“I’m sorry. I’ll what?”

“You’ll fail the grading term, Kurt. If you don’t pass the test in a couple of weeks, you’ll fail,” Kurt’s physics teacher tells him regretfully.

“But I – I’ve never had a failing grade on a test in my life,” Kurt protests. “How – I don’t understand what-”

“Your grades in my class have been average at best. Not to mention, you haven’t turned in the last three homework assignments. I’m worried that, well, that maybe you might have too much on your plate. Being a Cheerio takes a lot of time and energy, I know.”

“We’ve been practicing a lot more lately,” Kurt explains. “Coach Sylvester wants our routine polished and perfect before our first competition. In, um, in February.”

His teacher sighs, leaning back into his chair on the opposite side of the desk. “Well, I can’t tell you what to do about that. I just know that you’ll fail the grading period if you don’t pass this test and from the looks of your previous test grades…you might want to get some help.”

“What – help, like, as in tutoring?”

“That might be your best bet.”

Kurt hangs his head, nodding in resignation. “I’ll do what I can.”

“I don’t want to fail you, Kurt, I really don’t. I know how important good grades are in regards to you being on the Cheerio squad. But I really can’t excuse three zeros on assignments that you failed to turn in.”

“I know,” Kurt says shortly before standing. “Thank you.”

The next morning, Kurt sucks in a deep, calming breath. He ignores the way Blaine shoves his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, a dorky habit that Kurt wishes he had never noticed, and strides over with confidence. The hallway mostly empty, he sees that Blaine has finally invested in a larger backpack as he shuts his locker door.

“I need you to tutor me,” he states without preamble.

Blaine jerks back, almost on instinct, blinking rapidly while trying to focus on Kurt who had suddenly invaded his personal space.

“I’ll pay you,” Kurt says. “I’ll pay you however much you want. But I really need your-” he cringes “-your help. I don’t know who else to ask. I’m pretty sure Santana gave the teacher a blowjob so he would pass her and Brittany thinks the equation for velocity is a dinosaur from the movie Jurassic Park.”

“I-”

“I just need help for the next couple of weeks so I can pass the next physics test. That’s all. Name your price.”

“You – you want me to tutor you?” Blaine asks.

“As much as it would kill my reputation if anyone ever found out,” Kurt says snidely, “yes. I need you to tutor me.”

Blaine scrunches his eyebrows, crinkling his nose as he turns the idea over in his head. If he looks oddly adorable while doing so, Kurt doesn’t notice because he can’t. He won’t notice that. He refuses to acknowledge anything adorable about someone like – someone like Blaine. The bell rings, signaling the start of first period and Kurt crosses his arms, cocking his hip to one side in impatience.

“Well?” he prompts. “How much do you want?”

“I don’t…want your money,” Blaine finally says, cheeks suddenly going cherry red.

“…You want to do it for free.”

“No,” Blaine says with more courage in his eyes than Kurt has ever seen.

“Then what?”

Shuffling awkwardly on unsure feet, Blaine hitches his backpack up higher on his shoulders.

“Coffee,” Blaine says simply, yet shyly. “I want you to have coffee with me.”

Taken aback, Kurt stares him down with wide, surprised eyes, attempting to keep his jaw from coming unhinged.

“You…want me to go on a date with you. In return for tutoring.”

“Not a date,” Blaine clarifies. “Just coffee. Coffee with someone you might not, um, otherwise have coffee with.”

“So you’ll tutor me,” Kurt tries to understand, “if I go out for coffee with you.”

“And you have to be nice to me.”

“You’re really trying my patience, kid.”

Blaine stands up as straight as possible without falling over due to the weight of his backpack. He lifts his chin, muscles clenching in his jaw beneath smooth skin.

“Coffee with me or no tutoring,” he says, though his voice sounds a bit shaky and a little less confident than it had a minute before. “That’s the deal.”

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Kurt finally agrees. “Fine. But we have to meet somewhere out of the way. Somewhere that people won’t see us. I don’t want them to know that I’m being tutored. And it will have to be later in the evening because we have late practices.”

“Thursday night,” Blaine nods. “At that coffee shop off the highway just over the county line.”

“Thursday, then. Shove a note through my locker with your phone number on it.”

“Okay.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Blaine Anderson,” Kurt says, refusing to admit that he’s even the slightest bit impressed with Blaine’s ability to manipulate even the smallest of situations in his favor.

It’s always the quiet ones.