Hi, this is my first ever fanfic so please comment but also... please be kind.

I own nothing, it's all Fox and Glee and Ryan Murphy and Co.

OVERALL TRIGGER WARNINGS; Eating disorders, Self Harm, Mental Illness, Homophobia, Blood, Severe Physical Illness.

If I have missed anything or there is anything else you think I should add a warning to, please message me and I shall add it on.

Chapter One; Return to Lima.

There was something to be said for being back in his hometown so soon after he finally escaped to the Big Apple. It may have only been six weeks since his dad dropped him off at the airport but Kurt was homesick, and coming back to watch the McKinley High's production of Grease was just an excuse to spend some time with Carole and his dad.

And maybe show Blaine what he had lost…

No. This was about family. Blaine had lost any say he may have had in Kurt's life when he decided to get naked with someone other than his boyfriend. Not that Kurt was bitter, or anything.

Kurt was looking damn good, if he did say so himself. He had lost a little weight since that night at Callbacks and his brand new black skinny jeans made his ass look fantastic. Threads of silver ran through the collar of his emerald shirt, and the hippo broach sat fiercely on the lapel of his black, perfectly tailored waistcoat.

Strolling through the halls of their old high school, Rachel on his arm, felt strange and unreal. So many memories round every corner, and most of them hurt to recall.

Kurt was feeling a tad overwhelmed, so soon left Rachel backstage with Tina and ducked into the nearest restroom, glancing around before locking the door behind him. Old habits die hard. It was a few moments before coughing could be heard from one of the stalls, and Kurt froze. A moment later, more retching, and Kurt called out.

"You alright?"

Silence. He walked towards the stall at the end of the row and knocked lightly, the door swinging inwards as he did so, and the sight of the new girl - Megan? - greeted him, slumped against the toilet, blood on the knuckles of the hand gripping the rim of the toilet seat and tears streaming down her face.

Kurt paused, he wasn't quite sure how to deal with finding someone in this position, though it was one he had been in himself many times. He stepped forward cautiously, leaning over the young girl who stared up at him with fear written across her face, and pulled some tissues out the dispenser. Handing them to the girl, he pulled a stick of gum out of his waistcoat and handed that to her as well before stepping backwards and looking her over.

"Can you stand yet?"

The girl - Marley, not Megan - looked up and nodded slightly, but made no move to do so.

"It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you. Or judge you. You wanna stay down there for a moment longer?"

She nodded again looking mildly relieved, leant her head back against the wall and wiped her face gingerly with the tissues she had been handed. Kurt sat down against the wall just outside the stall and opened his bag, pulling out a bottle of water, which he passed to Marley and motioned for her to drink. A few moments later, he spoke again.

"It's Marley, right?"

Another nod. She opened her mouth, quickly shut it again, then. "Yes."

He nodded, then motioning towards the gum he said, "It will make your head feel clearer, its sugar free don't worry." When she hesitated again, he smiled sadly, "I won't trick calories into you, Marley".

"How- I mean, um, I'm sorry"

"What for?"

"I'm sorry you saw me like this, I thought the door was- locked and I just- I thought- I don't know- I'm just-" she trailed off as tears began to run down her cheeks again, and Kurt shuffled closer and pulled her towards him into a sideways hug. He stayed quiet for a while as she muffled her sobs into his shoulder, smoothing her hair in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. He knew he couldn't ignore what had just happened, but he also knew that no words would be able to comfort Marley at this time, and that by now she must be feeling completely drained- hardly ready to perform in front of half the school.

"Okay," he said after about ten minutes in this position. "Here is what we are going to do. You're going to chew that gum I can see you rolling between your fingers and trying to hide because it will make your mouth feel less awful and sadly I don't carry mouthwash around with me any more. Then me and you are gonna fix up that beautiful makeup of yours, because you may not feel like it but there are people outside that door and you know the last thing you need is twenty questions about what happened with the mascara." Kurt glanced down at Marley as he spoke, and saw her eyes widen at the thought of being questioned once they left the - relative - safety of the bathroom. "It's okay, I'm gonna help you I promise."

"But why?"

Marley's voice jolted him slightly, as though he wasn't expecting her to respond so quickly. "What?"

"Why are you going to help me? Is this where you call the guidance counselor and Mr Schue and my mom and tell them all that I'm crazy or something?"

Marley's eyes had regained their fearful quality as she spoke, and Kurt noticed her clenching one hand against her skirt and scraping the other across the floor.

"Because," he said, then hesitated. "Look, Marley I was you for a long time, maybe I still am a little bit, and I know that calling from the rooftops is not going to help you the way people think it might. I'm not saying your mom and maybe Mrs P don't need to know, because they do, but I know right now me running to them is not what you need. So, let's get you cleaned up, and ready to take on that crowd. Okay?" He held out his hand, and was relieved when she reached up to take it.

"Okay." she muttered.

As Marley walked out the bathroom twenty minutes later, nobody would have guessed what had transpired behind that door. Of course, she was still nervous that Kurt would go straight to Mr Schuester, or worse her mom, but she didn't think he would do. He really did seem to understand, at least in his own way. He had even managed to adjust her costume to fit better than Tina - why did he carry a sewing kit around with him anyways? - and fixed her makeup so that her face didn't seem quite so grey.

Kurt left the bathroom a few moments later, after ensuring that his outfit was back in order, and started searching for Rachel. He wasn't sure whether the impending meeting with Blaine seemed more or less doomed in his drained state, but luckily he ran into Rachel leaving the auditorium first.

"Hey Rachel, you okay?"

She turned to him and smiled sadly, "I think I just want to go home."

"You're not going to stay for the performance?" he asked.

"Well to be honest I thought you had left already, I couldn't find you for almost an hour and-"

"I'm sorry I was dealing with something"

"No, it's fine I just- It doesn't feel like home anymore does it?" She sighed. "I don't think it will ever feel like home again."

Kurt moved towards her and pulled her into a hug. "I think I'm starting to feel that way too" he mumbled "shall we go home?"

"Definitely" laughed Rachel. "I am so ready for a nap." She paused, then sniffed and patted Kurt's shirt warily. "Who else has been crying on you this evening?" she asked, looking at Kurt with a wary expression. "You smell like perfume and tears, and your shirt is still wet."

"Now that-" Kurt smiled "is a story for another day. Come on, Rach."