When the day arrived Kurt was both relieved and sick with nerves. He had been studying and preparing for this day for weeks - months - now and he was as ready for it as he could ever be. Over the course of his preparations hed watched as many documentaries as he could, read dozens of books on history, philosophy, and art, and had studied countless random articles on Wikipedia. After the hours upon hours spent practicing and studying with his teammates, he was looking forward to getting a break from them when the day was over. Hed lost count of the number of arguments hed either been involved in or had stopped during the time theyd spent together. He just hoped all of his efforts wouldnt be for nothing.

He hadnt really thought much of University Challenge before hed started studying at Cambridge, but after hearing a lot about it during his first year and growing to respect the commitment and intelligence of all of those taking part, hed decided to try-out for the team in his second year. Hed been delighted when hed learned hed made the team, and astounded when he was declared the captain after gaining the highest score in the try-outs. It gave him a real sense of satisfaction when his team sailed through the early rounds of the competition, beating team after team. And now they had made it to the final, where their intelligence and dedication would be put to the ultimate test. It had taken a lot of stress, effort, tears, and frustration to get there, but Kurt felt it was all worth it when he saw how proud his dad was of him. All of the difficult days meant nothing.

He felt sick and shaky with nerves as he and his three teammates walked up to the television studios where the show was being filmed. Next to him, Laura looked pale and strained, while Michael and Jemma were anxiously discussing potential questions and the probability of them beating the rival team. Kurt did his best to ignore their mutterings, not wanting them to knock his confidence.

He caught a glimpse of their rivals once they were inside. The Oxford College team were huddled near the narrow corridor leading to the set, talking in low voices. Kurt only got a fleeting look at them, before he and his team were whisked off to make-up.

Hed heard a lot about the Oxford team over the course of the competition. He knew theyd beaten the formidable Manchester team in their semi-final and that they were more balanced in terms of fields of study compared to his own team. He was even more familiar with their team captain: a charming and handsome music major.

Hed met Blaine Anderson twice before: once at an inter-university quiz that was a warm-up to University Challenge where they competed as individuals rather than in teams, and secondly at an Oxbridge charity quiz event where they had to answer increasingly difficult questions in knockout rounds in order to win money for a chosen charity. They had been rivals for the top spot at both events. Blaine had beaten him at the warm-up event, while Kurt had come out on top at the charity quiz. Today was their final match in their personal best of three, and Kurt was determined to win.

While a make-up artist flitted around him applying a little make-up to his face so he didnt look strange or washed-out by the bright lights or cameras, Kurt tried to remember everything he could about the British monarchy and wondered whether last-minute recalling of information was beneficial or if it just stressed him out. He never did it for exams, but this was different.

Once their make-up was done his team sat on some couches grouped around a table in the corner of the room. Kurt attempted to give a motivational speech to rally them all up, but he was so focused on the task ahead and his mind was so busy flipping through everything he knew, that he wasnt sure how well he did. In the end, he gave up and wished them all luck, asking them to do their best. There wasnt much else he could do.

They sat in silence after that, everyone staring off in a different direction with a look of intense concentration on their face. Kurt tried to remain focussed, but his thoughts kept slipping to how much he wanted to beat Blaine, and he found himself imagining what hed say to him once he did win. He mentally shook himself, pushing Blaine to the back of his mind. Determination to win was important in the competition, but it could also be his downfall if he wasnt careful.

Eventually, there was a knock at the door and a woman stuck her head inside.

"Its time," she said, giving them an encouraging smile when all four of them immediately lurched to their feet.

Swallowing around his suddenly dry throat, Kurt led his teammates out the room on shaky legs and followed the woman along a series of corridors leading to the set. He took a deep, steadying breath when the gap in the partition walls came into view. Through it he could see a small slice of the audience who would be watching the taping of the competition. The woman stopped by this gap and waved them to continue on out onto the set. Kurt fixed a smile on his face and stepped past her.

Half of the audience cheered when Kurt and his team walked out onto the set. Kurt smiled tightly and nodded to the Cambridge supporters as he led the way onto the small stage where he and his teammates lined up in front of the desk behind which they would be sitting in a few minutes. As the applause died down, Kurt fixed his gaze on the gap hed just walked through, waiting for the arrival of the Oxford team. He only had to wait a few moments and then Blaine appeared, looking calm and confident as always, smiling and giving his supporters a small wave.

Kurt barely heard the cheers from the crowd; he was too focused on Blaine. His hair was neatly gelled down and he was dressed in well-fitting pants and one of his trademark bowties. He looked like a cross between a hot professor and a member of a hipster indie band. Kurt hated the way his stomach lurched and pulse quickened at the sight of him.

Blaines smile widened when his gaze landed on the Cambridge team. The applause began to die down as Blaines teammates - two guys around Kurt and Blaines age and a man in his early thirties - made their way along the line of their competitors, shaking hands with Kurt and his teammates. Blaine was last to come down the line. Kurt stood tense and tight-lipped, watching Blaine out the corner of his eye until he was standing in front of him and sliding his hand into his own. He held his breath as their eyes met.

Something shifted behind Blaines hazel eyes and his charming smile slipped for just the briefest of seconds, his mouth softening around the edges, until the polite smile was back, as bright and warm as ever.

"Hummel," Blaine said softly, squeezing Kurts hand.

Kurts heart stuttered in his chest. "Anderson," he greeted quietly.

They stood there for a moment, eyes locked, hands clasped in a handshake that should have already ended, and Kurt was lost in Blaines large, honey-gold eyes and the comforting warmth of his hand in his own, all thoughts of the competition ahead momentarily forgotten.

A light flickered overhead as someone adjusted it and the moment was broken. Kurt breathed again and Blaines gaze dropped away. They let go of each others hands and Blaine moved away to join his teammates where they were sitting down behind the Oxford desk.

Kurt found himself watching him go, standing alone in front of the Cambridge desk watching Blaines retreating back. He gave his head a little shake to clear it of the thoughts now lingering in his mind and moved to take his seat by his teammates. Laura shot him a questioning look as he sat down and Kurt smiled at her, trying to convey focus and being prepared in spite of his scrambled thoughts.

He couldnt believe Blaine was able to invade his mind on today of all days. Hed managed to get through two other meetings with him without his stupid hormones taking over, but for some reason on the most important of their encounters his intelligence and hours of preparation were being threatened by his wandering eyes, cartwheeling heart, and hormone-flooded brain. And all because Blaine Anderson had pretty eyes and a nice smile.

The audience applauded again, louder this time as they all clapped as a collective mass rather than two separate halves. Kurt looked up to see the host of the show, Nigel Wakefield, walk onto the stage. The sight of him pushed thoughts of Blaine a little deeper into the back of Kurts mind as a fresh wave of nerves flooded through him, twisting his stomach and stuttering his heartbeat. Nigel shook hands with all of the competitors before taking his seat behind his desk. Kurts eyes were drawn to the stack of question cards Nigel set out in front of him on the desk; out the corner of his eye he saw Laura let out a deep, steadying breath. He reminded himself to breathe, too.

Before he could stop himself, Kurt shot a quick look across at the Oxford team. Three of the team were looking a mixture of nervous and determined as they watched the TV crew dash about and get the last few things set up for filming, while Blaine was smiling pleasantly at Nigel, looking as relaxed as if he were at some form of informal social gathering. A tiny twinge of annoyance flickered through Kurt at the sight. He didnt understand how Blaine could look so cool and collected all of the time.

Someone called out that filming was about to start and Kurt felt the nerves churning and cramping in an unpleasant sick feeling in his stomach kick up a notch. With a shaky hand, he reached for his glass of water and took a sip in an effort to settle his stomach. As he set the glass back down, he focused on schooling his features into a calm, earnest expression. A voice began to count them all down to when the cameras would start rolling. Kurt smiled in the direction of the host and waited, his palms sweating and his heart pounding. He sucked in a shaky breath.

"Welcome to the final of the 2015 University Challenge!" Nigel said once the audiences applause had died down. "Over the last few months, teams from universities around the country have battled it out to be named champion. Tonight, the final two teams will compete once more to determine who will be our winners for this year." He looked away from the camera to face the two teams of students facing him. Kurts stomach churned.

"Trinity College Cambridge and Somerville College Oxford have made it through to the finals after both teams sailed through their semi-finals undefeated. Lets meet them one last time."

One of the crew gestured to a member of the Oxford team and a camera rolled round to point at him. He introduced himself to the camera as they all had to do at the beginning of every round of the competition, giving their name, where they were from, and what they were studying. When it was Blaines turn he smiled brightly at the camera, oozing charm and confidence.

"Hi, Im Blaine Anderson, Im from Guildford, and Im studying music."

Kurt rehearsed his introduction in his head as he waited for the final Oxford person and two of his own teammates to say their piece. He knew he didnt have to say anything complicated, but he was so nervous he wouldnt be surprised if he fumbled his words.

He took a deep breath as the camera panned over to him.

"Im Kurt Hummel, Im from Sevenoaks, and Im studying English Literature," he said, smiling at the camera. He tried not to sigh too loudly in relief as Jemma finished the introductions off.

"I think we are all familiar with the rules by now, so I wont go over them again," Nigel said, picking up his question cards and lowering his eyes to the top one. Kurts gaze flickered over to Blaine once more to see his finger already hovering over his buzzer, his face set with concentration. Kurt rested his hand on the desk, holding his fingers just above his own buzzer.

"So, fingers on buzzers, everyone. Heres your first starter question for ten points: What is the name of the gaps on a neuron axon where no myelin is present?"

There was only the very briefest of pauses after the question was read out before a buzzer rang through the studio.

"Somerville, Anderson!" the overhead announcer called out.

"The nodes of Ranvier," Blaine answered.

Nigel nodded, already setting the question card aside. "Correct! Somerville, your bonuses are on pairs of people who share a given name and surname. In each case, give the full name from the descriptions."

Gritting his teeth, Kurt shifted restlessly in his chair. He hadnt known the answer to the starter question - science wasnt really his forte - but that didnt stop him from being annoyed that Blaine and his team had jumped from the starting blocks, while his team would stumble belatedly after them. He tried not to glower across at the Oxford team as they easily answered the three bonus questions correctly. His eyes narrowed with concentration as Nigel read out the next starter question.

"Chief of the Eleatic school of philosophy, what Greek philosopher demonstrated that the senses could not be trusted by constructing four paradoxes, including the Achilles and tortoise problems?"

Kurt gave an odd, jerky lurch. Hed read about that somewhere; he recognised it. He searched frantically through the deep recesses of his mind, trying to extract the piece of information he needed, his finger quivering over his buzzer.

Before he could remember, one of the Oxford team buzzed in. He bit back a frustrated groan when they gave the correct answer, triggering all of his own knowledge on the subject to come gushing to the forefront of his mind. He turned to watch the Oxford team answer their bonus questions. His stomach gave another lurch at the sight of Blaine leaning over to say something quietly to one of his teammates - from the angle Kurt was sitting at it looked as though Blaine was whispering in the guys ear. Kurt swallowed, watching as Blaine gave three more correct answers, a pleased smile crossing his face when Nigel confirmed each one as being right.

"Heres your next starter for ten: Identify the author of these lines: ‘Come live with me, and be my love, / And we will some new pleasures prove / Of golden sands, and crystal brooks, / With silken lines, and silver hooks?"

Kurts hand slapped down on his buzzer, blood rushing behind his ears as the sound rang through the studio.

"Trinity, Hummel!"

"John Donne," Kurt blurted out, already beginning to doubt himself and praying he was right. He fought with the urge to look round at his teammates or Blaine, forcing himself to look straight ahead at the host as he nodded his head and set the question card aside.

"Correct!"

As the competition continued and Kurt and his teammates answered a few more questions, pulling their score up to almost level with Oxfords, the cramping in Kurts stomach eased up. It was always like this for him: his nerves lessened and he became more confident as he got into the swing of things. It was the same when he was writing essays or sitting an exam.

"Were going to take a music round now," Nigel announced, shifting in his chair, his gaze flicking between the two teams. "For this youll hear a piece of classical music - I want you to name the composer and the title of the piece."

Kurt couldnt help it; his head turned and he looked over at Blaine. Blaine was the only player studying music - this round would be a walk in the park for him. As he watched, Blaine sat up a little straighter, a tiny smile on his face, confident to the point where he appeared to be looking forward to hearing what the music would be.

Dragging his gaze away from Blaine, Kurt narrowed his eyes in concentration, trying to remember all of the pieces of classical music hed ever listened to. He liked to listen to classical music while studying, the lack of lyrics meaning his attention wasnt pulled from his notes to sing along, but he wasnt sure if he could name any of the songs hed listened to, or if he could remember the composers. He didnt allow this to suck all the drive out of him, though. He wasnt going to let Blaines confidence shatter his own. He could still answer the question.

The piece of music began to play through the speakers, lively violins dominating the score. Recognition had only just begun to tickle at Kurts brain when a buzzer sounded. The clip hadnt been playing for more than a few seconds.

"Somerville, Anderson!"

"Thats Vivaldis ‘La Primavera," Blaine answered, his satisfaction evident in his tone.

Nigel nodded, setting his question card aside. "Correct!"

The audience applauded and Kurt turned to look at the Oxford team somewhat reluctantly. He didnt particularly want to watch his competition easily gain another fifteen points, but he was drawn to Blaine like a moth to a bright lamp; he had very little control over his wandering gaze, drifting over to Blaine every now and then, like he was some unusual, intriguing sight hed been forbidden to look at.

"Somerville, for your bonuses youll hear three more pieces of classical music: I want you to give me the name of the composer of each."

The music clips played and Blaine rattled off the composers name for each one while the rest of his team smiled, pleased. Mere seconds after each clip began to play, Blaine leaned over to quietly discuss his answer with his teammates, a polite gesture that Kurt knew he neednt bother with; Blaine was right and they all knew it.

"Dont make it look too easy," Nigel quipped dryly after confirming Blaines answer for the last bonus question was correct.

The audience tittered and Blaine smiled gently, ducking his head from the stares of the dozens of audience members and the camera lenses trained on him. For the first time since filming began he looked a little shy. Kurt was reminded of how Blaine had been polite and bashful after winning the warm-up competition, not boasting or shoving the win in competitors faces like Kurt had seen others do. Blaine seemed to know he was intelligent and talented and didnt mind showing his skills off, but once people started fawning over this he turned likeably modest and appeared slightly overwhelmed. Kurt, meanwhile, had shot Blaine a sanctimonious grin and smug little nod when hed beaten him. The memory made his cheeks heat up in embarrassment and insides curl in shame.

The rest of the competition passed by in a blur of questions, discussion of answers, and frantic slapping of buzzers. Once or twice, Kurt forgot there was an audience watching them and was momentarily surprised when he slipped out of his zone of concentration long enough to hear them applaud. He answered several more questions correctly, but lost track of the scores. He knew it was a tight race, though.

"Two minutes remaining," Nigel informed them. Kurts pulse jumped and he tensed in his seat, every muscle straining in concentration. "Answer as soon as your name is called, please. The psychologist Raymond Cattell identified ‘fluid and ‘crystallised as factors of what human capacity, defined by one authority as the extent to which one deals "flexibly and effectively with practical and theoretical problems"?"

Kurts hand slapped down onto his buzzer before his conscious mind had even caught up with the answer that had leaped forward in his brain. He vaguely heard the guy doing the voiceover calling out his name in his scramble to say his answer out loud.

"Its intelligence," he said quickly, somehow managing to avoid stumbling over his words. He wanted the time for his team to answer as many questions as they could, just in case they were the ones lagging behind in this tight battle.

"Correct. Trinity, your bonuses are on physics."

They only got two of the bonus questions correct, but Kurt hastily shoved down his disappointment with the knowledge that they had earned twenty more points they hadnt had a minute ago. He leaned forward, staring intently at Nigel as he read out another starter question, as if he could know the question quicker by watching him as opposed to listening. To his delight, Jemma got the question correct, but before they could get their bonus questions the gong sounded, signalling the end of the competition.

Applause and cheers filled the studio, while the teams remained still and tense, waiting for the final result to be revealed.

"And thats the end! The final result is Trinity Cambridge with 210 points and Somerville Oxford with 220 points."

The applause and cheers turned to an odd buzzing sound as exhaustion flooded Kurts body. He slumped back in his chair, his hand falling to the desk with a soft thump. He let his eyes fall closed for a moment as disappointment crashed into his system, a spark of frustration twinging through with it until it was snuffed out soon afterwards. His eyes opened. On either side of him his teammates were just as dejected and worn-out: Michael had his head in his hands, his fingers fisting tufts of his hair, looking like he was internally screaming, and Laura and Jemma were slumped in their chairs. Despite not particularly wanting to, Kurt looked over at the Oxford team.

They were triumphant - jubilant. One had his hands covering his face as he leaned back in his chair, a huge smile visible beneath his parted fingers. Another looked to be in stunned shock, waving a shaking hand in the air as he stammered something to his teammate, who was patting a beaming Blaine on the back. Kurt couldnt stop a small smile from tugging at the corner of his mouth at the sight.

As if sensing his gaze on him, Blaine looked away from his team and over to Kurt. His delighted expression shifted to one of apology. Kurt smiled and lifted his shoulders in a small shrug of acceptance; Blaines team had deserved to win.

At some point the presenter of the trophy was announced, but Kurt didnt hear their name. His head was filled with an odd ringing sound and his emotions were shifting and swirling around inside him  so rapidly that he felt disoriented, unsure exactly what he was feeling or why.

Both teams stood up and Kurt automatically got to his feet, robotically following Laura out from behind the desk to stand in front of it. The Oxford team came over and shook all of their hands again, Kurt murmuring his congratulations to each one of them. When Blaine took his hand his breath froze in his lungs, his congratulations catching in his throat. Blaines eyes were soft when they met Kurts and he gave him another apologetic smile, as though he were truly sorry he had beaten Kurts team. Kurt shrugged at him again, a ‘what can you do? sort of gesture. Blaines lips parted as if he were about to say something, but before he could one of his teammates stepped closer, wanting to continue moving along the line of Cambridge competitors. After one last almost desperate look at Kurt, Blaine was forced to move away.

Once all the competitors had shaken hands, a woman walked out onto the stage carrying the impressive trophy shaped like a large, open book.

Something was announced through the overhead speakers, but Kurt, staring at Blaine accepting the trophy and clapping along with his team, missed what was said. Blaine said something to the woman as she shook his hand and she beamed fondly at him. The rest of the Oxford team then shook hands with the woman, before gathering around Blaine and the trophy to pose for the cameras. Kurts hand went numb with clapping.

They were ushered back to their dressing room afterwards. Kurts teammates werent keen on hanging around in front of their disappointed supporters, so as soon as the cameras stopped rolling and Nigel had finished speaking to them, Kurt followed them back to the tiny dressing room. None of them had spoken since theyd sat down and though Kurt knew he should probably say something, he couldnt find words that werent falsely cheery or cliché. Laura and Michael were on their phones while Jemma stared stonily at the wall opposite her. The silence was deafening.

Kurt sat there until he could bear it no longer. He got to his feet.

"Ill be back in a bit," he said to the room at large as he opened the door.

No one responded.

Once out in the narrow corridor, Kurt pulled his phone out of his pocket. Hed promised to call his dad as soon as the competition was over since he was unable to take the time away from work to come and watch. Though he knew his dad would still be immensely proud of him, Kurt wasnt looking forward to telling him they had lost.

Stepping around some disused lighting equipment and some old storage trunks, Kurt found a quiet spot backstage of the set hed just been on. On the other side of the crates and wall he could hear the faint sounds of crew members tidying away the set. Sliding to the floor and leaning back against a tall crate, he dialled his dads number.

"Kurt!" his dad answered on the second ring, sounding breathless and excited. "How did it go?"

Kurt picked at a fold in the fabric of his pants. "We lost, dad."

There was silence from the other end of the line and Kurt waited for the initial disappointment to pass through his dad.

"Never mind, son," his dad said softly. "I know you had your heart set on winning today, but youve still achieved so much - you still got to the final - look how many teams you beat to get there! Thats nothing to brush off." He paused for a brief moment. "Im sure you made that other team fight hard for their title."

Kurt stopped picking at his pants and let his hand rest still on his thigh. "They beat us by ten points."

"Isnt that only one question? You should be proud of that result, Kurt. One of you had to be the losing team today and its just unlucky that it was yours."

Kurt nodded. "I know." He knew these words would make him feel better about todays result later, but at that moment he was too tired and disappointed to appreciate them.

"Im proud of you, Kurt. Were still going out to celebrate when you get home."

Kurt managed a small smile even though he knew his dad couldnt see. "Thanks, dad."

"Id better get back to work. Dont beat yourself up about this, Kurt, okay?"

"I wont," Kurt promised. "I just need some time."

"I love you, Kurt."

"Love you, too, dad."

Kurt hung up and set his phone in his lap, letting his head fall back against the crate he was leaning against. He knew he should probably head back and join his teammates so they could start getting ready to leave, but he didnt want to move just yet. It was quiet and peaceful in amongst the old set equipment, and he wanted to be alone with his thoughts for a bit.

Hed barely been sitting there for a minute when he heard soft footsteps approaching. Scrambling to his feet, he debated about sneaking away before whoever it was found him (he wasnt entirely sure he was allowed to be back here), before deciding he would just tell the truth if he got told off. He held his breath as the footsteps got louder - and blinked in surprise when Blaine stepped into view from behind one of the tall storage crates.

"Hi," Blaine said quietly, stopping a few feet in front of Kurt.

Kurt stared at him, waiting for some explanation as to why he was here, not about to believe Blaine had just stumbled across him, hidden away amongst old trunks and lights, by accident. When Blaine said nothing, only continued to look at him in a way that had his pulse fluttering like a tiny, trapped bird, Kurt raised an inquiring eyebrow at him.

"How did you find me?"

Blaine dropped his gaze to the floor, his expression immediately turning guilty. A deep pink blush bloomed across his cheeks. "I followed you here," he admitted to his feet. He toed at a rusty old nail that lay by his right foot. "I wanted to talk to you. I went to your dressing room, but I saw you heading this way, so I followed you." He frowned down at the nail. "I shouldnt have done it; it was rude, Im sorry."

Kurt wasnt really sure what to say in response to that, so he watched the blush fading from Blaines face, waiting for him to explain why he was here.

"Im sorry you lost," Blaine said eventually. He looked up to meet Kurts gaze. "I wanted to win, but at the same time, I didnt want you to lose; your team is fantastic."

A small flutter of nerves twisted in Kurts stomach when their eyes met and Kurt swallowed, nodding his head once in acknowledgement. He wasnt really sure what to say to that, either.

"Shouldnt you be celebrating?" Kurt asked after another slightly awkward pause. He didnt understand why Blaine was standing here blushing and fumbling his words when he could be celebrating his victory with his teammates.

For some reason, Blaine blushed again and ducked his head in a gesture Kurt found completely adorable. With the tense, competitive atmosphere surrounding them every time theyd been together, Kurt often forgot how beautiful Blaine really was. He took in Blaines appearance with appraising eyes: long, thick eyelashes, pretty hazel eyes, full pink lips, soft dark hair curling free of gel at the back of his neck, muscular arms, and a tiny waist. Blaine was breathtakingly beautiful.

Mentally shaking these thoughts from his head, Kurt realised Blaine hadnt responded to his question. He was starting to get a little impatient.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked, hoping Blaine would stop dancing around the reason he was here.

Blaine looked up again, the blush still dark on his cheeks. He hesitated, teeth peeking out to bite down on his bottom lip, before he spoke.

"Ever since I first heard about you during the early preparation stages for this competition Ive been fascinated by you," Blaine admitted, twisting the hem of his cardigan with his right hand. He didnt look at Kurt while he spoke, keeping his eyes fixed on a point somewhere behind Kurts right shoulder instead. "You sounded so intelligent and eloquent - a formidable opponent for the competition." Blaines gaze flicked to Kurts face for a brief moment. "Back then I just wanted to meet you because I wanted to compete against you." Blaines blush darkened further and he looked away again. "But then I met you..."

Kurt cocked his head to the side as Blaine twisted a handful of his cardigan in his hand. It was slowly beginning to dawn on him that Blaine may actually admire him, or his intelligence and abilities anyway. However, there was also another possibility niggling at him, one that was far less flattering.

Blaine inhaled deeply. "I know we only spoke very briefly at that first competition and I know the setting wasnt ideal, but I came away from it even more fascinated by you. You were just as quick and intelligent and witty as Id heard, but you were also..." Blaines eyes met Kurts. "I couldnt stop thinking about you. I wanted to get to know you so badly - I still do. I really want to see you outside of these competitions, get to know you better, become friends."

Kurt narrowed his eyes at him, his suspicion peaking. "You want to get to know me so you can improve your chances at the competitions! So you can beat me more-"

Blaines hand covered Kurts mouth, effectively cutting him off. Kurt glared at him and Blaine shook his head, his eyes soft and a little sad. "No," he said quietly. "Thats not it at all."

He removed his hand and Kurt stared at him in confusion, his anger fading as quickly as it had flared up. "Then why-?"

For a moment, Blaine nibbled on his bottom lip and plucked at his cardigan, and then he sighed softly and released the material bunched in his fist. "I want to get to know you because I think you are fascinating and beautiful."

"Oh." A hot blush to rival the one darkening Blaines face flared up on Kurts cheeks. He couldnt quite process Blaines admittance in his head; he couldnt believe Blaine felt that way about him.

Blaine took a step closer to him, his eyes a darker gold, the pupils dilated. His gaze flickered down to Kurts mouth and then back up again. Kurt swallowed, his heart racing.

Kurt felt his whole body quiver when Blaines lips pressed against his own. His heart had kicked into overdrive, now thumping so rapidly blood rushed behind his ears in a dull roar of white noise that faded into the background of what started as a mad gallop of thoughts tripping each other up that fell away to blissful nothingness when Blaines hands framed Kurts face, resting gently on his jaw and cheeks. Spurred on by Kurts lips moving against his own, Blaine kissed him harder, his lips parting to suck Kurts top lip into his mouth.

Had anyone brought up the subject of kissing Blaine earlier that day, Kurt wouldnt have been able to understand the appeal beyond Blaine being nice to look at. Now, however, he couldnt find a reason not to want kiss him, and all of his muddled thoughts and feelings of the day and weeks before all fell into place. He liked Blaine - really liked him. He was intelligent, charming, sweet, beautiful, and - like Blaine had said - he wanted to get to know him better; he wanted to get to know him away from the competitions and questions on art history and astrophysics. He wanted to know the real Blaine.

They broke apart, gasping for breath. Kurts legs wobbled a little beneath him as he became aware of his racing heart and soaring emotions again. He held Blaines gaze, everything that hed been pushing down inside himself for months and everything that had just happened in the cluttered backstage area where he and Blaine stood pulsing through him with every heartbeat, leaving him feeling breathless and euphoric. He smiled at Blaine, his heart skipping a beat when he smiled back, his eyes a warm honey lit up with flecks of bright gold. As they held each others gaze, Blaines eyes softened. His hand came back up to caress Kurts face, his light touch sending a shiver down Kurts spine.

"I want to get to know you because of you," he murmured, his thumb tracing the curve of Kurts cheekbone. "Because of you," he repeated.

Their mouths met in another kiss, a tender slide of lips and soft caressing of hands. Kurt smiled into the kiss, the last vestiges of disappointment at losing the competition melting away. None of that really mattered anymore. Like his dad had said: hed captained a team to the final and that was an impressive feat. There was no point in bemoaning being the runner-up when there were much more important things happening, such as Blaine entering his life. Blaine, whom hed be going on coffee dates with, whom hed get to lie awake talking into the early hours of the morning with, whom hed get to kiss whenever and wherever he wanted. In his eyes, hed won today.