"Happy Birthday Kurt!" Burt Hummel said, producing a large, somewhat messy cake from the microwave. Kurt was sitting at the table, surrounded by a couple of large presents, reading Vogue. They were all poorly wrapped, but Kurt wouldn't want it any other way. Burt placed a stack of pancakes in front of his son and it distracted Kurt enough from the pretty models that littered the Vogue magazine pages in the latest trends and styles. Kurt tucked in to his birthday pancakes, today was going to be the best day ever.

***

"Come on Kurt!" Blaine called over the fence and through the semi-opened front door. He was waiting at the bottom of the drive for his best friend to come out so they could walk to school. In his hand was a camera, like always and he played around with the settings as he waited.

Kurt's dad's truck was in the drive which could only mean two things. He was ill or it was Kurt's birthday. Kurt came through the door, calling a goodbye to his father before shutting it behind him. He turned and looked at Blaine. Blaine tapped his watch and Kurt ran down the drive.
"Happy birthday Kurt" Blaine said, wrapping his thirteen year old arms around his best friend. Kurt responded with a little squeeze.

"Thank you! Today is going to be amazing!"

"Have you forgotten that today is picture day?" Blaine said.
Kurt's eyes looked over Blaine's outfit. He had red ¾ trousers and a white and red checked shirt, topped off with a little red bowtie. Kurt remembered what he had chosen today: normal black jeans and a white v-neck, with a black blazer on top.

"I look bland" Kurt said, stopping. Blaine turned around to Kurt who was slipping in to having a mental break down.

"Kurt, you look fine. Amazing in fact. The picture will go okay and then we will enjoy the rest of your birthday stress free. Now smile, we need to document today" Blaine held up his camera and snapped a picture of Kurt.
"Blaine!"

"What?" Blaine said, laughing. He glanced at Kurt when he wasn't looking. These little moments were, in Blaine's opinion, the best part of the day. He loved seeing Kurt the way no one else got to. He saw the person beneath the usual extremities other people saw. He had been in love with Kurt for a while but he was too scared to say so.

***

Kurt and Blaine walked down the halls of McKinley Junior High School. The halls were cluttered with people all queuing up for their photos. Kurt and Blaine joined the back of the queue and waited. Soon enough, it was Blaine's turn. He was a little big around the edges, but Kurt wouldn't want Blaine any other way. Blaine smiled a little, too shy to embrace the camera. He was always behind it, never in front. It was Kurt's turn and he sat on the stool in front of the blue sky background. The sweaty photographer turned his head to angle it.

"Ok, right here Kart" Kurt frowned. Where did he get Kart from? Could he read?

"It's Kurt" he said, preparing to smile.
"Look over here, Kart, right here"

"It's Kurt!"

The camera flash went off and Kurt's heart sank. Of course this would happen to him.

***

"Smile!" Blaine said, putting his arm round Kurt and snapping a photo with his camera. Kurt had in his hands the photo the horrid photographer just took but he tried to put that to the back of his mind.

"Blaine, please. No more pictures" he said, smiling. Blaine tried to protest but he couldn't, Kurt was just too cute. Suddenly Kurt's eyes were diverted to down the hall. The cheerios, Sue Sylvester's band of loyal, popular followers were walking behind Quinn Fabray, the undisputed queen of the school. Kurt was mesmerised by them but Blaine wasn't too impressed. They came to a halt in front of Kurt.

"Hey Quinn" Kurt said. Quinn looked up from her perfectly manicured fingernails and smiled at Kurt.
"Hey Kurt. Hey Beaver, how's everything at the dam?" Quinn turned to Blaine. Blaine turned around, avoiding Quinn's gaze. He patted his stomach and winced, but he wasn't going to give Quinn the satisfaction.

"So, how did your photo turn out, Hummel?"

"Not so good" Kurt said, clutching the photos to his chest.
"Yeah, mine too" Quinn said, flicking her high pony tail behind her shoulder. She pulled the photos out of her bag and put them right under Kurt's nose.
"Wow, you are so photogenic" Kurt said, pouring over Quinn's pictures, wishing they were his. Blaine rolled his eyes, he couldn't stand the Cheerios.

"I'll meet you outside; I've got a few more photos to take for Figgins"

"Do what you want, it's not like Kurt needs a play-by-play" Quinn said, to the adoration of the cheerio crowd and Kurt. Blaine pushed through the crowd and Kurt's eyes followed him, but the soon snapped back to Quinn.

"Hey, Kurt. Can I talk to you for a second?" Quinn said, pulling Kurt towards the big blue lockers. Kurt had no real time to protest, but like he'd want to. Quinn Fabray was Kurt's idol. He seldom saw her out of her cheerio uniform, but she was beautiful and amazing all the same. She could sing and dance and be completely catty, but Kurt knew she was good beneath the bitchy exterior.

"So, we were going to come to your party tonight, and Finn Hudson even said he wanted to come but we can't because we have a school project to do" Quinn said. Kurt's face dropped. Finn Hudson was going to come but then he couldn't? Urgh...

"Yeah, we've got a project to do and Finn was going to come and help us out, with us all being too busy in the week because of Cheerio practice, so I guess he can't come either..."

"I could write it for you. Was it the one Mr Schuester set us in Spanish?" Kurt asked. Quinn nodded and Kurt smiled.
"Fabulouso!"

With a sly smile, Quinn Fabray set off once again down the hall, leaving Kurt awestruck. If Finn Hudson was going to be at his house... what should he wear?