He couldn't focus. His feet moved effortlessly back as he blocked the strike, waiting for an opening to parry forward, but he wasn't really paying attention. Blaine's hands and feet were moving formulaically and out of instinct; anyone around them could tell he wasn't in the game. Fencing, like chess, was about strategy and playing off your opponent. He had learned that when he had started, his father engraving it into his head after he had yelled at Blaine his first couple of matches that he had lost.

Blaine knew he was supposed to notice that his opponent had his left side completely open. He knew he was supposed to do a flying lunge forward and strike. But he wasn't doing any of those.

It wasn't so much the fact that he couldn't focus as to that he had other things to think about. There were so many things ticking in his head, so many things telling him what to do. He needed to pick a time and day. He needed to pick a method and medium to which to say it. Obviously the most favorable one was out of the question, but Blaine had to work his way around that. He knew that there was a way to make this as perfect as it would be if he could do it the way he wanted to, which would have been preferably in person and through song, possibly somewhere like a mall where he could sneak up on him and serenade him.

But as he took the right of way and parried forward, Blaine frowned to himself underneath his mask. That wasn't how he would do it. That was tacky. He sighed and tried to block the weapon that came towards his chest, only to have it slash across his arm. Blaine groaned with frustration while his opponent cheered as they went back to starting position. Only Blaine's anger wasn't from losing.

His frustration came from the fact that he had no idea how he was going to tell Kurt that somehow in the past couple months his attitude towards what people called "long distance relationships" had changed. Blaine wasn't afraid of them anymore. Where before he had frowned as he thought about all the possibilities for something going wrong, now all he wanted to do was give it a try. He had slowly realized that if he never gave it a shot, he was going to regret it. And love wasn't about regrets. Blaine needed to be spontaneous, and he was taking a leap of faith.

The only problem was, he thought as they both called 'en garde' and got out of position to begin another match, was that he had no idea how he was even going to ask, let alone bring the subject up. His blood ran cold as he thought of the prospect that perhaps Kurt's feelings had changed. His heart raced as he thought of how he could be shot down. And yet with every badly executed parry, Blaine's resolve became stronger even if his nerves increased.

He tried to pay attention to the match, trying to focus on one thing at a time. But as he moved forward slightly to try to parry 4 and strike, Blaine got the idea of possibly doing it by phone. He could call Kurt and sing him a little song before asking him in a soft, shaking voice. A phone call was good; then Kurt couldn't see his face. Blaine didn't even know how he was going to go through with it without giving himself away at once.

Thinking about it made him nervous though, and Blaine felt sick to his stomach as he continued to contemplate how he was going to do this. The match was lost to him, Blaine moving out of instinct as he attempted to calm down. But as long as the fact that he hadn't told Kurt how he felt still loomed over his head, Blaine was going to be nervous. He closed his eyes out of frustration, before feeling the sharp but quick pain of his opponent's weapon hit his chest.

"Vestiti!" his coach called out, telling the boys to go get dressed. Blaine could hear his opponent, a senior, snickering as he knew he had won, but beginning his walk to the locker room with some of his friends. There was no reason for them to acknowledge that it had been a good match, because that would have been a lie. Blaine had handed it over to him.

Running his fingers through his hair after he took off his mask, Blaine literally groaned as he grabbed his water bottle and drank from it. His stomach was in knots, and every day that Blaine held himself back from telling the truth was another day spent like this. In this hopeless, pathetic daze where he was constantly killing himself over the fact that he only needed to say a few words and all his frustration would go away.

But he didn't have enough courage. He never had enough courage.

"Blaine," he heard a familiar voice call out from behind him, prompting him to turn around and stop feeling sorry for himself.

Placing his water bottle down, Blaine looked around to see Dean smiling wide at him as he walked closer to where Blaine stood. He remembered their date, and sighed as he thought about the conversation that that had prompted. He needed something like that right now. He needed a reason to bring it up.

"Hey," he said, slightly winded and still out of breath despite having already drank something. "What's up?"

Dean shrugged, before he smiled lightly at Blaine and answered, "Not much. My ex and I are together again. Thought I'd tell you after talking about him so much when we went out."

Pretending that didn't hurt him wasn't easy. Pretending that hearing that someone he knew in person was able to be with the person they liked didn't hurt him bothered him. It was juvenile to see it this way, but it didn't seem fair to Blaine. Why did Kurt have to live on the other side of the world? The distance that had never bothered him before was gnawing at his mind.

But Blaine smiled back at him as he grabbed his water bottle his Sabre from the bench he had placed them in. He smiled as if everything were alright. He couldn't let it show that he was distraught. He wanted to be happy for him, after all. However the news just left him with a bitter sweet pain inside his chest.

"That's great," he said, walking forward and smiling at him as they walked to the lockers in tandem. Around them, the rest of the team was already changing, and Blaine did his best to keep his eyes from wandering to the upperclassman that had beaten him. He didn't want to be reminded of just how dazed he had been. Nor did he have any wish to see the smirk that he could only imagine was still on his lips.

Reaching his locker, Blaine mindlessly undid his fencing jacket, slipping out of it and draping his white button down shirt over his shoulders, but not yet buttoning it. He could take a shower when he got home before going online. The less time he spent here, the faster he could catch the bus home.

Once again his fingers were working on their own as Blaine mused over ways to possibly bring them as something more than friends up to Kurt tonight. Maybe he didn't have to just announce it. Maybe they could somehow ease into the subject, allowing Blaine to tell Kurt everything. Why couldn't it come organically? Why did Blaine have to make a moment of it? Kurt and he weren't about big events, and he didn't see why what he could only hope was the start of their relationship couldn't continue on in that fashion. A grin spread on his lips as he thought to himself.

It was the first time he had smiled all practice, knowing that he had finally figured it out. Suddenly, beating himself up over this seemed silly. He had nothing to worry about. This was Kurt he was thinking about. Kurt knew him, and Kurt would forgive him if he made a little mistake. It didn't have to be perfect; it just had to be honest.

Filled with a renewed sense of courage, Blaine stepped out of his white fencing pants and grabbed for his school pants when he a felt someone looming over him. He didn't need to look up to know whose shoes those were though, and he simply glanced up and let their eyes meet as he looked up at Dean. "Yes?" Blaine asked, flashing him a smile as he zipped up his pants.

Dean leaned up against the lockers, his body facing Blaine's. It took him a moment to speak, his eyes locked on the two underclassmen changing in the corner. As they left, Dean leaned forward and dropped his voice as he said, answering, "I actually wanted to talk to you about something else."

Blaine's mind went to a dark place, and he was forced out of his happy state. Blinking, he leaned in closer and whispered, making sure no one could hear him, "Are you okay?"

But the reaction he got wasn't what he had been expecting. Blaine's mind rushed to think of all the problems Dean could be going through. He searched for a reason as to why Dean would need to talk to him, and yet Trent was standing there, looming over him, and laughing.

"I don't get it," Blaine said, practically pouting as he waited for Dean to settle down. Moments like these were when he wished he wasn't so oblivious to everything.

Shaking his head though, Dean straightened up before he smiled down at Blaine. He was still chuckling, but he wasn't laughing at him anymore. He took in a breath, before he said, "No, don't worry. I'm completely fine. I just wanted to ask you if our couch has come up to you and talked to you about something."

Blaine buttoned his shirt as Dean spoke, before he shook his head and answered, "No? What is it?"

There was another pause, and Blaine wondered what was wrong. Obviously there was something he wasn't saying, and although his heart was currently racing at the thought of what was going to happen once he got home, he couldn't shake his curiosity as he looked up at Dean. But he had moved back to his things, and Blaine watched as he pulled out a peice of paper. From where he stood, it didn't look like there was anything on it that was special, just normal printed letters. He frowned, and waited for him to say something as he walked back to Blaine's locker and sat down on the bench in front of him. He held out the paper to Blaine and said nothing.

He took it hesitantly, not sure what to make of it. His eyes scanned over the paper, and Blaine took in a breath as he read the big white header:

Dalton Internal Academy Summer Fencing Program

Furrowing his eyebrows, Blaine glanced up again at Dean who was smiling at him. He blinked, before he handed the paper back, "What about it? Are you going to do it? I really think you should do it."

Apparently he had said something funny that he missed, because as soon as he took the paper back from Blaine, he was chuckling. But Dean nodded as he looked at the paper, answering Blaine's question, "I'm already going, actually. It really competitive and you have to fill out an application to go and then be selected after a screening, but it's supposed to be one of the best programs available. Couch hasn't really told anyone about it because he knows the guys will claw each other's eyes out for the spots. But he told me to talk to guys who I think would be good for it..."

Blaine smiled as he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to tame is slightly now that it had fallen out of the gel a bit. He glanced at Dean and said, "That's great. Who else were you thinking about asking?" He was flattered that Dean thought he was interested in fencing enough to apply, but Blaine knew in his heart that he could think of at least five things he would rather do all summer than fence. Fencing, although he enjoyed it, wasn't something he wanted to get too attached to. Or else his father would start thinking, and that was the last thing that Blaine needed.

"Just a few guys, like Dante and Lucas," Dean said, without much conviction. Moving back to his locker which wasn't too far from Blaine's, he added, "So, what do you say?"

He hated saying no, but Blaine knew he had to be somewhat honest. Sighing, he looked up at him and smiled apologetically as he said, "Well, I'll have to talk to my parents about it."

Dean simply nodded as he started to get dressed. Blaine felt bad, but he couldn't say he would go. Things like that cost money, and Blaine wasn't going to go asking his father. The company wasn't at its best, he knew that, and there was no way he was going to encourage his father's idea that he was going to be going to university on a fencing scholarship.

Blaine finished fixing his hair, before he leaned down to start collecting his things to leave and head home. But Dean's voice stopped him as he added nonchalantly, "It'll be cool to visit the states again, though."

Halfway to the door, Blaine paused as he heard him. He blinked, before he turned around and asked, coughing to clear his throat because it had suddenly become very dry, "It's in the states?"

He watched as Dean nodded and Blaine's heart stilled. His heartbeat, like a drum in his ear, was loud and echoed inside of his head. Blaine stood there, frozen, as Dean moved forward with the same flyer and handed it to Blaine.

"Just think about it, okay?"

His fingers trembled as he took the paper, thanking him silently as he headed out the door. The walk from the lockers to his bus ride was long, and Blaine would have plenty of time to read the paper a good dozen times. But honey eyes glanced over the flyer once again, until they locked on the sentence:

'The program will be held in none other than the second oldest Dalton Academy International School , located in Westerville, Ohio, U.S.'

---

"I can't use Shakespeare to audition for a play of his, Blaine," Kurt said, rolling his eyes but laughing at him at the same time.

It was like every other afternoon/morning that they were together. Kurt had had just enough time to shower and get ready for his classes while Blaine made his commute home and showered as well. Blaine hadn't even bothered to dry his hair, instead allowing it to dry and curl as they spoke; unaware of what it was doing to Kurt. But then again, Blaine was much too distracted to even care about his hair.

The flyer stared at him from where he had placed it on his desk. The conversation he had to have with Kurt loomed over his head. The confession he was dying to make plaguing him. There were hundreds of things swirling in his head, not to mention a plan that he knew was too crazy for him to even consider going through with. But it made something that had seemed impossible very possible.

His hair was the last of his worries.

But he smiled as Kurt spoke, not caring about anything. His head that was racing with plans simply stopped as soon as he heard his laugh. Plans could wait a few hours while he marveled at him. Blaine was happy, and seeing Kurt happy as well made him believe that anything was possible now.

He shook his head and said, "Not if you do Mercutio's Queen Mab speech. It's a classic and it'll show you have a mastery of the language. And it's about fairies, what better monologue could you do for a play about fairies?"

Kurt wasn't convinced though, and Blaine smiled as Kurt simply shook his head. The light shone into his room brilliantly and Blaine was happy for that. He could see him clearly, and it sucked that he knew he himself was in awful lighting. But if Kurt had anything against it, he didn't say anything.

"I just want to impress them," Kurt said, sighing though. He looked at Blaine, their eyes meeting, and he shrugged, "I'm nervous because I've never really done a play before. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all Blaine…"

Shaking his head, Blaine looked down before he leaned forward and met Kurt's eyes from across the screen. He wanted nothing more than to hold his hand right now. To squeeze it and make him feel better. He wondered how his hands felt, if they really were as soft as they looked. He wondered if it was bigger than his, if Kurt's fingers were long an elegant next to his callused ones from fencing. He bit his lip and sighed before he said, "Everyone has their first play though. Even Patty Lupone had her first play once. You're going to do fine, even if you just get one of the actors doing Pyramus and Thisbe."

That made Kurt laugh, and Blaine smiled at the small victory that swelled his heart with pride. "I'd be an excellent Thisbe, if the worst comes," Kurt said, with a shrug.

Blaine rested his head on him palm and stared at him for a moment. It was silent, and he had no idea that Kurt was wondering what was wrong with him as he stared. Blaine was too lost, and he knew he was practically giving himself away. But there was so much he knew that Kurt didn't, and it was eating him up. Watching Kurt do the most mundane things like shrugging had its own beauty he had never noticed before, and he wondered how he had ever missed it.

"I think you'd be excellent in any roll," Blaine said quickly, shrugging before he looked away and down at the flyer sitting.

"And I think you and my father are a little too bias to talk," Kurt said, and Blaine didn't even need to look up to hear the way Kurt was rolling his eyes. He could just imagine Burt now, smiling proudly as he heard that Kurt was going to be auditioning for something. The few times Blaine had met him had told him enough about Burt to know—not to mention the countless times Blaine had heard Kurt talk about his father—that he was proud of Kurt literally no matter what. But Blaine did look up as he heard a yawn, watching as Kurt covered his mouth, his eyes closed as he fell back into his computer chair.

His voice was filled with concern as he asked, not tearing his eyes away from him, "Not getting enough sleep?"

It took Kurt a minute to respond. Blaine watched as he picked up the laptop and walked the short distance from his desk to his bed. It was funny that although Blaine had never even set foot into Kurt's room, he knew it well. But then Blaine knew it was pretty much all he really knew of Kurt's house, aside from that one time Kurt had taken him down to the kitchen to speak to his father. That thought upset him.

Finally getting on the bed, Kurt shook his head before yawning again this time as he leaned back against his pillows. Their eyes met, and Blaine could see the glossy, almost sleepy look in Kurt's as he looked back at him. "After I forced you to go to bed last night, I remembered I was behind on my reading and I have my class today at 1, I think. I'm still trying to get used to this weird schedule. I spent the whole night reading and annotating and then I got up early to talk to you…"

"You should take a nap," Blaine interrupted, sad to utter those words if only because they had just started talking an hour ago. Still, he knew there was time. There was always time, and right now his nerves were telling him that today, although he had been so bent on it being the perfect day for him to do this. "The last thing you need is to be tired for your classes."

Kurt noticed the irony in that statement and laughed, and Blaine couldn't help but smile. Blaine was the one who never got any sleep out of the two of them. In fact, if it weren't for Kurt forcing him to sleep every night, Blaine was convinced he would practically never go to sleep.

"And it's not like you're helping me find that monologue I need for tomorrow," Kurt said, yawning again, leaning further back into the pillows and running his hands through his hair. It looked wonderfully soft today. He winked at Blaine, indicating that he was teasing him, but that didn't stop Blaine's heart from leaping from the action nevertheless.

Blaine had a feeling he was going to protest and say he was okay, but instead he watched as Kurt shifted again, this time placing the laptop down on the bed instead of his lap. He laid down, tucking his hand underneath on of his pillows as he sighed and said sleepily, "A nap actually sounds pretty good right now. At least a short one. Can you just promise to wake me up in an hour and a half?"

Their eyes met, and Blaine looked at the small smile on Kurt's lips. He licked his, trying to stop his thoughts from going somewhere he actually didn't want them to. Or maybe he did, and that was why he didn't want to admit it. Now wasn't exactly the right moment to picture himself kissing those lips, however softly he did want to. He was getting himself into a mess bigger than the one inside of his head.

"Yeah, I can absolutely do that," Blaine answered finally, his voice soft as he nodded, watching Kurt and not letting his eyes drop from his as Kurt's own closed.

It was amazing the way Kurt had warmed up to him. It was amazing the way he had warmed up to Kurt. There were guys that he had known here for two years that he still hadn't told about his beating freshman year, and yet he had been able to tell Kurt. In just a few months, he'd been able to tell him about one of the darkest times in his life, and although Blaine still wasn't honest about his relationship with his father, he had never been like this with anyone else.

And then there was Kurt. He remembered how they had been at first. He remembered how hesitant Kurt had been to say some things about himself that were too personal when they had first started talking. He remembered how they had moved their way from tumblr asks onto Skype, until Blaine had finally called and heard Kurt's voice. Blaine knew how hard it had been for Kurt to start opening up to him, but his heart literally warmed as he realized just how much Kurt had showed to him that he had probably never showed anyone else before. He had opened himself up to Blaine, and yes it had taken a while, but Blaine had gotten him to be completely honest. Slowly. Even if they were just friends, Blaine knew it was so much more than that. He knew that the boy who had closed his eyes on webcam was so much more than just his friend.

"Sleep well, Kurt," Blaine whispered, getting ready to close Skype and call him back to wake him up in an hour.

With a groan, Kurt shook his head just in time. Blaine's finger hovered over his mouse, ready to press down and close the call. But then Kurt spoke, his voice small as he whispered, "Don't go yet. Wait until I'm asleep."

Blaine chuckled a bit, biting his lip at how completely adorable he was being. And the worst part as that he was more than sure Kurt had no idea how adorable he was too. With a smile though, he nodded and whispered back, "I'll stay here until you're asleep."

A small smile spread onto Kurt's lips, and Blaine couldn't help but sigh as he leaned back in his seat. Opening another window, Blaine allowed Kurt to fall asleep as he scrolled down through his dash. He figured he could always bring up what he had wanted later, when Kurt was a bit more awake. That way they could talk about it better, which was what Blaine wanted. He was able to reblog a quote from The Hunger Games before he heard a distant and muffled chuckle.

Opening his Skype window again, he saw it was Kurt and wondered if he had fallen asleep and was now simply…sleeping laughing. But then he opened his mouth and answered Blaine's question, "Blaine, stay here but don't just sort of sit there. Could you talk to me while I fall asleep or at least do something?"

It was Blaine's turn to laugh, and he smiled as he heard Kurt's own laugh join his. Nodding though, he looked at Kurt as he answered, "Yeah, yeah of course. I can talk."

But the problem was that now he had no idea what to say. Blaine had never had a problem talking to Kurt or finding something to talk about, but there was only one thing that was pressing on his mind. Blaine told himself he couldn't bring it up. Yet as he sat there and allowed himself to look at Kurt's sleeping face for a moment longer than he should have, he didn't see why he couldn't.

"You know, I was wondering," he started, clearing his throat slightly as he looked down, burying his face in his hands as much as he could, but talking loud enough so Kurt could still hear him. "About what would happen if I were able to go to Ohio."

"You'd be in Ohio," Kurt said, mumbling slightly and causing Blaine to raise the volume on his headphones so he could hear him properly.

Shaking his head, he sighed heavily. This wasn't going to be easy, but he had already started. Blaine swallowed hard and tried to collect himself. There were words for this somewhere, but he couldn't find them. All he had to do was tell Kurt what he was feeling, but there was no easy way to tell someone that. Blaine froze and ran his fingers through his now dry hair as he attempted to get a grip on what he was going to say, glad that Kurt had his eyes closed.

"That's not what I mean," Blaine said, calmly and almost sounding shy as he spoke in a hushed tone. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his feelings and thoughts and not get too carried away. "I meant what would happen if I were able to visit you. You know, if I were able to see you in person…"

Kurt hummed softly, but interrupted Blaine nevertheless, "You'd see me in person, that's what would happen." His voice was tiny, and he yawned in between words, and Blaine had a sneaking suspicion that Kurt wasn't really aware of what he was saying at all. He had to have wondered what would happen. After all, they had talked about this before once, whispering whimsical thoughts of what Blaine would do if Kurt came to Rome, telling all the places he'd take him. He couldn't be the only one who thought of more now. Who thought of all the things they could do if they were together in person. Blaine couldn't be alone in wishing he was watching Kurt fall asleep from next to him in his bed and not next to him from Rome via a laptop. It was hard for him not to get aggravated, but Blaine knew that was the last thing that could help this situation.

"But what if I was to tell you that there's a chance I could actually go? What would it mean to us if I told you that the chances of us actually meeting are kind of high? Don't you think that we'd be able to..." Blaine voice was dry as he stopped, his breath short from nerves and the fact that all of a sudden he had no idea what he was saying. What was too much and when had he gone too far? He cleared his throat, swallowing at an attempt to wet his throat as he continued, "Wouldn't it make a difference for us?"

What Blaine had been trying to say but was failing, was that wouldn't being near each other change what they were? Blaine had once said it was the fact that they were so far away that was keeping him from being Kurt's boyfriend, afraid of screwing it up and then losing Kurt completely. Because they were hanging from a thread; one cut from one side and the line that connected them could be severed forever. All Kurt had to do was stop talking to Blaine and they could very easily never hear from each other again. It had happened once, for a few days. Blaine shuddered at the memory as he sighed and waited for a response that would never come.

Wouldn't the possibility of being closer to each other make anything different?

The reply he got from Kurt was soft, and practically inaudible enough for Blaine to swear he was making it up. Looking up from where he had buried his face in his hands, Blaine stared at Kurt as he whispered, "Can you just sing to me? Like before?"

Blaine's heart tightened and he felt a soft tear roll down his cheek that he promptly brushed away. He wasn't crying because he had lost his chance, but because he knew that even if he couldn't go see Kurt despite the fact that the flyer was very real, he still wanted them. He wanted them in any way, even if it meant from a distance. Even if it meant not being able to see Kurt until they could afford the tickets themselves. But that didn't mean Blaine wasn't going to try. He had a plan and he was sticking to it.

Nodding although Kurt couldn't see him, Blaine smiled sadly and whispered into the still air in his room, thousands of miles away from Kurt's own, "Of course."

---

He wondered why it had taken them so long to download the 'What's up' app onto their phones as he walked down the crowded streets of Rome. Blaine knew that Kurt was sleeping, but he also knew he had asked permission from his professors if he could miss today in order to go to his auditions. There was no getting home and seeing Kurt online today until much later, and just like any other love sick idiot, it pained his heart to know that. But he wasn't the important one today.

His fingers moved over the keyboard of his phone, the Blackberry's keys responsive to his touch as he typed out a message. It was the least he could do until he got a call from Kurt, which Kurt had assured him he would get yesterday to help calm him down before he walked out onto the stage. They were both buying calling cards, and although they could always buy more, every minute they had was precious.

"You're going to kill it, I know it. Break a leg, or two, if you need to!"

Blaine debated putting a little heart, but shook his head as he stuffed his phone into the pockets of his uniform pants. He had a few hours to kill before Kurt would see that text, although he had a sneaking suspicion Kurt was going to be waking up early either way to spend hours getting ready. Chuckling as he pictured him fussing while he washed his face and stared at this closet, deciding that nothing was right although Blaine knew that Kurt would look fine in anything he had, Blaine sighed happily as he thought of Kurt. But he sighed still, because it was just about the only thing he was able to do right now.

His plans of telling him the truth had been stopped. Yet Blaine was somehow fine with that. The last thing he wanted to do was give him and Kurt false hope. It wasn't until things were clearer that he was going to make up his mind and tell Kurt his plan and everything that came with it. Because right now it was nothing more than just a silly plan, a silly and slightly dangerous plan.

Closing his eyes for a moment as he thought about what could go wrong; Blaine made his way through the crowds of tourists gaping up at one of the many old buildings. On a normal day, Blaine would have tagged along for a few minutes, trying to figure out something new about his city that the tour guide had to say. But today wasn't a normal day. Today was the day Blaine was going to lay down the first part of his plan.

Operation: Get a job.

The application was all filled out. He had done it while Kurt slept, after he had closed the laptop lid and set an alarm for when to call Kurt to wake him up. His pen shook as he filled it out, reminding himself as to why he was doing it and knowing it was for a good reason. It was for the best reason. The fact that everything was changing still scared the crap out of him.

But Blaine needed to get a job. The fencing program cost $3,000 and although he knew his father would gladly give over the money if he knew Blaine wanted to go. However, Blaine didn't want to go. The program was just what he was going to show his father. The program was his cover. He would tell him that he got a scholarship. He would smile as his father hugged him and congratulated him. He would smile as he gave him his blessing to go to the states and fence for a good part of the summer. He would smile as his heart broke from the fact that he knew he was going to be lying.

Blaine was going to get a job to pay for the plane ticker, also something he had done while Kurt had taken his nap. Flying out near the middle of June was high season, which made the tickets more expensive, but if Blaine started working for the money now, he could buy the ticker early and still have enough money to spend while he was there. Which he fully intended to by taking Kurt out.

His heart felt heavy as he thought about it. This plan was that supposed to make everything feel better actually just made him feel worse. One false move and it didn't end up working. Blaine could lose the job, or not get it in the first place, and he wouldn't be able to go. Of course, he had thought about asking his father for the money to the program and actually going, but he was dreading spending the summer in an intensive fencing program in which he would only get Sunday free. And he had looked up the location of the Dalton located in Westerville on Google Maps in relation to Lima. Two hours apart. Compared to right now, two hours was a godsend, but Blaine would only resort to that plan, his backup plan, in case of an emergency. Provided he was selected for the program, of course.

Everything had a catch.

Blaine rounded the corner onto the street the caf� was on, and smiled as he opened the door, welcomed by the smell of coffee and bread. It was like coming home, and he was aware of how ridiculous that sounded.

"Buon giorno," Blaine said in Italian as he walked up to the counter. His heart was beating, and he tried to calm himself down. Blaine was good at appearing more confident than he really was. He did it every day.

The owner, a tall middle aged man with thinning black, looked up as he grabbed someone's order of breads at Blaine. Raising an eyebrow as he walked behind the counter and smiled at the mother and son sitting at one of the tables as he brought them their order, he asked, "What is it?"

Blaine licked hips lips nervously, before he opened his messenger bag to pull out the application form. His hands were trembling, and he told himself to calm down. This is for Kurt, he told himself, nodding as he took out the paper. For Kurt and for himself.

With a charming smile, the best one he had in his repertoire, Blaine handed him the application and said, "I'd like to work here."

The man looked him over for a moment, before glancing at the application. He didn't respond for a moment, and Blaine shifted on the balls of his feet as he waited, smiling at the little kid as he looked around and noticed he was staring. Looking back, Blaine bit the inside of his cheek while he glanced at the man's stern face.

Clearing his throat, he looked down at Blaine and nodded. His voice was low as he answered, completely toneless, "I'll contact you when I'm making the decision."

Blaine nodded and smiled curtly at him, bowing his head and wishing him a good day as he walked out of the shop without even asking for the coffee he had been wanting. His heart was in his throat, and Blaine felt like he was going to throw up. He was shaking, but it was done. It was done and he had gotten that step over with. He clutched at his stomach and took deep breaths.

This was what courage felt like. He'd never been brave before, but if there was one reason to start being brave, it was for Kurt. Kurt had already done so much, and Blaine needed to be rid of the lump in his throat that rose every time he let his father yell at him without saying a word. He was going to get rid of that.

He held his head higher as his brown leather oxfords hit the old cobblestones. Maybe he'd walk around the city as he waited for his phone to buzz. Blaine could go somewhere else for his coffee, watching the people as he debated how he was going to execute the second, and by far the hardest part of his plan.

Operation: Tell the truth.