A.N. Hello! This was typed one day while I was thinking about friendships that are probably there but not displayed on the show and I ended up with Kurt and Artie. There's also some brotherly Furt in here as well (which I love!) and doesn't feature as much Klaine as my other stories. This takes place after Born This Way. I also am very bad at writing Artie's dialogue so if he sounds different or off, then that's why :P Enjoy! :D

Disclaimer - I don't own Glee, nope.

Kurt felt like he was just bitch-slapped by an iceberg. Stupid neanderthals would never leave him alone. Even with Karofsky gone, the slushie facials hadn't stopped and neither had the locker shoves, but at least the dumpster tosses were permanently gone. He was getting a little too tall for the jocks to toss in, not to mention Sue Sylvester, Will Schuester, and the other glee club members were usually around to stop that kind of thing. Of course, if there were no teachers around then pretty much everyone from glee got slushied.

Kurt, Tina, Brittany, and Artie were simply making their way to their next class that they all had together when the purple, blue, green, and red slushies whacked them in their faces and stained their clothes. Kurt huffed, Tina discreetly sniffled, Brittany stood with a blank look on her face, and Artie was wiping himself clean as best he could with the towel he always kept in some secret compartment in his wheelchair. Kurt spotted him and shook his head, accidentally sending more droplets of ice and colouring towards his friend.

"No, no, no, no. Come with us, we are going to get you cleaned up properly." Kurt got behind Artie and began to push him towards the girl's bathroom. Artie quickly shot out his arms and grabbed the lockers next to it to avoid going inside.

"Nuh uh, I ain't goin' in there." Kurt huffed again and pushed a little harder, but the boy's grip only tightened.

"Come on Artie, be a man and face up to your fears!" Kurt joked. He received an eye roll and a hint of a smile at the irony but refused to let go. Kurt sighed. "You two go ahead, I'll take him to boys' washroom." Tina and Brittany nodded and made their way into the bathroom. At the last second, Tina turned around.

"Be careful." With a smile, she was gone and Kurt hurriedly wheeled Artie to the men's restroom across the hall. He prayed that the jocks weren't in there. It was mercifully empty and Kurt parked Artie next to the sink where he began to take command.

"Take off your vest." He ordered, stripping himself of his own designer sweater and sticking it in the sink. They didn't have much time before the bell rang and they would be late for class. Luckily, they had ten minutes between classes and two of them had already passed. Artie followed instructions without a word and Kurt stuck his clothes in the sink as well, then turned on the tap and squirted some soap in there to make a giant pile of bubbles. He let it sit there as he used another sink to dab at Artie's white shirt, then his own.

"Can you put your head in the sink?" He asked the guy in the wheelchair. Artie quickly wheeled himself around so that his back was facing the counter and leaned his head back as far as he could. It was enough. "Thank you." Kurt made quick work of washing his hair under the warm water and strawberry shampoo he always kept in his book bag.

"Yo, no offense, but you wouldn't happen to have any other scented shampoo would you?" Artie asked as Kurt lathered his hair into a pink bubbly mess. Kurt didn't seem to be offended as he calmly explained.

"You were hit with a red slushie. If you smell like strawberry then they'll think that you still reek of their earlier "torture" when really you're clean as can be." Artie raised his eyebrows. That was pretty smart.

"But aren't red slushies cherry flavoured?" Kurt stopped and gave him a look that said, Oh please, they're so stupid they'll think you smell like cabbage. Artie laughed as Kurt rinsed and then proceeded to take one of the towels Artie had provided and towel-dried his friend's hair. At that point, his own hair had become that much more sticky and Artie was surprised that he wasn't fussing over it infinitely and hadn't done his own first. He was surprised yet again when he pulled out a blueberry scented shampoo for himself.

"Dude, do you have one for every flavour?" He asked with a smirk. Kurt nodded and then took one of Artie's towels (he had a lot) and dismissed him. Artie frowned, but wheeled away. At the door, he turned around. "Thanks Kurt. It means a lot that I'm more important to you than your hair." He smiled again and Kurt returned it.

"You're welcome. I'll get your vest back to you in math okay?"

"Okay." He turned and wheeled himself out the door, his contraption squeaking against the tiles of the bathroom floor. Artie's thoughts circled around Kurt and how even though he was gay, he felt totally comfortable with him being so close. Sure, he knew that Kurt didn't like him that way since he was dating Blaine but he still didn't think he'd ever been so close to a gay person (minus Brittany, if you can even call her gay) and felt so at ease around them. Kurt had vetoed straddling his lap for fear of breaking the comfort zone which Artie which was eternally grateful for.

His touch was also super soft and his fingers lathering in his hair had felt really good. He now understood why the girls went to the spa all the time. Kurt had also cleaned up Artie before himself even though Artie had been slushied before and knew how to take care of himself, however Kurt was more experienced (unfortunately) in that department and had taken over.

Just as the door to the washroom swung shut behind him, Artie spotted Azimio and his band of jocks walking towards the bathroom. Even Rick the Stick Nelson was there... and Kurt was still in the bathroom. This was not good. He needed to do something, Kurt didn't deserve this. He needed a distraction until Kurt came out and could have somewhere to run as well as some witnesses.

Stomach twisting nervously, he rolled up to the bullies and stopped right in front of them. Azimio looked annoyed and Rick crossed his arms. "Out of our way cripple!" Azimio spat. Artie made a big show of wiping the spit from his face and glasses and then put them back on, trying not to look fazed.

"Just thought y'all should know that that bathroom is currently being cleaned by the new janitor and he is gay so y'all might not want to go in there. Just sayin." He rolled backwards a bit, waiting to see if the jocks would believe him. Rick snorted.

"Yeah right gimp," Artie couldn't help but be impressed at his vocabulary, "we're going in there for some gay bashing anyway. We'll his two birds with one stone." He pounded his fist into his other hand menacingly.

Well shit. That backfired. Okay Artie, think! With his heart thumping faster than he ever thought it could, Artie scrambled to distract them. He chanced a glance at the clock. Two more minutes until class started. Okay, he could do this.

"I dunno guys, he looked pretty ripped." He said, speaking of the janitor. Azimio rolled his eyes and shoved Artie's chair to the side, knocking him over and onto the ground. It didn't hurt so much as it was inconvenient to get back up again. Still, Artie's eyes widened as they headed into the bathroom.

No. He couldn't just lay there and let something like that happen. He needed to do something! But what? His eyes quickly scanned the hallway, searching desperately for someone or something to help. Then his eyes landed on someone who could.

"FINN!" He yelled, catching the other boys attention. The tall quarterback snapped his head up to look at him and his eyes widened. He dashed over to him, soon followed by Puck and Sam.

"Dude what happened?" He asked, lifting Artie back into his chair as Puck set it upright. Artie tried to shoo them away but once he was sitting again he immediately rolled towards the bathroom.

"The jocks are in the bathroom with Kurt alone! It's like, ten to one!" He shouted desperately. Finn paled and raced for the bathroom door and threw it open, slamming it against the wall so hard it chipped the paint.

"HEY!" He screamed, watching as Azimio froze mid-punch. The other glee guys watched in horror at the scene before them. Everything was so still you'd think it was a picture. Azimio had Kurt by the throat against the wall and above the ground, his other hand in a fist poised to punch Kurt in the face. He looked shocked that someone had discovered them, as if it was some sort of master plan that no one could see right through. Kurt's face was turning purple and he was clutching Azmio's hand so tightly that his nails dug into the skin and made it bleed. The football player didn't let up. Rick and the others had surrounded the two but now had equal expressions of fear etched across their faces. Kurt's eyes rolled back into his head, and all hell broke loose.

Finn charged through the crowd, slamming whoever got in way to this side, and tackled Azimio into the wall with a fierce battle cry. Kurt was dropped and he collapsed on the cold floor, lifeless and pale - more so than usual. Puck immediately dove for Rick and they were rolling around and fighting with blood and bruises and all. Sam had also joined the fray and began taking on some of the hockey team just as Artie rammed into three different guys at once. Suddenly, the door swung open, but no one seemed to notice. Mike and Rory entered and froze,but then immediately joined the fight - well, Mike did. Rory ran for a teacher.

They were outnumbered, but they were furious. No one messed with anyone in their glee club or there would be serious consequences. Artie knew he couldn't fight very well in a wheelchair, so he did his best to knock over people like bowling pins in his quest to get to Kurt. It was very cramped in the tiny bathroom and several people had been shoved into stalls to continue their fight. It was utter chaos and there was so much screaming and hitting and slamming into things like counters and walls and floors and toilets and urinals.

Artie's chair was stolen right out from under him and he let out a surprised cry as he toppled onto the floor, again. Determined not to let that stop him, he crawled soldier style towards Kurt and tried desperately not to get stepped on, though that was a feat in itself. Eventually, he made it to Kurt and checked his pulse. At first, all he heard was a heart pounding rapidly, but then he realized that it was his own and quickly took deep breaths, trying to calm himself to see if Kurt was alive.

He still couldn't feel a pulse but his chest was rising up and down, so Artie took that as a yes and quickly began to search for his wheelchair. There were too many guys fighting to see much of anything but blood and bodies being thrown around, but eventually, he spotted it upside down and hanging from a urinal. How the hell did that happen? He slowly made his way to it, using his elbows to propel himself forward. He made it about halfway before the door slammed open again.

"BREAK IT UP!" shouted one Sue Sylvester, trailed by Mr. Schuester, Ms, Pilsbury, Rory, and the rest of the glee girls. Only the teachers were brave enough to come in and forcefully yank the boys away from each other. Sue literally ripped Puck off of Rick whose face was bleeding profusely. Mr. Schuester was working on Finn and Azimio and Ms. Pilsbury helped Artie back into his chair, being very careful about touching anything. He sent her a grateful look as they watched how effective and fast Sue managed to dispel the fight. Within one minute, all the glee guys were on one side and the jocks were on the other, the side of the stalls.

Kurt stirred on the ground and Finn rushed to his side, wrapping his arms delicately around his torso and holding his head up. "Kurt, buddy, you okay?" Kurt groaned and began to massage his throat, were red marks in the shape of fingers were starting to take shape. He had yet to open his eyes. Finn boiled with rage.

"YOU ASSHOLES! YOU TRIED TO KILL HIM!" Finn almost launched himself at Azimio but Mr. Schuester managed to hold him back.

"Woah! Finn, stop! You'll end up doing something you'll regret." He warned, struggling to keep Finn at bay.

"The only thing I regret is not being here sooner to protect Kurt!" Tears were streaming from his eyes and he was thrashing furiously. "I promised to protect him and I failed! I swore to Burt I wouldn't let anything happen to him and... and... and..." Finn sank to his knees, wallowing in his tears. Mr. Schue did his best to comfort him, and Artie felt the need to speak up.

"He's not dead." The entire room went quiet, even Finn's sobs seemed to have lessened in volume. Artie cleared his throat and started again. "He's alive and breathing, as you can all see. Other than having a red neck, Kurt seems to be fine." That made Puck and Sam crack a smile. Finn deadpanned.

"I know, but if it weren't for you... Kurt might not be." He whispered, barely audible in the small room. The realization smacked Artie so hard he almost fell out of his chair. He saved Kurt's life, and not by doing anything like physical violence or threats, just by telling someone. He wasn't totally useless.

Kurt stirred again and all eyes turned on him. Rick swore under his breath and Sue slapped him across the back of his head. He mumbled some more but shut up after a while. Kurt's eyes fluttered open, and everyone from glee (literally EVERYONE, even the girls who were standing outside held the door open and were watching) breathed a sigh of relief. Kurt slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes with little fists which Artie thought made him look like an adorable four year old; in a totally non-gay and one hundred percent platonic way of course.

"What happened?" A beat.

"Kurt!" Finn launched himself at the boy and hugged him so tightly he thought Kurt might suffocate again. Kurt's eyes glazed over, but then they cleared and he was crying softly. When Finn realized what had happened, he rushed to console his step-brother and murmured things into his ear that no one else could hear. Mr. Schuester stood up and put his arm around Ms. Pilsbury's waist. She blushed, but leant into him.

"Alright you miscreants, someone get talking!" Sue barked. Kurt and Finn didn't react, and no one else knew the whole story, so Artie figured he'd have to be the one to explain. He sighed and rolled forwards so that he was centered in the bathroom.

"Well Ms. Sylvester, it all started when Tina, Brittany, Kurt, and I were strolling making our way to our next class together when all of a sudden we were each slushied. We didn't see who but we have a pretty good idea." He glared at Azimio and Rick, as did the other glee guys, even Rory. "We split up so that we went to our respective bathrooms. Kurt and I came in here and he washed the slushie out of my hair and then i left. I spotted them," he gestured to Azimio, Rick, and the others, "and knew they were headed for the bathroom. I tried to stop them, but they shoved me over and went in. I managed to get Finn, Sam, and Puck to go in the bathroom after helping me up and we walked in on Azimio strangling Kurt. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and an all-out brawl started. Mike joined in a bit later and Rory ran off to find help." He shrugged, and rolled back to his spot next to Mr. Schue and Ms. Pilsbury.

Sue nodded and turned to one of the jocks who looked shier than the rest. He was quaking in his boots and he seemed to be the least beat up. He gulped when Sue stared at him.

"Alright pathetic miscreant number four, enlighten me with your side of the story that can't be any different from Wheels over there but school law states that i have to give you stupid kids a chance to prove yourselves. So come one, out with it." The jock didn't say anything under the glares of every one of his friends. "Spill it or I spill your guts all over this floor." She threatened. Swallowing hard, the boy shakily pointed at Artie.

"He was telling the truth. All of it." He muttered shakily. Azimio and Rick exploded in his face, which probably wasn't a good idea with so many teachers in the vicinity.

"Dude! What's your problem! You just ratted us out!"

"You suck!"

"Did the fairy get in your pants or something?"

"ENOUGH!" Everyone jumped, expecting Sue to rip their heads off. But instead, Sue had turned to face the doorway where Coach Bieste stood, fuming. She stormed in and put a menacing finger to Azimio's chest. "I have had just about enough of you hooligans on my team pushing other people around! All of you are off the team until further notice!" There were immediate sounds of protest but they were cut off by a very loud shriek of, "STOP IT!". Everyone turned to Kurt was crying even harder and clutching his head, rocking back and forth while Finn cradled him, tucking his head underneath his chin.

"Whatch'a gonna go about it, fag?" Azimio sneered and took a step towards Kurt and Finn but was intercepted by Puck who shoved him back.
"Stay away from him!" He threatened through gritted teeth.

"Who's gonna make me?" He shot back, shoving him back. That was when Sam stepped up.

"I am." He was followed by Puck, Santana, Mike, Rachel, Artie, Tina, Rory, and the others as one by one, they came to form a wall between Kurt and the bullies. A tense silence followed the movement as they each joined hands with determination on their faces.

"You won't touch him!" Rachel spat, clutching Quinn and Sam's hands tightly. "You'll have to get through us!"

"And us." Mr. Schuester spoke up, walking in front of the wall of glee club kids to glare at the bullies. Ms. Pilsbury followed him and took his hand, trailed by Coach Bieste and Sue.

"No one. Touches. My. Cheerios." She sneered. Now, the jocks were the ones who were outnumbered.

"Principal Figgins won't be too happy about this, but I'm sure that all of you are getting suspended at the very least, and the very worst, expelled and sent to jail for attempted murder." Mr. Schue stated, gripping his fiancée's hand. Ms. Pilsbury turned to the glee club.

"And I'm sure that because your fighting was for noble reasons of self-defense - even the one being threatened wasn't yourself - that you will probably all get off with some detention." The glee club cheered and the remaining football jocks grumbled. "Is Kurt okay?"

"Yeah." Finn answered. "He's just a little shaken up. He's strong. He should be good soon. Someone should call Blaine though."

"I'll do it!" Mercedes volunteered, whipping out her phone and stepping out of the bathroom to make the call.

"Someone else needs to tell Principal Figgins." Finn said. Sam took off. "I'm gonna take Kurt home." He lifted Kurt bridal style and Rachel and Quinn followed him out the door.

"I'm gonna cut the bitch who did that to our Kurt." Santana threatened, stalking up to Azimio and glaring at him. Azimio's strength visibly wavered.

"Now, now Santana. I'm sure that's not necessary." Mr. Schue said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, I think Brittany needs you more right now." Santana whipped around to see that Brittany was crying and Tina was trying to comfort her. Santana pushed her out of the way and wrapped her arms around Brittany.

"Shh... Brit. It's okay. Kurt's going to be fine." She led Brittany out of the room and Tina and Mike followed. Jo awkwardly left right after them and Mr. Schue and Emma also exited the washroom. Only the jocks, Sue, Coach Bieste, Artie, and Puck remained.

"You are going to regret going after Hummel you asshole." Puck threatened, clenching his fists and jaw. "You are SO lucky that I just got out of juvie and don't want to go back." With that, he stormed out of there, door swinging painfully behind him.

"I trust you will keep them in their places until further notice." Artie nodded at the two coaches and then quickly wheeled himself out of there. Maybe now, Kurt can finally live in peace.