Blaine stared down into his coffee cup blankly. It had been Nine days since Kurt had walked out of his apartment. Nine days since he'd talked to him at all.

Kurt wasn't answering his phone calls or texts. He wouldn't come to the door when Blaine went to his apartment, and refused to so much as look at Blaine during the three classes they'd had together.

Blaine had bombed his performance for Gates class on Friday, nearly bursting into tears as he sang "The Way You Look Tonight." Really, it was just the first love song that came to his mind when his name was called. He hadn't prepared anything and he knew there was no possible way he could get through "Can't Help Falling in Love."

Kurt sang "If I Loved You" from Carousel, looking everywhere but at Blaine the entire time. By the end, many of the girls in the room were in tears. His performance was flawless and he captured the spirit of the song perfectly, though Gates had said his song wasn't quite as "love-positive" as he'd expected for the assignment.

Blaine let the lyrics go round and around in his head.

Longing to tell you but afraid and shy
I'd let my golden chances pass me by
Soon you'd leave me, off you would go
In the mist of the day, never, never to know
How I loved you, if I loved you

Blaine tried to keep his anger and heartbreak at bay and look at their situation from Kurt's perspective. Kurt was afraid, that much Blaine understood. Afraid of getting hurt, of giving parts of himself away, of being vulnerable.

But Kurt did want to be with Blaine. He had no doubt about it now. If he didn't, Kurt would have said as much when Blaine gave him the chance.

He just had to find a way to make Kurt see that this could work. They could be amazing together.

"Blaine?" Blaine tore his eyes away from the peeling paper on the side of his coffee cup and tried to focus his bleary eyes on who had called his name. He hadn't been sleeping much lately.

"Rachel, hey," he said, eyes widening. He hadn't expected Rachel to be the one speaking to him. He assumed she'd ignore him in solidarity for Kurt.

She frowned at him sympathetically. "You look like crap. Mind if I sit?"

"Thanks." He smirked halfheartedly and gestured to the seat across from him in permission.

She sat her own cup of coffee in front of her and reached out to grab Blaine's hand. "How are you holding up?"

"About as well as can be expected," he said, shrugging.

She squeezed his hand and then released it, pulling it back to her side of the table. "He's miserable, too, you know."

"Yeah, I do know," Blaine said angrily, "which makes everything all the more frustrating." He ran his hand through his unkempt, slightly too-long curls. His emotions were a roller coaster lately. "I don't understand why he won't just give in and let us both be happy. He's so fucking stubborn."

"Yes, he is," Rachel replied. "Stubborn and scared. You have to understand how it was for him back in Lima, Blaine. All the glee club kids got Slushied at some point or another, but no one got tormented like Kurt did. It was like every day a little piece of Kurt retreated inside himself until there was hardly anything there. It was horrible even to watch. We were all so powerless against the bullying, but no one felt that way more than Kurt did. He didn't have anyone that could really understand what he was going through. This is just what he does when he's afraid. He runs away."

"I know he's afraid, but I swear I'm not going to hurt him, Rachel. I just want to be there for him."

"I know," she said, nodding. "I can see that you really care about him."

"He won't talk to me. What should I do?" he asked earnestly.

"Give him some time, Blaine. Stop calling him and trying to talk to him. He'll come around."

Blaine nodded sullenly. He had already come to that conclusion when Kurt hadn't returned his twenty-third text, but it didn't make it any easier hearing it from someone else.

"You're coming to Kelsey's Halloween party on Thursday, right?" Blaine had forgotten all about the holiday and Kelsey's party. Kurt had been working on his costume for over a month. "Kurt's going to be there, and..." she looked over her shoulder as if Kurt might be standing right behind her. Blaine had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at her antics. She lowered her voice. "Maybe you could bring someone with you."

Blaine's brow furrowed. "Like a date? I don't really do dates and I'm really not interested in anyone else..."

"No, no. I just meant, maybe if Kurt saw you with another guy, it would kind of force him to get over whatever thing he's having and be with you."

Blaine thought about it for a second. Maybe Rachel had a point. Looking back, he had seen that Kurt did have a jealous side though he didn't recognize it as jealousy at the time. But... it was risky.

"What if it doesn't, though? What if he thinks I've gone back to sleeping around and doesn't want anything to do with me?" He cast his eyes downward, closely inspecting his hands. "Being risky hasn't exactly paid off for me lately."

He glanced up to see Rachel looking at him sympathetically. "Blaine, this is the longest he's gone without talking to you since you guys met. What else do you have to lose?"

Absolutely nothing, Blaine thought despondently. He had figured out the hard way that Kurt was his only real friend in New York, and without him, Blaine had no one. He had no one to talk to. All of his friends had known Kurt much longer, and Blaine hadn't wanted to intrude on that. He was in one of the largest cities in the world, and Blaine felt entirely alone.

"I guess you're right," he said softly.

"Hey, come here." Rachel stood up and pulled Blaine up into an embrace. He clutched onto her, burying his head in her thick, soft hair. "It's going to be okay. Trust me. It's going to work out. Just show up to that party and completely ignore him. It is going to drive him absolutely crazy."

Blaine nodded into her shoulder and she pulled away but didn't let him go completely. "Thank you so much, Rachel. You have no idea..."

Rachel smiled at him affectionately. "Get this through your thick head, Blaine Warbler. I've loved Kurt longer, but that doesn't mean I don't love you, too. We're friends and whatever happens between you and Kurt doesn't change that. Kelsey, Jane, everyone feels that way. You got that?"

His throat constricted. He really did love this tiny, fierce, brilliant little woman in his arms. He gave her a watery smile and nodded.

"Okay," she replied, finally releasing him completely. "You're going to call me if you need someone to talk to or just anything, right?"

"Yes," he said, blinking rapidly.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Blaine knocked on the door to apartment 36C. "Coming!" he heard shouted through the door. He pulled his phone out of his baggy pants pocket and checked the time to keep his shaky hands busy. He realized after he'd put his phone back in his pocket that he hadn't even registered what time it was.

The door finally opened and Blaine's jaw dropped. "Kenneth," was all he could say.

"You like?" The tall blond guy spun around so Blaine could admire his costume.

Blaine's mouth just gaped open. He really had no idea what to say. Kenneth was wearing very, very short red track shorts held up with yellow suspenders, and unbuttoned black shirt, white gloves, and to top it off, round black mouse ears on his head.

"Well?" Kenneth asked impatiently, raising his eyebrows and placing his hands on his hips.

"It's – I mean –" Blaine stammered.

"I told you, baby. You look fucking sexy." Jon, Kenneth's boyfriend came up behind him, wrapping his arms around the blond guy and kissing his neck briefly before looking over Blaine. "Right, Blaine?"

"You look great," Blaine replied nodding. "It's just...I don't think your particular...rendition is exactly what Kelsey had in mind when she said 'Disney themed'..."

"Blaine Anderson. This is my artistic interpretation of Mickey Mouse. No one ever said it had to be an exact replica. I mean, God." Kenneth rolled his eyes. "It's Halloween. Lighten up, would you?"

Blaine laughed, throwing up his hands in surrender. "Alright, it's fine by me. You really do look amazing."

"And your costume looks boringly realistic," Kenneth said, eyeing Blaine up and down. "But it will suffice."

Blaine chuckled again. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"I'm ready if you are," Kenneth said.

"You're not going to grab a jacket?" Blaine asked incredulously. It wasn't an especially cold October evening, but it was certainly too cold to go out in the nothing Kenneth was wearing.

Kenneth rolled his eyes again. "Jesus, what are you, my mother? And how exactly do you expect to make your guy jealous if I'm dressed like a Mormon, Blaine?"

"Fair enough," Blaine said holding out his arm. "Shall we?"

"We shall." Kenneth turned around in his boyfriend's arms and kissed him deeply. A pang went through Blaine's chest. "Bye, baby," Kenneth said. "Have fun at work."

Jon pouted. "I'd rather have fun with you."

Kenneth laughed, detaching himself from Jon. "I'll keep my costume on so you can take it off me when you get home."

"Deal," Jon said, smiling. Kenneth took Blaine's outstretched arm. "Take care of my boy tonight, Blainey."

"Will do," Blaine replied, smiling.

The boys began walking down the hall. "Love you!" Jon called.

"Love you more!" Kenneth replied over his shoulder. They stepped into the elevator and Blaine heard the door close softly behind them.

Kelsey didn't live too far from Kenneth and Jon's place. Blaine was surprised to find that a lot of NYADA students either lived on campus or within a ten block radius in a neighborhood in Brooklyn. It was close enough to walk, but not close enough to keep Kenneth from shivering by the time they got to her apartment complex.

Blaine would have offered Kenneth his jacket but he wasn't wearing one. As they made their way up in the elevator, Kenneth was rubbing his bare arms trying to generate some warmth. Blaine smirked and gave him an I-Told-You-So look. "Shut up," Kenneth said, glaring.

"I didn't say anything." Blaine shrugged.

The elevator door dinged and they walked to Kelsey's apartment door. Before Blaine even knocked, he could hear a dance mix version of a Disney song piping through the door.

I wanna be where the people are
I wanna see, wanna see them dancin'
Walking around on those - what do you call 'em?
Oh - feet!

Blaine tried to will himself to reach out and knock on the door, but just couldn't. His hands were shaking. Kurt was likely on the other side of that door and Blaine was here with some other guy. They weren't together obviously, but Kurt didn't know that. In fact, the whole point of being there was to make Kurt think they were together.

This was going to backfire, he just knew it. He felt ridiculous is his Aladdin costume all of a sudden. He wished he had picked something that at least required a shirt. He felt so vulnerable.

"Blaine? Are you going to knock or what?" Kenneth asked.

"This isn't going to work," Blaine said in a rush, looking up at Kenneth with panic filled eyes.

Kenneth's eyes softened. "Yes, it is. Do you think this guy's really into you?"

Blaine nodded. "I know he really cares about me. He's just so afraid to be with me."

"Then, it's going to work. He's going to see my sexy ass on your arm and probably bitch slap me. I'm putting my beautiful face on the line for you tonight, Anderson." Blaine laughed softly. "Besides, you know, if it doesn't work, then you should maybe cut your losses. You deserve someone who's going to appreciate you."

Blaine nodded in agreement, but he didn't mean it. The idea that he deserved someone better than Kurt was laughable. Kurt was the best there is.

Blaine took a shaky breath. They really needed to go in before someone else arrived and saw them loitering at the door. "Okay, I'm ready," he said.

He reached out his hand and knocked three times.

Kurt stood in the corner of Kelsey's living room, nursing a glass of lemonade and watching the thirty or so other costumed guests mill around her medium sized apartment. Rachel as Belle was talking to a John Smith Alec across the room. Kurt snorted. It was pretty telling that she and Alec weren't part of the same fairytale. Everyone but apparently Rachel knew that she was going to end up with Finn.

Music piped loudly from the speakers in the living room, playing techno dance versions of Disney songs. Kurt had to wonder at Kelsey's ingenuity. How did she find this stuff?

Flippin' your fins, you don't get too far
Legs are required for jumping, dancing
Strolling along down a - what's that word again?
Street

Kurt spotted Kelsey walking towards the door, presumably to let in more guests. He had been eyeing the door fastidiously all night, waiting for him to come in. Rachel had said he was coming. Of course, she hadn't told him until they were walking here and it was pretty much too late to turn around.

Kurt supposed he could have gone home, but he had worked really hard on his costume and he'd be damned if it was going to go to waste while he sat at home alone feeling miserable on Halloween night. Besides, if he was honest with himself, Kurt knew Kelsey was both of their friends and there was a good chance he'd be here.

Kurt fingered the bottom of his green jacket nervously. They hadn't spoken all week. Kurt hadn't so much as looked at him since...the song. The declaration. Kurt didn't feel like a person anymore. He felt like a big ball of emotions being rolled against his will in whichever direction the wind blew.

And it had been a windy week.

Everything hurt. Every love song, every couple holding hands in Central Park, every boy he passed with a similar build, similar hair, a similar smile. Why couldn't Kurt just allow himself to be happy for once?

He had felt the pull sitting in theater techniques class all week. The aching desire to just throw all his worries in the air and give in, letting them fall where they may.

But every time he came close to parting with a glance or a soft word, he needed only to think of the loneliness he felt now and how much worse it would be when he was completely broken. He wouldn't survive it.

Kurt watched as Kelsey pulled the door open. It almost felt like it was happening in slow motion. Slowly he was revealed, and Kurt's heart broke a little at how adorable he looked in his baggy white pants, purple vest and little red fez.

He could no more than admire his Aladdin costume in his mind with a sad smile when his heart absolutely sank in his chest. He wasn't alone. There was some guy – tall, blonde, gorgeous – with him. Kurt was glad for the glasses that were a part of his costume, as they hid the tears that he couldn't stop from springing to his lids.

He knew he was being silly, that he had absolutely no right, but tell that to his traitorous heart.

It was going to be a very long night.

"Is he looking?"

Kenneth sighed. "Blaine, for the millionth time, I can't see if he's looking. He's wearing glasses."

"I know, but is his head turned this way?"

It had been an hour since they had arrived, and so far Blaine had done what he thought was a really good job at ignoring Kurt. Blaine and Kenneth were standing on the edge of the room near the kitchen talking. Blaine was drinking a beer, hoping it would take the edge off of his nerves. It hadn't worked so far.

Kenneth gave Blaine a look but turned his head infinitesimally to get sight of Kurt. "I guess he's turned this way a little. He could definitely see us if he was looking."

"Okay," Blaine nodded. He didn't know what to do with that information, but he still wanted to have it. Blaine looked over at the dancing bodies in the middle of the room. "Should we go dance?" he asked hesitantly.

"God, yes," Kenneth said, pulling Blaine immediately towards the other moving bodies. The tone of Kelsey's party was incredible. There were a good number of people there, and the room was definitely crowded but it didn't feel overly packed. Everyone knew each other for the most part and was just having a good time.

Take me to wonderland
take me to, take me to
take me to wonderland

Still holding his drink, Blaine laughed as Kenneth started shaking his ass to the music in an overly sexual way. He needed to loosen up and just enjoy the party, but he found it impossible with Kurt so close to him. It was like an invisible tether connected them and wouldn't allow Blaine's mind to stray too far without bringing him right back.

Kenneth laughed and wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck, pulling him a little closer. Blaine looked around the room involuntarily and his eyes caught sight of Kurt's bright green pinstriped jacket. He was dressed as the Once-ler from The Lorax, and Blaine knew he was very proud of the costume he had been working on for months. It was actually because of Kurt that Kelsey had decided to make the party Disney themed in the first place.

Blaine watched as Kurt smiled at Rachel wearing his glasses. They were big green glasses with black lenses that made her look like a bug. Kurt wasn't facing Blaine, but he must have somehow felt Blaine's gaze because he suddenly turned and for the first time in a week, their eyes met.

Kurt's smile fell and Blaine recognized something like hurt in his eyes even from across the crowded room. Kenneth must have felt some sort of change in Blaine because he asked, "Is he watching us?"

"Yes," Blaine answered softly.

Blaine's eyes still hadn't left Kurt's. "Kiss me," Kenneth said quickly.

"What? What about Jon?"

"He gave me permission," Kenneth said quickly. "Hurry before he looks away."

Blaine's mind barely had time to register his options before his body made the decision for him. Whatever he had been doing all night hadn't been working. Kurt didn't seem fazed by Blaine's appearance with another guy, so maybe he needed to kick it up a notch.

Kurt still hadn't looked away and Blaine refused to be the one to drop his gaze first, so with his eyes still attached to Kurt's ocean blue ones, he lifted his face and pressed his mouth against Kenneth's.

Blaine didn't register Kenneth's lips or taste. His mind was completely focused on Kurt. Kurt's mouth popped open in a little "o" and his brow furrowed. Blaine guessed he didn't actually think Blaine would kiss Kenneth, especially not right in front of Kurt with his eyes trained on him.

Abruptly Kurt turned around and ran toward the door, bumping into people along the way. Blaine had already pulled away from Kenneth and started making his way after Kurt when Kurt slammed the door behind him.

Everyone had stopped what they were doing to stare as Blaine exited the apartment as well, calling Kurt's name.

I'm so stupid! Kurt thought angrily as he pressed the elevator call button four times. When the thing didn't open immediately, he took off down the hallway toward the stairs.

He had been watching Blaine all night with that other guy, his pain an open wound. Rachel had told him that his name was Kenneth, and he was some guy Blaine knew from his acting class.

Behind the protection of his dark glasses, he had watched them talk and joke. He had let his guard down for like a second and given Rachel his glasses to try on when he had felt Blaine's gaze on his back. He couldn't explain how, he just knew it was there. He had turned and seen Blaine looking at him for the first time all night, and try as he might he couldn't look away.

He knew he should have left as soon as he saw Blaine show up with some other guy, but he hadn't. In a way it was self-inflicted punishment for how he had been acting lately.

Still, if he had murdered someone, he didn't think it would be crime enough for the ache he felt in his chest right now. If someone had physically cut him, it couldn't have hurt worse.

He was halfway down the hall when he heard a door close and his name being called. "Kurt, stop!"

Please, not now, Kurt thought. He swiped at the tears in his eyes, trying to clear his vision. He sped up, but Blaine was faster. He felt a hand on his shoulder jerking him to a stop.

Furious, he spun around to face Blaine. "WHAT? God, Blaine, what do you want?"

Blaine flinched back. "What's the matter?"

Kurt scoffed. Much to his frustration, tears were still steadily streaming down his face. "Seriously? You're seriously asking me 'what's the matter'?"

Blaine answered Kurt's anger with indignation of his own. "Yeah, Kurt. I'm seriously asking you that, because the way I see it, you have no right to be angry with me right now."

"I guess you're right, Blaine." He looked up at the ceiling, wiping away more tears with the sleeve of his jacket. "Why would I have any right to be upset that you brought some other guy here to parade around in my face?"

"What does it matter to you who I'm here with?" Blaine yelled. "You don't want me, remember?" Blaine's voice broke, betraying his enraged tone.

"I never said that!"

Blaine looked slightly taken aback. "Well, your complete silence for the last two weeks has said it pretty fucking loudly, Kurt."

Kurt sniffed. He wiped his nose on his jacket, watching as a thin trial of snot stained the fabric. "I didn't mean – I just couldn't –" He didn't know what to say. "I never said that," he repeated softly.

Blaine moved closer, grabbing Kurt's chin and forcing his downcast face up to look him in the eye. "Well, tell me now." Kurt clenched his jaw, but he didn't look away from Blaine's hazel eyes. "Do you want me, Kurt?"

Kurt's mind was reeling. The answer was obvious, but the question was all wrong. It was never a matter of wanting Blaine. Of course he wanted Blaine. The question was if he could survive Blaine, if there would be anything left from the fallout when Blaine ultimately destroyed him.

Blaine splayed his hand out along Kurt's jaw, moving ever closer. Their lips were only about two inches apart. Kurt raised his hand to rest on the other side of Blaine's. "Do you want me?" Blaine asked again softly.

In that moment, Kurt's will shattered. The only thing that would hurt worse than being with Blaine would be not being with him. He nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Say it," Blaine commanded.

With as much weight as Kurt could muster, he said, "I want you."

Kurt wasn't sure who moved first, but suddenly his lips were crushed against Blaine's.

Their mouths moved together, heated and frenzied. Passion flowed between them in equal measure. Kurt felt his back being pressed up against a wall as he tightened his fingers in Blaine's curls. Blaine tasted like beer and toothpaste, and... there was something else. The guy he had just been kissing?

None of it mattered, because finally he was pressed flush against Blaine feeling everything he wouldn't allow himself to with their first kiss.

Blaine had his fingers hooked through the belt loops of Kurt's pants, pulling their hips closer. Finally, Kurt couldn't take it anymore. He broke his mouth away from Blaine's, gasping for air.

Blaine wasted no time, moving from Kurt's lips to his jaw and then down to his neck.

Kurt drew deep breaths into his lungs. He thought he might pass out. "What about –" he broke off with a moan as Blaine started sucking on his neck. "Th-that guy?" Kurt finally finished, trying to clear his head enough to think. He was surprised he had managed a semi-coherent sentence when his every thought was BlaineBlaineBlaineBlaineBlaine.

"Blaine," he said, applying a small amount of force to pulling Blaine's face away from his neck.

"Huh?" Blaine asked, his eyes glazed over with barely-contained lust.

Kurt blinked at him, trying to remember what he was saying. "The guy," he finally remembered. "The guy you came to the party with."

Blaine's brow furrowed. "What about him?"

"Well, shouldn't you go and-and...talk to him?" Kurt lifted an eyebrow, like he was daring Blaine to treat another guy like crap now after...everything.

"Oh," Blaine said, realization apparently dawning on him. Kurt pursed his lips, waiting for what Blaine had to say about it. "Right, about that..." Blaine looked at his shoes sheepishly.

"What about it?"

"I maybe sort of asked a friend in a very committed relationship to come with me tonight to make you jealous," he said in a rush.

Kurt gaped. "Blaine Devon Anderson! That is the most deceitful, dishonest, mean – " Before Kurt could come up with any more negative synonyms for Blaine's despicable behavior, Blaine's lips were on his again.

It took Kurt only a moment to melt into Blaine's kiss, moving his hands from Blaine's hair to wind around his neck.

After a moment, Blaine pulled away. Kurt opened his eyes slowly to see a devious smile on Blaine's bruised lips. "It worked, didn't it?" he said.

"Ugh," Kurt said, kissing him again briefly. "You are insufferable," he said against Blaine's lips.

Blaine laughed. "So I've been told."