It was a pleasant surprise when just as many of Kurt's friends abandoned him some the boys he had met at Dalton decided that they wanted to meet up for drinks.

Everyone in glee club had their sordid affairs start up yet again and all at once. Many of them were fighting tooth and nail for a solo at the upcoming sectionals competition, others were ready to kill each other on principle alone. Either way, the choir was gearing up for war and everyone was picking sides. This year Kurt didn't especially feel up to involving himself in this particular pissing contest, so as a result he was left out. It wasn't all that bothersome though. Tina and Mercedes would at least come rushing to him once it was safe to come out of the bomb shelters, so it was all really just a matter of waiting for it all to blow over.

That being said, it was still lonely. Fortunately however, the Warblers could always be counted on in his times of need. As of late, Blaine had been the one to fill that position, but now that his bike was working and not spewing parts apparently Blaine didn't need him. So much for Mr. “are we friends” Kurt lamented.

So here he was, sitting in the Lima Bean and sipping coffee with someone only a few paygrades above stranger, all the while spilling his dirty laundry.

“Glee is as dramatic as ever,” He didn't bother forcing all the gory specifics onto Nick. “School is slow and sad. Lima's still lame. Nothing much to talk about.”

“How about that one guy?” Nick asked.

"The Karofsky problem has actually resolved itself." Kurt admitted. In a way it sort of had. Not necessarily in the healthiest way possible, Blaine had assured that, but Karofsky hadnt so much as looked at him in weeks.

It was strange talking about his problems so easily and especially with someone he primarily contacted via texting. It probably shouldn't have felt so strange considering Nick was such a good listener and so kind. Besides, the Lima Bean was so crowded it wasn't as though anyone would overhear them.

"Thats good." Nick said slowly.

“Yeah, it's definitely a nice change.”

As their pleasantries came to an end, a small group of Nick's fellow Warblers walked past the Lima Bean window. A head of pale blonde hair squashed its nose right up against the glass and waved enthusiastically. Kurt chuckled at Jeff's behavior and waved back.

It wasn't long before the group had cups of coffee and plates of pastries and made their way toward Nick and Kurt's spot in the corner. Naturally, Jeff joined them while they others took up a few nearby tables.

“Hi, Kurt.” Trent greeted warmly.

Kurt smiled at him, then immediately went on the lookout for Jeff. He was expecting him to pop out of nowhere and probably jump on him, but neither occurred. Instead he found the blonde sitting calmly beside him and frowning at his phone.

“Nick,” He called to his boyfriend.

Nick, who was in the middle of a conversation, didn't hear him, so Jeff continued trying to get his attention. When Nick finally noticed him, he motioned for him to wait.

“Nicholas!”

Apparently, throwing straws was all it took to get Nick's full attention. “Oh my god, what?”

Jeff shoved his phone in his face. “Look who's been texting me all day.”

Nick, who had a phone shoved right up against his nose, swatted Jeff away and grabbed the phone away. He barely glanced at it before handing it back, ignoring Jeff's expectant expression.

“Cool, an unknown number. What did your mom tell you about talking to strangers?”

Jeff scrolled up through his messages. “No, look.”

“Oh, him – Him?”

Jeff sat up and scooted toward the lonelier end of the bench and put his phone up to his ear. The rest of the guys went back to talking. Kurt attempted to do the same, but was distracted by loud bits and pieces of Jeff's conversation.

“What do you want? Are you coming home?” Jeff looked hopeful. “I – what? She better be – this is getting ridiculous. Please just come home, we miss you… Will you at least talk to them? I'll put you on speaker – no, you hang up and I'll – ” Jeff yelled to Nick, “He hung up!”

"Whats up with him?" He asked.

The others all simultaneously rolled their eyes. It wasnt mean though, if anything it was a fond gesture.

"Dont mind him." Cameron said. "It's probably just about his dog,” Cameron continued to raise his voice so Jeff knew this was directed at him, "And hes just moping."

Jeff slid onto the seat between Nick and Kurt and interjected, “It's not just my baby. My best friend forever is still being ass and ignoring me.”

Everyone followed this mysterious “best friend” 's lead and ignored Jeff.

"Shut up.” Nicholas turned on Cameron. “Dont act like we havent all caught you pining for your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend, dog, bit of a difference dont you think?” Cameron argued.

"Yeah, weve all seen your girlfriend.” Trent scoffed, “Not by much."

“Better not get involved in all that.” Nick said.

Kurt agreed. For dapper private school boys, they could get pretty nasty with each other.

"I hate Daltons no pet policy." Jeff huffed. "She hurt her foot I guess, but she's fine now. I still think she should be living with me, I dont like where shes staying."

Kurt nodded sympathetically. Hed never had a dog, or any other pet for that matter, but Finn was almost like an animal and Blaine was rather puppy like as well. Hed certainly miss them if he couldnt see them every day. "What is she?" He asked in an attempt to cheer Jeff up.

It worked like a charm. Jeff perked up. "A retriever mix." He said, pulling his phone out. "Do you want to see a picture?"

Kurt grinned and nodded. Jeff showed him an adorable golden dog, her tongue hanging out and tail wagging. He took a closer look. She looked a lot like Cooper. But then, Kurt thought, so did most dogs to him.

He told Jeff as much, "Shes gorgeous. My friend has a retriever and I swear theyre twins."

Jeff nodded. "Yeah, theyre a pretty popular breed. Hey, maybe they got theirs from the same person!"

Kurt really doubted someone like Blaine would have been anywhere near the same kind of dog breeder as someone like Jeff, but for his friend he smiled and nodded.

From there, the other Warbler boys swept Nick and Jeff up into a whirlwind of a conversation discussing their favorite show that Kurt had never even heard of.

Amid the yells of “I'm telling you she's going to betray them” “They are so gay for each other” and the more popular “No spoilers, damn it! I'm not there yet” Kurt allowed his thoughts to entertain him.

His mind drifted between random fantasies lazily, so when he saw a familiar figure he thought he was simply imagining things. He allowed himself to shamelessly stare at this “mirage Blaine” for a few minutes before getting bored and letting his thoughts move on. Except this time his imaginings did not disappear and he soon realized that Blaine was in fact standing at the counter.

That would explain why the Blaine he thought he was imagining was flirting with the barista and not Kurt.

Kurt immediately averted his eyes and attempted to slip into his friends' conversation. His cheeks were red from embarrassment, yet he still continued to discreetly look over. The fact that Blaine probably hadn't noticed him anyway assuaged some of the embarrassment, although it didn't make him feel any less stupid. Consequently, it was probably the worst moment of his life when Blaine shot him a discreet wink. As soon as it happened, Kurt found himself choking on scalding coffee.

A few of the guys gave him worried looks, while the rest looked mildly amused. After Trent asked if he was okay they went back to their conversation.

It appeared that Kurt wasn't the only one not paying attention to his friends. Blaine looked like he was trying his darndest to escape the girl talking to him. On another day Kurt may have gone over there and helped him out, but it was amusing to watch him struggle and he sort of deserved it anyway. A few times Blaine motioned for Kurt to go over, but each time he just got a shrug. Then he whipped out the pouty face. This time Kurt glanced over to his friends and returned that same pout.

Kurt was actually rather enjoying the silent banter, so it was a bit of a letdown when Blaine suddenly rushed out looking as though he'd seen a ghost (Of course, the poor barista may have been even more put out having been cut off mid-sentence).

Through the window Kurt could see him kick off his motorbike and zoom out of there. He was so busy watching him that he didn't notice the guys weren't talking anymore and that Nick, Jeff, and Trent were the only ones still at their table.

“Oh, Kurt.” Nick whistled. “If I didn't know that look.”

He tried to pretend like he was confused. “What are you talking about?”

His friends simultaneously leaned in all ready to gossip.

“Who was that guy?” Trent asked.

“Again, what are you talking about?”

“Oh just the dream boat you've been staring at.” Jeff said offhandedly.

Nick pretended to fall into Trent's arms and swoon, “The one with the curly hair and leather jacket that rode off into the sunset on that piece of crap motorcycle.”

“It is not a piece of crap!” Kurt snapped. It was. But after spending so much time attempting to fix it for all he cared that thing was a damn Lamborghini.

“So what's his name?” asked Nick.

“His name is Blaine.”

“Blaine?” Jeff questioned.

“Yeah,” Kurt sighed. “He's a total closet case and I'm totally in love with him.”

Trent chuckled. “Oh, young, naive Kurt. Don't trust bad boys.”

“Or closet cases.” Nick warned.

“Or Blaine's for that matter.” Jeff added.

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Shall go lock myself in my tower then.”

“That's an excellent idea.”

Years later Kurt would seriously wonder if their advice wasn't some of the best ever given, particularly the one involving the tower.

 * * *

The guys were able to keep Kurt's spirits high while they were at the Lima Bean talking and laughing, but once he was back home alone, it was more difficult to ignore the fact the Blaine seemed to be ignoring him. Being ignored really didn't feel all that wonderful. Obviously, Karofsky avoiding him at all costs was a Godsend, but when somebody who was supposed to be a close friend did it, it sucked.

Ever since Blaine had divulged his "non-secret/secret" he acted like proximity alone was going to make Kurt start blabbing. Sure they sat next to each other in classes, but talking was simply unavoidable. Around the rest of campus it was like they were strangers. It didnt sit well with Kurt having secret friends, like some closet-case running around with their boyfriend who lived in the wardrobe... not that Blaine was anything more than a friend. It wouldn't have bothered Kurt so much had they still been seeing one another after school, but ever since they finished the motorcycle over a week ago they had stopped hanging out at all.

Sometimes Kurt couldn't help but think that he'd been taken advantage of. It wasn't a pleasant thought, but the he thought about it, it made sense. Everyone at school knew his dad owned a car repair shop that Kurt helped run, so it wasn't difficult to jump to the conclusion that he knew a thing or two about repairs. Of course, he doubted Blaine would've gone through all that trouble for some free help and risk his secret being exposed. Be that as it may, there was the niggling doubt that maybe it was some joke that Blaine would pretend to be gay.

It was stupid to jump to those conclusions like that; he knew that, they were silly insecurities popping up. However, being aware of that wasn't enough to stop feelings from getting hurt. Maybe now he was beginning to understand what his dad meant about being careful.

Kurt knew that many of these insecurities stemmed from his growing crush on the boy. If he had been wearing rose-tinted goggles before, now he was donning full on hot pink ray bans. As for their little mall trip a few weeks before, he wasnt foolish enough to think of it as a real date, but that was as close to one hed ever had. So naturally he was going to freak out and overanalyze everything.

When Kurt wasn't being ridiculously analytical it was clear what the real issue was, and that was Blaine. The fact was that Blaine was lying to himself when he claimed to be comfortable with his sexuality when he clearly wasnt. Out of all of his theories, that one best explained Blaine's behavior. Maybe he was afraid that hanging around a well-known gay would place him in the line of fire. Maybe before he rushed out of the Lima Bean he realized that he'd been too comfortable and hadn't put his walls up.

As for Kurt, he liked to fix things. This was probably due to the fact that hed spent his whole life helping his dad fix things; it was something he was good at. Probably his biggest issue about the whole situation was that Blaine was broken and Kurt didnt know how to fix him.

Either way, Kurt had a life outside of Blaine Anderson and he wasn't going to spend his entire life agonizing over this. Sectionals would be coming up soon and that was really something he needed to focus on.

* * *

"Will you come to sectionals?" was what Kurt found himself blurting out the second he saw Blaine. "Please."

The original idea had been to bring up sectionals and ease Blaine into the subject before hinting at it, but apparently Kurt was too excited to even do that. Instead, he loudly blurted it out. Rather than being warmed up to the idea, Blaine was startled.

"Sectionals?"

"Yes, for glee club. Its coming up this weekend." Kurt explained.

Blaine seemed hesitant for some reason. "Who are you competing against?"

"Well, theres a bunch of groups that will be there since its only Sectionals, but our only real competition is the Hipsters. Theyre just a group from a nursing home." Kurt laughed.

Blaine actually smiled a bit. Kurt, on the other hand, grinned broadly. Maybe this would work after all. Kurt supposed Blaine did owe him for fixing his bike and this really wasnt asking for much.

"Why even bother going? Doesnt sound like you guys have much competition."

Although Blaine sounded like he was joking, Kurt began to second guess himself. Maybe it was too far of a drive just to watch a silly show choir competition.

"Well," Kurt said tentatively. "Of course, were not going all the way over there just to compete against some old people. I forgot about the Warblers. Theyll actually probably be our real competition. Especially since they are the ones hosting it all the way in Westerville. That may be a bit of a drive." He rambled.

Suddenly Blaines whole demeanor shifted. "Definitely not my thing." He said. And without any further explanation, he picked up his things and walked off.

"At least think about it!" Kurt called.

Blaine didnt acknowledge him though. He kept walking. As soon as he was out of sight, Kurt folded his arms and sighed as he sunk down on the bench. He let his chin fall into his arms on top of the table.

For the rest of the week Blaine avoided him. Whenever they were in class he was all of the sudden very interested in getting the homework and asking questions and of course they didnt see each other outside of school nowadays.

Besides Blaine wasnt the type to feel guilty over something like this, at least not from what Kurt knew of him. More than likely, Blaine was afraid of being asked why he wouldnt go. Hed seemed fine with it up until Westerville was mentioned. It didnt make sense why Blaine would be so concerned with Westerville, unless he was in some sort of trouble down there, but that was none of Kurts business. All of the avoidance was unnecessary. Blaine didnt owe Kurt anything and he obviously really didnt want to go, so Kurt wasnt going to make him. No matter how much it put him out.

* * *

The day of sectionals arrived very quickly.

That morning Finn and Kurt carpooled to the school together. There, they helped load the bus and then parted ways to find a seat with their friends. Kurt and Mercedes pointedly found a seat the farthest away from Rachel on the chance that she removed her now more metaphorical duct tape and went on another rant. Finn wasnt so concerned with that and attempted to sit with her, but ended up across the aisle when she glared at him.

"Were screwed." Tina said, effectively setting the mood for the remainder of the two hour ride.

As predicted the ride over was dead silent. Everyone was angry at someone or else someone was angry at them. It was a blessing when they finally arrived and could stretch their legs and get away from each other.

The first thing Kurt did was run into Trent and wish the Warblers luck. After that all of the New Directions were suddenly angry at him as well. Then Mr. Shue herded them into the room where they would wait until they were to go on. There, Kurt sat on the couch with Sam and Quinn (the least hostile of everyone) while everyone argued and consequently were chewed out by Shue.

They still werent able to set aside their differences until the curtains were being pulled back, but once they performed most of the fighting was done with. Then the first place was being announced as a tie, Wes shook hands with Shue, and everyone loaded back up onto the bus.

They may not have won, but at least they would be moving on.

On the way back it was again silent, but only because it was late and everyone was tired. Mercedes had her head resting on Kurts shoulder as she dozed. He didnt bother trying to get her to move and let her sleep.

It was hard to let go of the ball of disappointment that Blaine hadnt been there. What did a win mean if there was no one to see it? Maybe he would attend regionals if Westerville was really the issue. Regionals was going to be in a town just outside of Lima.

Later that night at home Carole and Burt put together a little celebration dinner for Kurt and Finn. For the first time that day Kurt was able to get excited about the win and went back to be optimistic.

They would win, and they would make it to nationals this year. More importantly, Kurt was going to New York in May if it killed him.