For the rest of the week, the boys spent most of their time together rehearsing for their performance on Friday. Blaine really wanted to play instruments for the song, insisting it just wouldn't be the same with them. The only problem was that the song really sounded best with both guitar and piano, and Blaine couldn't very well play both at the same time.

The boys, having known Gates was about to assign a duet, had discussed it to great lengths and had finally decided that Blaine would play the guitar and teach Kurt to play the piano part. Kurt had taken piano lessons as a kid, but had quickly given them up to pursue ballet. He found that he still had some of that innate technical skill from his lessons, though any actual pieces he'd learned had been long forgotten.

It was a fairly simple piece but Kurt was still terrified at the thought of their grade hindering on his performance. Kurt went over to Blaine's house every day and practiced, as well as playing the song over and over during his lunch breaks in a rehearsal room at NYADA. He had perfected it to a point where even Blaine was impressed, telling Kurt he should really consider taking up piano again.

Still, though Kurt knew he could play the piece flawlessly, it didn't stop him from being nervous as he waited for the second-to-last pair to go. He and Blaine had been randomly chosen by Gates to go last, and Kurt found he much preferred to go first and get it over with. He hadn't been this nervous even during his first performance for Gates' class. Kurt felt nauseous as he listened to one of the girls – Rebecca, he thought her name was – singing a song from Little Women miss a high note. He flinched, but continued tapping out the notes to the song he was about to play on his legs.

Blaine reached over and grabbed Kurt's hand closest to him to make him stop. He leaned in and whispered, "Stop it. You're only going to work yourself up. You know this song. You're going to be great, okay? Just trust yourself." Kurt nodded, touched by Blaine's kind words. It was Blaine's grade on the line too after all, and if he trusted Kurt enough to bank on his playing then Kurt needed to have some faith in himself.

Soon the girls finished and it was time for judgment. That was something Kurt both loved and hated about attending NYADA. He understood the importance of criticism in the art of performance, but that understanding didn't make the negative feedback sting any less. He thought not for the first time how masochistic everyone in the room must be to subject themselves to such constant criticism.

Mr. Gates was sitting behind a desk with a clipboard in front of him, taking notes on the performances. "Okay, ladies, good news first," Gates said. "Technically, except for a few iffy notes, your piece was performed beautifully in regards to skill. Now, the bad news: it was not a good song for the two of you. It fit your voices well, but you didn't reach nearly the emotional level needed to portray those characters. 'Some Things Are Meant to Be' is a song about hope and love and grief and finding light in the dark. Beth is dying and she and Jo are saying goodbye. You failed to convey the complexity of the sisters' bond." The girls looked crestfallen. Kurt truly felt sorry for them. Gates had been going a little easy on the class on previous assignments, but it seemed like for this duet assignment he was kicking his expectations up a notch. The butterflies in Kurt's stomach fluttered wildly. "It was a good effort, though. You'll get it next time."

The girls sat down and Gates said, "Blaine and Kurt, you guys are up. Last but certainly not least. Let's see what you've got for us." Kurt stood up slowly and watched as their professor spun around multiple times in his chair. Mr. Gates was actually an excellent teacher, and Kurt felt like he had really improved since the beginning of the semester, but sometimes the man acted like a child. Blaine took his guitar out of the case that was sitting by his chair and pulled it over his shoulder. Kurt walked slowly to the piano and sat as Blaine pulled a chair over to sit beside the piano bench.

Kurt took a deep breath and looked to Blaine. He was propped on the stool looking way more comfortable than Kurt thought he should – he swore that boy never got nervous. Blaine gave Kurt a reassuring smile and nodded his head.

The boys started playing simultaneously and looked at each other as Blaine began singing the song.

Blaine:

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that

Kurt was surprised to find he was playing perfectly. He supposed all that time spent practicing had really paid off. He was a little uneasy about the reception of this song in particular interpreted as a male/male duet. It was a little unconventional, to say the least. But there was something effortless about singing with Blaine. It zapped all the nerves right out of him.

Blaine & Kurt:

Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react

The boys only looked at each other as they sang. It was a general rule of Kurt's that he didn't really look at his audience while he was singing, because if they seemed to be enjoying it, he would get cocky, and if they seemed to hate it, he would get nervous and mess it up even more. Still, looking anywhere but into Blaine's hazel eyes – more green today with his sweater, Kurt thought – would have been utterly impossible. They swallowed him whole.

Blaine:

And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Blaine & Kurt:

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You'll make it now

Kurt loved "Falling Slowly" as a song choice for this class in particular because most of their other class members usually picked big songs with belting and soaring high notes to show off their technical skill. Kurt and Blaine both had learned pretty early on that Gates was one of the few musical professors that didn't give a rip about vocal control or breathing or matching pitch, even. He would give an A to a pitchy but passionate performance any day over a perfectly executed but inexpressive one.

This song was understated, almost simple, but it was beautiful in its simplicity. It was also fairly easy for Kurt to emote through – he just put all the confusing feelings he'd been having about Blaine into his performance.

Blaine & Kurt:

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black

Kurt's only completely solo part was coming up, but strangely, he wasn't apprehensive at all. To Kurt, it was only he and Blaine, playing this song in Blaine's living room like they had done countless times in the last couple of weeks. He had planned to look down at the piano and watch his hands to make sure he didn't screw up playing while he sang, but he couldn't wrench his eyes away from Blaine's as he sang the lines directly to him.

Kurt:

You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Blaine & Kurt:

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice

You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing it loud

Blaine:

Take it all

I played the cards too late

Now you're gone

The boys slowed down the song, taking the more powerful music and bringing it back down to the simple melody from the beginning. They played the last couple of bars and brought the song to a close.

Kurt heard sniffles. He finally tore his eyes away from Blaine's and looked around the room and saw some of the girls wiping tears from their eyes. He was kind of delighted that his and Blaine's performance had made people cry. That had to be a good sign, right? But then his eyes landed on Gates, and Kurt realized there was only one opinion in the room that mattered.

After the song's ending had resonated in the room for a few moments, Gates spoke. "That was a very interesting song for a male duet, so props for surprising me. It doesn't happen often." Gates paused, pursing his lips. Kurt mentally prepared himself for a negative assessment of their performance. "What's remarkable about your song choice is that it doesn't have as clear a meaning as the choices of your peers. It wasn't integrated into the plot of the musical as much as 'Some Things Are Meant to Be,' for example. It left a lot up to the two of you for interpretation of the emotional depth of the song. Blaine." Blaine raised his eyebrows at having been singled out. "What does this song mean to you?"

"Um," Blaine said, clearly caught off guard. Gates hadn't asked anyone else to interpret their songs. Kurt scrambled to come up with an answer as well in case Gates asked him the same question. "Well, not to sound trite, but I think the song is very reminiscent of the plot of Once. It's the narrative of two people falling for each other that can't or won't for whatever reasons have a romantic relationship. In the beginning, they're flirting, getting to know each other, and the 'sinking boat' is the relationship that they both know will fail, but that doesn't stop them from being hopeful and wanting it to happen. But of course, in the end the relationship doesn't work out, and that kind of sets the tone for the song."

"Interesting," Gates replied, nodding. "And you, Kurt?"

"I agree with Blaine," Kurt said immediately, glad he had had time to think of an answer. "But I also think there's an emphasis on the journey and not as much on the failed end result. It's more focused on the time they've had to spend together regardless of what their relationship may be. It's sort of...unapologetic about living in the now."

"Very good," Gates said. "So the song has two major emotions – sort of a bitter wistfulness about the relationship they know won't work but also a completely irrational sense of hope that it might." Blaine and Kurt both nodded at Gates, agreeing with his analysis. "I think you guys captured those emotions perfectly. With Blaine focusing on the dark and Kurt on the light, the juxtaposition of your voices really embodied that – it was a spectacular performance. Truly beautiful. Great job, guys."

Kurt blushed as he and a beaming Blaine went and took their seats. They smiled the whole rest of the period as Gates gave some final pointers on their performances overall and ended the class.

When they left the room, Blaine carrying his guitar case and Kurt bouncing on his heels, a glowing Kurt turned to Blaine and said, "Wow."

Blaine chuckled, bumping Kurt with his shoulder. "I told you you could do it."

Kurt gave Blaine an appreciative smile. "You were amazing. Thank you so much for everything."

"Kurt, you don't have to thank me. I just taught you the chords. That in there? That was all you. And frankly, you are a lot braver than I am. I would have been terrified to play a song on an instrument I had only been playing for two weeks."

Kurt laughed loudly. "I was so terrified I still can't feel my face."

The boys exited the building and began walking toward the closest subway station. "You should come over to my apartment tonight," Kurt said. "Rachel's having a couple people over for a game night. I know it sounds kind of lame, but –"

"Actually, it sounds really fun. I love games," Blaine said. "Will you be my partner?"

"Sure," Kurt said immediately. "Rachel already said I had to find someone else to partner with anyway, because she's going to use tonight as an excuse to flirt shamelessly with Alec."

"Oh, I see," Blaine said indignantly. "So you're just using me because you need a partner."

Kurt bit back his smile. "Absolutely," he said.

Blaine laughed, shaking his head. "Let's go to my place first so I can get cleaned up and drop of my guitar."

Around six o' clock, Blaine and Kurt were finally walking up the stairs of Kurt's building. Blaine was actually really curious to see where Kurt lived. Because of convenience, Kurt and Blaine had always spent their time in Manhattan, either in public, at NYADA, or at Blaine's apartment. Honestly, it was only the second time Blaine had crossed the Brooklyn Bridge since coming to New York – well, metaphorically speaking. They had actually taken the subway and gone under the East River.

Blaine watched as Kurt unlocked the door and pushed it open. Blaine looked around Kurt's apartment, smiling. It was very Kurt. Impeccably stylish, though no doubt decorated on a budget. There were things that couldn't be covered, like stains on the ceiling, walls, and floors, but Kurt and Rachel had somehow managed to make it look intentional. It blew Blaine away. There was something else, too – there apartment was nearly the same size as his own, but it didn't feel small or cramped despite having two inhabitants instead of one. It felt very cozy and lived in. It felt like home.

Brooklyn really isn't that far, Blaine thought mildly.

"Kurt, is that you?" Blaine heard Rachel's voice from the living room area. He hadn't noticed her facing away from them bending over the coffee table when he had taken his first cursory glance around the apartment.

"Yes, Rachel, it's me, the only other person with a key," Kurt called back, closing the door behind the two of them. He turned to Blaine, rolled his eyes and whispered, "I swear, she always greets me like we live in a mansion and not a matchbox."

"I heard that," Rachel said, coming over to wrap Blaine in a hug. "How'd you manage to persuade this guy into coming?" She squeezed Blaine tight.

"Bribery, extortion, sexual favors," Kurt replied airily.

"Man, I am not nearly as cool as you guys seem to think I am," Blaine said, releasing Rachel. "I've really fooled you. I happen to love board games."

Rachel scoffed. "Board games?" She turned to Kurt. "You didn't prepare him at all, did you?"

"Prepare me for what?" Blaine said. He was starting to feel a little apprehensive. He'd been primed for a game of Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit, but clearly that wasn't on the agenda for the night.

"It's not the easiest thing to explain. The boy's a quick learner, he'll be fine," Kurt said.

"Explain what?" Blaine said a little louder.

"Kurt! You're throwing him to the lion's den," Rachel exclaimed.

"He'll be. Fine," Kurt answered, ignoring Blaine. "Besides, he's my partner. What are you so worried about?"

Rachel huffed, turning to go to the kitchen to finish preparing what looked like snacks and beverages for the night. "Fine," Rachel said. "It's your funeral. I was just hoping you'd make it at least somewhat of a challenge tonight. Alec and I are going to kick your butts, no contest. I've been preparing him all week."

"Oh, bring it on, Berry," Kurt retorted with an adorable little snort. "You and Alec barely know each other. We're going to wipe the floor with you."

"Kurt, please," Blaine nearly pleaded before Rachel could respond. "What are you guys talking about? What exactly are we doing tonight?"

Both Rachel and Kurt looked at Blaine and simultaneously busted out laughing at what was no doubt a frantic look on his face. They were always doing that, he thought sardonically.

"Come on," Kurt said, hooking his arm in Blaine's. "I'll show you my room and explain everything."

The boys walked into Kurt's room and Kurt flopped down on his bed, pulling Blaine down with him. "Damn," Blaine said immediately, snuggling into Kurt's pillow. "Your bed is really comfortable."

Kurt laughed lightly. "Thanks," he said. Blaine lifted his head, taking in Kurt's room. He had a dark striped bedspread and lamps on either side of his bed. There was a small desk with a laptop and some framed photographs and a small bookshelf along one wall, filled to the brim with DVDs and back issues of Vogue and Elle.

"I like your room," Blaine mumbled into Kurt's pillow. He surreptitiously took a whiff. Kurt's pillow smelled like him, like roses and something woody and cherry blossoms. Blaine felt his mouth water.

"Thanks," Kurt said again, sitting up. "Come on," Kurt patted the bed next to him, indicating Blaine should sit up. "We have to talk about game night."

Blaine sat up instantly, remembering his burning curiosity from a few minutes before. "Yes, let's."

"Okay," Kurt said. "Game night started when Rachel and I were in high school. Our glee club would get together and play these music and musical theater based games. We would get really competitive about it. Anyway, when I moved to New York, we continued the tradition with some of Rachel's friends from NYADA. It's kind of become a thing. We do it once a month. It's me and Rachel, Kelsey and Jane, and Ryan and Shelby," Kurt listed their group of friends they usually hung out with at Callbacks. "Tonight, you and Alec are coming, so we're going to shuffle up pairs a bit."

"Okay, but what are the games exactly?" Blaine asked.

Kurt hesitated. "There are five games we play and all the games are pair based," he said. "Forehead Detective, Partner in Pen, Song Charades, Musical Pictionary, and Sing Song Ping Pong."

Blaine tried to cover his snicker. "Wow, you guys are really serious about this, aren't you?"

"Don't laugh!" Kurt said, blushing.

"I'm not laughing," Blaine lied. "I think it's adorable."

"You don't have to play if you don't want to," Kurt said, fiddling with his shoe string.

"Hey," Blaine said, his face becoming serious. He hadn't meant to hurt Kurt's feelings. "I do want to, I really do. Explain the games to me, okay?"

Kurt raised his eyes to Blaine's slowly. "Okay," he replied with a small smile.

A few hours later, Blaine was watching Rachel desperately mime for Alec as they played Song Charades. Blaine was happy to find that he and Kurt made an excellent pair so far. They were neck and neck with Kelsey and Jane and miles ahead of the other two teams. As the night progressed, Blaine noticed Rachel getting more and more agitated that she and Alec didn't seem to connect or understand each other.

Kurt and Blaine had outplayed everyone during Forehead Detective, either because they got lucky picks or just understood each other's' references. Kelsey and Jane had bulldozed in Partner in Pen, but that seemed to be something that came with time and practice. Blaine was sure he and Kurt would get the hang of it.

Blaine took a sip of his wine, smiling at how clueless Alec looked. Rachel was clearly miming the word "parade" and her song was obviously "Don't Rain on My Parade." Blaine was genuinely surprised at how much fun he was having. He laughed to himself, remembering how he thought they would be playing Monopoly.

"Uh, uh, march? Band? Band? Marching band?" Alec said. He looked so uncomfortable. Blaine felt sympathy for the guy. If Blaine hadn't been doing so well with Kurt, he probably would look exactly like that.

Kurt loudly made the sound of a buzzer. "Time's up," he said gleefully.

"I'm so sorry," Alec said to Rachel.

"It's okay," she replied. She was smiling brightly but Blaine thought the area around her eyes looked kind of tight. She came and sat in the empty spot next to Blaine. "You guys are up," she said, nudging Blaine with her knee.

"What was it?" Alec asked as Kurt stood.

"Don't Rain on My Parade," Rachel answered. He voice was kind. She was competitive, but Blaine knew she wouldn't be too hard on Alec. It was his first time, after all.

Kurt reached into the hat and pulled out a slip. He looked up at the ceiling for a second and then looked at Blaine. "Okay. Ready?" Blaine nodded and Rachel turned the timer.

Kurt held up five fingers. "Five words. Shit." Blaine said. Kurt nodded. Kurt held up five fingers again. "Fifth word," Blaine said. Kurt nodded. He did a jazz hands motion up and down with his hands horizontal. "Rain?" Blaine said immediately. Kurt nodded vigorously again. He held up one finger. "First word." Kurt cupped his hand as if he were holding a drink or something and motioned sitting it down. "Uh, cup?" Kurt shook his head, doing it again. "Place?" Kurt waved his hand like "keep going." "Set?" Kurt nodded, touching his nose. He held up three fingers. "Third word." Kurt nodded and held up two fingers. "No, second word?" Blaine asked. Kurt shook his head vigorously, holding up three fingers again. "Third word," Blaine repeated. Kurt nodded again, holding up two fingers. "The third word is two?" Kurt touched his nose. Kurt held up two fingers. "Second word." Kurt nodded and mimed shooting a gun. "Um," Blaine said, flabbergasted. "Shoot?" Kurt waved his hand, miming it again. "Set. Shoot. Two. Rain. Set. To. Rain." Blaine's mind was reeling, going through his internal iPod. "Fire!" he shouted, excited. "'Set Fire to the Rain'!"

Kurt shrieked, jumping up and down. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Rachel groaned. Kurt went over to the chalk board on the wall and placed a tally under their names.

Kurt came back and sat beside Blaine, giving him a high five as he sat. "Wow, you're pretty quiet over there, Berry," Kurt said over Blaine. "Where's all that big talk I heard earlier?" Blaine had never seen this side of Kurt before. He was always self-conscious or nervous when it came to performing, like he didn't realize how amazing he was. It was nice to see Kurt being confident, even cocky, even if he was only joking with his friend.

"Shut up, Hummel. There's still plenty of time. Go ahead and get cocky, it'll make it even easier for me to beat you," Rachel replied. She was about as intimidating as a kitten, Blaine thought.

Kelsey and Jane were up next, and they got theirs pretty quickly. Then came Ryan and Shelby, and if Blaine was honest, Ryan had been absolutely terrible at all the games so far. Blaine cringed as he acted out his song title. Poor Shelby looked so lost, and Blaine didn't blame her. He had no idea what Ryan was pantomiming either.

After Song Charades, the group played Musical Pictionary. Alec was actually a decent artist, and he and Rachel made up some points from before. Kurt and Blaine and Kelsey and Jane were still tied for first, and Shelby and Ryan were obviously still in last.

Then it was time to play Sing Song Ping Pong. It was the game Blaine had most been looking forward to. From what he understood, he would go against someone from another team and they would have to take turns singing a phrase from a song with one of the words from the phrase sang before, but they couldn't use the same relevant word twice. Blaine was pumped up. He was up first, and he was up against Rachel. Blaine couldn't have gone up against someone worse. Kurt maybe, but Kurt was on his team. Rachel had been playing this forever from what Kurt told him earlier and Blaine had heard tale of Rachel's impressive internal song bank. He was pretty much screwed.

He and Rachel were standing facing each other in front of everyone. Rachel was grinning at him slyly. "Okay," Kelsey said. "Genre is contemporary pop, 1990s to now. I'll start you off, and then it will go to Rachel. Ready?" They both nodded their heads, and Kelsey sang the first line, "Maybe you're gonna be the one that saves me."

Blaine smiled lightly at hearing Kelsey's tremulous alto float out into the room. Rachel flashed a cocky grin at Blaine and sang almost immediately. "Here's my number, so call me MAYBE."

Blaine wracked his brain. His mind latched onto the word "call." It was so much harder than he thought it would be. He was running out of time, and his mind could only focus on that fucking Carly Rae Jepsen song. Surely he wouldn't lose on his first turn. Suddenly, there was something there. Norah Jones. He sang, "Waited 'til I saw the sun, don't know why I didn't CALL."

Rachel looked stumped for a moment, but not even five seconds later she was singing back at him, "Take a chance and DON'T ever look back."

Shit, Blaine thought. How did she do that so quickly? It was taking him at least twice as long. He really wasn't sure he could come up with another one. Plus, he was pretty sure it was part of Rachel's strategy to use really catchy songs so they'd get stuck in his head while he tried to think of others. Just as Kelsey was about to call time, Blaine shouted, "Baby got BACK!" Everyone laughed, including Rachel. Blaine glanced at Kurt and saw him nearly falling off the couch he was laughing so hard.

But then Rachel shot back, "BABY, baby, baby, oh."

Blaine tried to think of another song with the word "baby" when Kelsey said, "Rachel! Violation. You have to provide a relevant word."

Rachel rolled her eyes but sang the next line, "I thought you'd always be mine, mine."

Blaine smiled, thankful that a useful song had come up earlier that day when he shuffled his iPod. "He is the best thing that's ever been MINE."

"And we danced all night to the BEST song ever," Rachel replied. She was killing him with these contemporary songs.

Blaine was floundering. He sang the first song he could think of with the word "dance." "I wanna DANCE with somebody."

Kelsey made a loud buzzer sound with her mouth. Blaine's entire body sagged. "Blaine, I'm afraid your submission is invalid. Your relevant word was in the wrong tense, and can someone date the song?"

"Eighty-seven," Kurt answered immediately, grimacing.

"Let's all give a round of applause to Blaine Warbler for being a very worthy contender, though," Rachel said as she hugged Blaine. Everyone else clapped for him and Blaine nodded his head to them obligatorily before going to sit down next to Kurt.

"You did really, really well. Like, seriously," Kurt said to him quietly, squeezing his hand as the next opponents, Shelby and Jane went up. "No one but me can usually last that long against Rachel. She's practically unbeatable."

"Really?" Blaine asked, still feeling dejected.

"Absolutely. And it was only your first time. Wait until you get some more practice."

Blaine smiled up at Kurt and reached for his glass.

It looked like Rachel was proctoring the next round. "Okay, ready?" she said.

Both girls nodded and they began.

Though it was a really close game, Kelsey and Jane ultimately pulled out in first, having beaten both of their opponents in Sing Song Ping Pong. Kurt and Blaine had gotten a very close second, though, a fact that Kurt didn't hesitate to rub in Rachel's face multiple times throughout the rest of the night.

The group of friends settled into idle chitchat and even sang some karaoke before finally clearing out around midnight. On the subway home, Blaine considered going to the Shelter, but then decided his head was already swimming from the three glasses of wine he'd had and he should just call it a night.

When Blaine awoke the next morning, he was peacefully yawning, trying to decide if he should get up or roll over and go back to sleep when a thought suddenly struck him: last night had been the first Friday night that he hadn't slept with someone since he moved to New York.