it open for the shorter boy then closed it behind him.

"You have a lovely house," The boy said as he looked around. "Very homey." He knew he should be nervous to be entering a house where he knew no one, and just a moment ago he was, but something about the coziness of the house instantly calmed him.

"Thank you," Kurt replied. He heard movement in the kitchen. "They're probably in there. Come on."

They walked to the kitchen, where Burt and Carole were sitting and eating their leftover dessert.

"Dad?"

Burt looked up to see Kurt and another, unfamiliar boy behind him.

"Kurt," He replied. "Who's your friend?"

It was at that moment that Kurt realized he had no idea what this boy's name was. He turned around to face the boy. "Name?" He asked quietly, although Burt and Carole could still hear.

"Oh," The boy straightened a bit. "Blaine. Blaine Anderson."

Kurt nodded and pointed to himself. "Kurt Hummel."

Blaine nodded and Kurt turned back to his dad. "Dad, Carole, I need to ask you something."

I know we all knew it was gonna be Blaine before he ever said his name, but I felt that since Kurt didn't know who it was yet, I didn't just want to use his name from the beginning.

Some things may seem a little OOC, but this is sort of a AU story, so hopefully it doesn't bug you guys too much. While some aspects will stay the same, some will be different.

I hope you guys liked chapter one! Please leave a review and let me know what you think :)