“What – what’re we going to do?” Kurt asks in a frenzy.

Glancing around them quickly, glad that another fast-paced song begins to play, Blaine frames Kurt’s face as best he can even though they’re being jostled by boys.

“You’re going to dance with Brandon. I’m going to dance with Thomas. We’re going to have a good time tonight and we’ll talk about it later.”

“But we always-”

“I know, we haven’t really talked about it yet. But we will later tonight. Okay?”

“Okay,” Kurt nods, wishing he could lean over and kiss Blaine, right then and there.

Instead, he gently pries Blaine’s hands from his face.

“Okay. I’m – I’m going to go get a drink,” Kurt says.

“I’ll see you in a bit.”

They share a long, somewhat forlorn look and then Kurt leaves Blaine there on the dance floor. He makes his way back to Brandon, winding through the crowd and doing his best to not bump into a few of the chaperones.

“I lost you,” Brandon says when Kurt returns to his side. “You looked like you were having fun in the beginning though.”

“Yeah. It’s hard to not have fun when I’m with – with them.”

Kurt snatches his cup of punch from Brandon’s hand and downs the drink in one go.

“Come on,” Kurt says, willing to do anything to distract himself from his racing thoughts. “I want to see what kind of sandwiches they have.”

“I think I saw cucumber sandwiches,” Brandon points out as Kurt leads him to the snack table.

“Blaine still dancing?” Thomas’ voice shouts over the speakers, meeting them at the table.

“I think so,” Kurt says. “He was – oh there he is.”

“Hey kids,” Blaine greets, purposefully avoiding Kurt’s eyes as he plucks some kind of berry off a dish.

“I missed you,” Thomas pouts, looking so cute that his face makes Kurt want to punch him in the mouth.

“Oh, come here, you,” Blaine smiles, sliding up in front of Thomas to wrap one arm around his waist and putting the berry to his lips.

Brandon winds his arms around Kurt’s hips, kissing the top of his head, like he thinks the sour look on Kurt’s face is because he’s jealous that he’s not receiving as much attention from his own boyfriend.

Kurt leans his head back against Brandon’s shoulder, though his eyes are glued to Blaine’s face, to his mouth, to the way he dips forward and kisses Thomas’ nose.

Something hot and vicious claws its way up from Kurt’s chest into his throat.

“Let’s dance,” Kurt demands, pulling Brandon away from the other couple.

Kurt throws himself into the music. He lets his eyes fall shut, feeling the rhythm, feeling Brandon’s strong hands on his hips.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” Brandon says directly into his ear.

Smiling, Kurt turns in Brandon’s embrace.

He grinds, sure and steady, against Brandon’s crotch. He rolls his ass onto his boyfriend’s dick because Brandon is his boyfriend. Because he can do this, he’s allowed, it’s far more acceptable than dancing against Blaine. He does it because he can’t think about Blaine right now. He can’t stand idly by and watch him flirt with Thomas even though Blaine has that right.

Something tickles at Kurt’s senses, itching at the back of his mind and he knows exactly what it is without looking. He knows Blaine is watching him. But Kurt refuses to turn and look. If Blaine can flirt and be cutesy with Thomas, Kurt can dance with Brandon and he can touch him any way he pleases.

He doesn’t know when this suddenly became a contest or a battle of ‘fine, I can do that too’. He might be acting petty, Kurt realizes this. He might be acting out a childish vendetta but he can’t not do this, damnit.

Brandon presses his fingers into Kurt’s hip bones. His grip is almost painful. But the pressure brings Kurt back to reality instead of existential ‘might be’s’ and he turns back around to face his boyfriend. Brandon cups Kurt’s cheek and slides his hand into Kurt’s slightly sweaty hair. His other hand slips between their bodies to unbutton Kurt’s suit jacket.

“I didn’t know you could dance so well,” Brandon says with a smirk, sliding his hand under the jacket, tracing Kurt’s sides and around to settle on his lower back.

His thumb caresses the base of Kurt’s spine, making him shiver.

Because Brandon knows how to make him fall apart. He knows where to touch him, where to kiss, where to lick to drive Kurt completely wild.

Because he’s his boyfriend, god damnit.

Kurt stands on his toes and slams his mouth to Brandon’s, tongue instantly sliding out to lick at Brandon’s lower lip. He feels Brandon growl into the kiss and his hand on Kurt’s back tugs him closer, possessive and greedy.

Kurt might have Blaine.

But he belongs to Brandon.

An hour or so later, Kurt has removed his suit jacket and is trying not to sweat his ass off from dancing so much. Despite his emotions being all over the mental spectrum, he’s still trying to have a good time because god only knows what Blaine will say later tonight. He and Blaine have been avoiding each other most of the night, only catching each other’s eyes when they’re close enough on the dance floor to recognize one another.

It’s kind of ridiculous, really, Kurt thinks, that he’s caught up in so much emotional turmoil. He’s a teenager. Relationships are relationships, he chastises himself as he takes a break and fills up a new cup of punch. Relationships in high school end all the time. People move on.

So when he watches Brandon dance with some girl named Chelsie from their sister school, he doesn’t understand the ache he feels in his chest.

Kurt feels something for Blaine. Obviously. It’s something strong that he simply can’t let go of.

But there’s Brandon who can be suave and gorgeous but look at him now, he looks like a goofball while he’s trying to do the sprinkler. He found Kurt and made him feel sexy, helped him find confidence, made him feel wanted. Some days he looks at Kurt with such adoration that Kurt can’t help but melt and want to fall into his eyes.

God, why is this so difficult?

The song ends and Brandon bows to the girl who put up with his terrible dance moves for three and a half minutes before immediately seeking Kurt out in the crowd. He smiles brightly and walks toward him.

“It’s hot as fuck,” Brandon says, wiping sweat away from his forehead and makes as if to wipe Kurt’s face with his sweaty hand. “Here, look!”

“Oh gross! Don’t you dare!” Kurt cries, batting his boyfriend’s hand away from his face.

“You know I wouldn’t do that to you,” Brandon says with a smile. “I’m gonna go stand outside for a few minutes, though. I’ll be back, okay?”

“Sure, sure,” Kurt waves him off. “See you soon.”

Brandon lifts Kurt’s hand a kisses his knuckle, leaving the ballroom. Kurt sighs into his empty cup of punch.

“…be right back, I promise! Tony found this awesome proof and I have to see it! Here! Look! It’s Kurt! Dance with Kurt, I’ll be back soon!”

Thomas is yammering at the speed of light and quite suddenly Blaine is tossed into Kurt’s side as Thomas nearly trips over his own feet in his haste to follow some kid that Kurt knows is part of the Mathematics club. Thomas disappears from the ballroom so quickly that it’s almost like he wasn’t literally just there.

“Uh…hi,” Blaine greets him sheepishly.

“What on earth was that about?”

“Some math nerd thing. I have no idea.”

“Your boyfriend left you alone at a school dance to take a look at some math proof?”

“Well where’s Brandon?”

“Outside getting some air,” Kurt replies.

“Oh.”

They stand together awkwardly. Kurt can feel the heat resonating from Blaine’s body beside him and he has to take a deep breath to calm his racing heart.

“I think…Thomas told me to dance with you.”

“I heard that.”

“Well, you did promise me at least one dance tonight. The first one from earlier doesn’t really count.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess I did,” Kurt says quietly, staring into his cup.

But the cup disappears. Blaine sets it aside and slips his fingers into Kurt’s.

“It’s just a dance.”

“You know it isn’t just a dance,” Kurt says.

“You promised,” Blaine reminds him.

“Okay,” Kurt relents. “Okay.”

Blaine smiles and leads him to the dance floor. The rapid beat of the previous song comes to an end and a steady, slower, thrumming song fills the air. Blaine positions Kurt’s hands around his neck while his own settle on Kurt’s waist. They’re sure to stand a respectable distance from one another, neither of them willing to incur odd stares or suspicious whispers.

The song isn’t slow enough to actually be considered a slow dance, but they can still move to it. They sway to the beat and while Blaine’s staring directly up at him, Kurt has to look away when the words drift through the speakers.

How I wish you could see the potential,
the potential of you and me
It's like a book elegantly bound but,
in a language that you can't read
Just yet

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Blaine says lowly, making sure no one overhears their conversation.

“I’ve been busy.”

You gotta spend some time, love
You gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find, love
I will possess your heart
You gotta spend some time, love
You gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find, love
I will possess your heart

Unknowingly, they’ve swayed a bit closer together. Kurt clasps his hands around Blaine’s neck.

“You’re scared,” Blaine whispers.

“…I’m terrified.”

“You don’t have to be.”

“How can you say that? After – after everything?”

There are days when outside your window
I see my reflection as I slowly pass
and I long for this mirrored perspective
when we'll be lovers, lovers at last

Their hips move together, rocking to the music. Maybe Kurt gets a little lost in the moment.

“Because something’s always been there,” Blaine says directly into his ear.

Blaine’s breath is hot, everything is hot here, right here in his arms. He smells like berries and his aftershave.

“And I think we’re allowed to be young and stupid,” Blaine adds, cheek brushing against Kurt’s chin.

Fuck, Kurt wants to stand closer. Blaine is intoxicating. It’s dangerous. They’re playing with fire and Kurt’s dancing far too close to the flames.

You gotta spend some time, love
You gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find, love
I will possess your heart
You gotta spend some time, love
You gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find, love
I will possess your heart
I will possess your heart
I will possess your heart

“I don’t know what I’m feeling,” Kurt admits. “I don’t know what this is.”

“We don’t have to label everything.”

Kurt doesn’t say that they might as well label themselves as cheaters because that’s exactly what they are. They’ve cheated, they’ve fucked, they’ve broken unspoken agreements in both of their relationship.

“This is a really bad idea.”

“The worst,” Blaine agrees softly. “But I can’t stay away from you anymore.”

You reject my, advances, and desperate pleas
I won't let you, let me down, so easily
So easily

He should. Oh god, he should stay away, run away. He should find Brandon and grovel at his feet and spill the entire truth and pray he’ll still want to be with him. Brandon’s done nothing wrong and he cares deeply for Brandon. Even if he doesn’t show it very often, he does, he swears he does.

But this – this thing with Blaine is eating away at his soul and digging a hole into his heart, tearing it in half. It’s so raw, all-consuming, choking him with every glance, every breath, every fucking word.

He can’t run. So he surrenders.

“So don’t,” Kurt finally says, thumb caressing the back of Blaine’s neck. “Don’t stay away.”

You gotta spend some time, love
You gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find, love
I will possess your heart
You gotta spend some time, love
You gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find, love
I will possess your heart
You gotta spend some time, love
You gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find, love
I will possess your heart
I will possess your heart
I will possess your heart.

Kurt feels Blaine sigh in relief against his cheek.

“Brandon’s back,” Blaine states.

He pulls away, leaving Kurt alone and cold in the middle of the dance floor. Kurt watches him go, eyes glued to Blaine’s back until Brandon enters his line of sight.

His smile is broad.

And trusting. So very, very trusting.