That is, until his father got sick and tired of his son moping around, and decided to do something about this.

"Dad, come on!"

It was Friday night and although he planned to stay home and do, well nothing, Kurt was informed he was to go out with his brother. This, of course, didn't sit well with Kurt.

"Dad!" Kurt shouted, following his dad from room to room. "Dad, this isn't fair!"

"Well, Kurt, life isn't fair. And that's something we both vouch for." Burt said nonchalantly, grabbing one of the lite beers from the fridge.

"But I have plans!" Kurt argued.

"Doing what!" Burt questioned.

"I . . . but . . . Ugh!" Kurt scampered for an answer, but came up empty. "Forget it! This is barbaric!"

Burt leaned back against the kitchen sink, sipping his beer. "No! What's barbaric is watching you sit around the house and do nothing, when you could be outside, living your life!"

"I like my life the way it is, thank you very much." Kurt said, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Look, we're done arguing. You're gonna go out with Rachel and Finn, and you're gonna have a good time."

"But, Dad!"

"No "buts", Kurt! You can't just lie around and sulk anymore." A loud honking sound came from outside. "That's them."

Kurt stood his ground, refusing to move. "I'm not a child anymore. If I don't wanna go somewhere, you can't make me."

"Oh, I can. As your father, your landlord, and your boss, I order you to go out with your friends." Kurt remained silent. "It's either go out tonight, or you're helping out at church on Sunday."

Kurt's faced dropped. Even the Lord knew Kurt wasn't going to choose that option. Sighing, he grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair.

"Have fun. And no complaining! For each complaint I hear about, you gotta serve an hour at church."

"I get it!" Kurt yelled before heading out the door, cursing his father for meddling in his life.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kurt leaned back in his seat, sipping down his third cappuccino. The plans for the night: dinner and a show at Bread Stix. The event: amateur night. Twice a month, the restaurant did a small show, featuring the towns "most talented" performers. It wasn't as bad as Kurt thought it would be. The four that already went on weren't terrible, though they showed no real pizzazz. None of them would make it in the music industry.

"So tell me Rachel," Kurt voiced as they called for a break before their next performer. "You and Finn have been coming here for almost every show since you got back from New York. Why is it that you never actually show in any of them? You know have the talent."

Rachel blushed, looking down at her hands. "I need to keep my voice in control until I return to Julliard. I can sing of course, but no competing. The last thing I need is to override and end up losing it."

"Beside's," Finn piped in, "Rachel's already a star, might as well let the others have a chance to shine."

Kurt smiled fondly, rolling his eyes as the two shared a sweet kiss. He was surprised to hear that Rachel was coming home during the summer after her break from Julliard. Before going, all she ever spoke about were the electives and summer and winter courses and events. He was sure she'd stay there and be the star; instead she came home to their rinky-dink down. Which, of course, forever baffled Kurt.

Voice in control, ha! He thought to himself. She never did that while in Glee. . . .

The voices of the crowd slowly died down as the emcee stepped onto stage.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's come to that time of the night when we only have one performer left, but I promise you, we saved the best for last. He's our favorite little summertime bug; let's give it up for Mr. Blaine Anderson!"

Kurt sat straight at the sound of the voice, turning towards his brother with his head cocked slightly, wondering if he heard correctly.

"Oh man, I totally forgot Blaine performs here!" Finn whispered excitingly.

"This isn't his first night?" Kurt questioned.

"Nah! He's a regular." Finn told him, before being shushed by Rachel for silence.

As the lights went down and the spotlight stuck, Blaine came out from the back, holding nothing but a guitar. Hopping onto the stool, he waited for the pianist and the drummer to take their places and begin to play. He followed soon after with the guitar.

"Skies are crying, I am watching, catching teardrops in my hands. Only silence as it's ending, like we never had a chance. Do you have to, make me feel like there is nothing left of me?"

Kurt nearly held his breath as he listened to the lyrics. It wasn't the first time he heard the song, originally sung by Demi Lovato, but he never heard it like this. His voice didn't fit the range it was usually sung in, but that was okay. In fact, it almost seemed to work perfectly for him.

"You can take everything I have, you can break everything I am. Like I'm made of glass; like I'm made of paper. Go on and try to tear me down, I will be rising from the ground. Like a skyscraper! Like a skyscraper!"

This performance was different from the one at Six Flags, Kurt knew that right off the bat. With the Warblers, it seemed stress-less. Though Blaine was the lead, he worked with the other guys, so there wasn't really a leader. They were a team, and their voices worked together in unison. But this was totally different. It was Blaine and the instruments, nothing more. He was filled with passion and energy. Aggressive, almost, especially at the bridge.

When he got to the final chorus, Kurt held his breath, waiting for the final note. Kurt knew it was difficult for most female's, so for a male, it seemed almost impossible. But to his surprise, he hit it perfectly. No scratchiness or screeching. At the end of the song, everyone applauded, and some even stood, as Blaine and the rest musicians bowed shortly before heading off stage.

"Ready to go?" Finn asked Rachel.

With a small nod, he placed her silk jacket over her shoulders as they stood from their chairs. They were nearly out the door when Kurt spotted Blaine. He stepped for some unknown reason, causing the others to do the same.

"You go on ahead," he spoke to them, though looking in Blaine's direction. "I'll catch up." Leaving without another word, Kurt made a bee-line for the short male. Blaine was laughing and chatting with two of the other performers before they headed back stage, leaving Blaine alone. "Blaine?"

Hearing his name, Blaine turned to face Kurt, and his smile fell short. Cocking his head, he stepped back. "Kurt? What are you doing here?"

"I came with Rachel and Finn." He explained.

"Oh? Where are they?" Blaine asked, looking over Kurt's shoulder.

"They went to the car, and knowing them, they're probably being sweet as pie and playing tonsil hockey." Blaine laughed softly, his mouth tugging up slowly on one side. "I just wanted to tell you that you were great. I've never seen someone, aside from Rachel, have so much passion for the music."

"Well, thank you, Kurt. That means a lot of me. If you'd excuse me, I gotta head back stage."

"Blaine!" Kurt said suddenly, stopping him from leaving. "I . . . I'd also like to apologize for what happened that night. I . . . I'm not good with people, obviously. I used to be, but now . . . Now I'm kind of a creeper. I'd rather watch than actually participate."

Blaine raised a hand, smiling softly. "It's no big deal, honestly. I guess I got a little carried away. We both made a mistake, and I think we can both move on from it."

"I also wanted to say, if you ever wanna come by the shop and you know . . . hangout? Talk about cars or music or whatever, I think I'd really like that." He confessed.

Kurt waited in suspense for Blaine to reply. He wasn't exactly sure why he said it, but he sure as hell didn't regret it. Finally, Blaine spoke.

"I think I might just do that." Turning back, Blaine made his way to the back. "See you around, Kurt." He said before disappearing.

Kurt smiled to himself, proud of what he accomplished. He wasn't sure what it'd lead to, but for the first time in a long time, he was happy he stepped out of his comfort-zone.