Kurt and Blaine spend the last few months they have together attached at the freakin' hip. Blaine's leaving and everything is changing around them. People are dating, everyone seems to have a girlfriend or a boyfriend, and Blaine and Kurt stare at all the people holding hands or sharing quick kisses in the hallways between classes. Girls are shaving their legs and wearing all kinds of makeup. Parents are driving their kids around to the mall or to restaurants for dates and all the guys' voices have changed and hormones are everywhere.

Kurt's voice doesn't change very much, though. It drops a bit, but he's still in a higher range than any of the other guys, including Blaine. They both go through a small growth spurt but Blaine remains the shorter of the two by just a couple of inches.

And of course, there are questions.

About things.

Things of a…personal nature.

And Kurt is way too embarrassed to broach the topic. Instead, he does quite a bit of internet research and oh…okay, so it's natural to wake up with those…and it's natural to get hair down there…oh, and it's natural to have dreams like that.

Good to know.

He thought he was turning into some weird…creature.

All of this is really, really weird.

In the end, Kurt's glad he did his research because Blaine's sitting on his bedroom floor and he seems to have a few of the same questions but Blaine doesn't have the same problem asking as Kurt did.

"Do you ever have dreams where you uh, wake up and you…um…like, need to change the sheets? You know?" Blaine asks him.

Kurt blushes a light shade of pink but nods his head anyway.

"Oh, thank god," Blaine sighs, rolling onto his back. "It was freakin' me out."

"I looked it up online," Kurt explains. "It happens all the time."

"Did you check and see if it's normal to wake up with uh…"

"Erections," Kurt tells him the correct word, happy to be the informed one. "And yeah, that's normal too."

Blaine heaves a seriously relieved sigh. "Erection? Really? That's what it's called?"

"Well, I mean it's got other names, but that's the…clinical term, I guess."

"Hm. Well at least I know I'm not turning into some crazy creature from the black lagoon or anything," Blaine says.

Kurt smiles to himself because it's nice to know he and Blaine are still very, very much alike.

Blaine's family is slated to move in just over a month and Kurt does not know how to handle the situation.

Because all of the sudden, he's seeing Blaine differently.

Very differently.

He's noticing new things that he's never really paid any attention to. The thing is…Kurt has always thought that Blaine had pretty eyes. He can't remember not thinking that. But now he's seeing them even more, like, he's noticing how the brown and the green rush together to create this honey golden light around his pupils and he's noticing just how long and dark Blaine's eyelashes are. He's noticing how soft and touchable Blaine's curly hair looks. He's noticing how angular Blaine's jaw is getting and he's noticing the clothes that Blaine wears and how well they fit him and why oh WHY is he seeing this all just before Blaine leaves? Why is he realizing all of this when Blaine's going to be so many states away from him and he won't be able to look at these things ever again?

And WHY is he having these sorts of thoughts in the first place?

Now, Kurt will be the first to admit that he's never found any of the girls in his class appealing, not even Mercedes who is turning out to be really cool.

But he's never noticed any of the boys either.

Well, except that Finn kid, the tall one. He has nice hair.

Or that one boy in his science class who sits on the other side of Mercedes who has really good skin.

Or maybe that guy in high school that lives down the street, the one that has really nice abs.

But other than that, the only guy he's ever given a second glance is that one kid, Brett, who looks and smells homeless, so Kurt's looking at him for a completely different reason.

…Okay, so maybe he's looked at other boys.

But Blaine's really the only other boy he actually looks at, or at least he's the only boy Kurt looks at in detail, anyway.

And Kurt…kind of really likes what he sees.

So…does that…mean he's gay?

Or what if it's just Blaine? What if he's only seeing him like this because he's Blaine and because he loves Blaine and because they've been friends for years?

Kurt's driving himself crazy with all of this and he's kind of getting annoyed by how easily he blushes around Blaine whenever he makes Blaine laugh. He doesn't know what to do about it and why in the world wouldn't these feelings just GO AWAY?

The night before Blaine and his family move to Maryland, Blaine and Kurt are sitting hip to hip on Kurt's bed against the headboard watching a movie. Well, Blaine's watching the movie. Kurt's watching Blaine.

He's looking at him and he doesn't know what to say or what to do because this is it, this is their last night together and Kurt's not sure when they'll get to see each other again. It could be months or years even and Kurt just can't handle that, he can't handle not seeing Blaine every day and –

Oh. Blaine's looking at him now.

"Kurt? Are you okay?"

"Wha – yeah. No, yeah. I'm okay," Kurt says quickly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Maybe because you've been staring at me for like, half the movie?" Blaine tells him, smiling ever so slightly.

"No, I'm not staring. I don't – I'm not," he denies. "Why would I stare at you? I don't need to stare at you."

Blaine's looking at him now and the room is dark except for the light from the TV glowing on their faces. Oh and Kurt's not sure he's ever seen Blaine look at him like…that. Blaine's blinking really fast and his tongue slips out to lick at his lower lip before he suddenly starts speaking.

"I – I look at you too, sometimes," Blaine confesses quietly, barely audible over the sound of the TV. He picks up the remote and mutes the sound. "Like…some days I can't help it."

Kurt's eyebrows shoot up towards his hairline but he doesn't have anything to say in response.

"You – you make me…I don't even know. I just look at you. I just look at you and – and sometimes I think," Blaine takes a deep breath, "I think that you're probably the most…beautiful person I've ever seen. Like…ever."

Kurt's breath hitches and Blaine worries his bottom lip between his teeth.

"I – I look at your eyes and I…I can't stop thinking about how pretty they are. And I think about how blue they get when you – when you cry. And I look at your cheeks and I remember how red they get when I say something that…that makes you blush. I look at your hair and it's always so perfect and sometimes…sometimes I wish I could put my hands in it. I don't even know why but – but I want to. But most of the time I…I look at – at your lips," Blaine admits, his eyes slipping away from Kurt's to do just that. "Because I…I wanna kiss you sometimes."

Okay, at that statement, Kurt's heart jumps into his chest and suddenly he feels ten times heavier and ten times lighter at the same time and he just does not know what to do because THIS IS NEW INFORMATION. And WHY did Blaine not mention any of this BEFORE he was going to leave for freakin' Maryland?

"But I always get scared," Blaine continues, "because I'm always afraid that you won't…that you won't like it. And that you'll stop being my friend just because I – I have these stupid feelings for you and I don't know what to do with them. Because you're my best friend and I don't want you to hate me and I think I really, really like boys but then I think you're the only boy I could ever really, really, really like and I – I've never felt like this before and it's freakin' weird and you're probably freaked out right now and maybe I should stop talking but I can't because I'm leaving tomorrow and I want you to know and-"

"Blaine," Kurt ends his friend's torment. "Stop talking."

"I'm sorry," Blaine whispers, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his head on them. "I'm sorry."

Kurt is frozen for a good minute or so simply because he doesn't know what to say or do. But then, somehow, his hand moves of its own accord and slips into the curls at the base of Blaine's head. Blaine lifts his head up and stares directly at Kurt, who releases his hold on Blaine's hair and turns and sits on his knees facing him.

"You – you really wanna kiss me?"

Blaine's eyes widen in surprise and Kurt thinks it's because Blaine probably wasn't exactly expecting that response.

"Y-yeah. But you don't…I don't…want to do it if you don't want me to."

"I want you to," Kurt says softly. "If…you want to."

"I do," Blaine replies. "I really want to."

"So do it."

Blaine gives a shaky nod and stretches his legs out. Kurt scoots closer. His twelve, almost thirteen year old heart is racing in his chest because he's about to have his first kiss and it's with a boy he likes and oh, Blaine moves closer and leans his head towards Kurt.

"A-are you sure?" Blaine asks one last time.

"Yeah," Kurt nods. "I'm sure."

Blaine closes the small gap of space very, very slowly and presses their lips together in a warm, dry kiss, their eyes fluttering shut instinctively. They don't even move, they just sit there and then Blaine brings a nervous hand up to cup Kurt's face and Kurt sort of melts and breathes out through his nose. Neither of them knows what they're doing and they don't exactly know how to move on from this point. But it's still nice and it's warm and Kurt gets this weird tingling sensation in his belly and his head feels light. He feels like he's floating and Kurt has to cover Blaine's hand with his own just to keep him anchored.

Eventually, Blaine pulls away and they both open their eyes.

"Whoa," Blaine breathes between them.

"That…was really nice," Kurt whispers, his hand still resting on Blaine's against his cheek.

"Yeah," Blaine agrees. "Yeah, it really was."

The two boys are frozen in their positions, eyes locked on each other and their breathing is still kind of quick.

Kurt thinks it's possibly one of the best moments of his life.

But nothing will come of it. Because Blaine leaves for Maryland tomorrow.

Kurt wants to cry.

Blaine smiles but his eyes are full of sorrow. He leans forward again but this time he presses his lips to Kurt's cheek and then he nuzzles their noses together in an Eskimo kiss.

"Can I – can I hold you?" Blaine asks quietly.

Kurt replies with a shaky nod and they snuggle down in the bed, Blaine on his back with Kurt pressed up against his side. Yeah, they'd cuddled like this before plenty of times. But now it means something way, way different and Kurt settles his head on Blaine's chest, draping his arm around Blaine's stomach. He feels Blaine's arms wrap around him and Kurt thinks he's never felt more loved by another person than right now, right here, right in his best friend's arms.

"Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

"I – I love you. I'll always love you. Even when I'm gone and I'm in Maryland."

Kurt squeezes his eyes closed and he feels a tear escape and land on Blaine's shirt. He doesn't know if Blaine means it in the friend way or the more-than-friend way but…it doesn't really matter anymore.

Because he's leaving and Kurt might never see him again.

"I love you too, Blaine."

When they wake up in the morning, Blaine smiles tiredly at his friend. Kurt knows that a lot more than just a kiss passed between them last night; there was a kind of understanding that only two friends who had been the best of friends since they were seven could ever comprehend. They both knew, really, honestly, truly knew that they would only ever like boys. Kurt doesn't really know how to handle that right now, but he figures he has plenty of time.

Even if Blaine is leaving.

They get up and change from pajamas to regular clothes and when Kurt's done buttoning up his shirt, Blaine stands in front of him and puts his hands on Kurt's shoulders. Kurt looks down at him and then settles his hands on Blaine's waist. Blaine lifts himself up onto his tip toes and kisses Kurt one more time, right on the lips, the same way he kissed him last night and Kurt gets that funny feeling in his stomach again.

He wishes it could last forever.

But Blaine pulls his head away eventually because he has to. He stares into Kurt's big blue eyes and then wraps him up in a too tight hug because he has to. He steps away, reaches down, gives Kurt's hand a squeeze, and then he lets go because he has to.

He says goodbye. And he walks out of the room. And out of Kurt's house. And across the street. And climbs into his parents' car. And drives away.

Because he has to.

Kurt's still standing in his room and he swears he can still feel Blaine's lips on his and he can feel Blaine's hands on his shoulders and his arms around him in that too tight hug.

Yeah, Kurt's pretty certain he likes boys.

And he may only be twelve, almost thirteen, and he may still be really young…but Kurt's also pretty certain that Blaine's the only boy he'll ever love.