It was a nice spring day when Blaine, due to the Dalton teachers having all kinds of meetings all day, had a day off from school. Since he'd just finished his exams, he actually had time to relax for once. However, his plans to sleep in for a change failed pretty quickly when he woke up, feeling completely rested, even earlier than he usually did. Deciding against trying to fall asleep again, Blaine slowly crept out of bed and got ready to go and grab some coffee.

He normally had to hurry in order to be able to drive to the Lima Bean and back before his first class started – it was always a surprise when he managed to grab some breakfast, too – but considering the fact that he had all the time in the world today, Blaine took his time. Once he was done, he walked around his floor for a bit to see if any of his friends wanted to join him, but as it turned out, none of them seemed to be awake just yet.

It was a good thing that Blaine didn't mind going for his coffee alone.

Seeing as there was a little more traffic than usually, Blaine was positively desperate for his medium drip when he arrived at his favourite coffee shop. Fortunately, the line wasn't too long, and before he knew it, it was his turn.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, he glanced up at the barista. The girl – who was probably only a few years older than he was – was staring open-mouthedly at a spot right behind Blaine. Turning around, Blaine understood why the girl was so shocked. Behind him stood what seemed like a boy his age, wrapped up in silver foil and wearing a wig on his head.

As if that wasn't strange enough, the boy was also wearing silver coloured shoes with what looked like at least three or four inch heels.

Suddenly, the boy seemed to notice Blaine looking at him, and he simply raised an eyebrow at him. Before he could say anything, though, Blaine turned back to the register to order his coffee. He must be seeing things.

As he waited for his coffee, however, the boy turned out to be very real, as he was still there. He even spoke – which, in hindsight, shouldn't have been such a surprise as it was his turn to order something.

"Is something wrong?" he then asked Blaine, who hadn't even realised he was staring again.

"No, nothing's wrong," Blaine hastily replied, but couldn't quite tear his eyes away. "I was just… wondering what you're wearing and why you're wearing it."

The boy stood a little straighter (giving him an even bigger height advantage over Blaine) and responded, "This is my Lady Gaga inspired outfit. But I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand the genius that is Lady Gaga…"

He had a point there, even though Blaine didn't like his slightly patronising tone very much. Blaine didn't really understand most of what Lady Gaga wore, or why anyone would want to dress like her. "Don't you have school, though? Are you allowed to wear that… outfit to school?"

By now, Blaine's medium drip had arrived, but he didn't leave just yet. The boy smiled smugly. "This outfit is for a school assignment, actually, so yes, I'm allowed to dress like this. Not that any of those idiot Neanderthals could ever get that through their thick skull," he muttered in an afterthought.

"So… everyone at your school dresses like this?" Blaine didn't understand it in the slightest. He hadn't known that there were schools as crazy as that anywhere near.

The boy seemed unimpressed. "Of course they don't. Like you, most people will never appreciate the genius that is Lady Gaga. Besides, it's a Glee assignment, which makes it a big no-no for everyone else."

"Your school's Glee club isn't cool?" Blaine asked. Of course, he hadn't expected that show choirs all around Ohio were deemed cool at their schools, but somehow, this boy made it sound like his club was almost at the bottom of the social ladder.

"Not really," the boy replied, smoothly taking his coffee from the employee. "Well, it's been fun, but as you already pointed out, I have school now."

Blaine just nodded. "Yeah, of course. See you around?"

The boy gave him a dubious look before shrugging. "I doubt it, but who knows."

o-o-o-o-o

By the time Blaine arrived back at Dalton, most of his friends were awake. While Wes saw this day off as the perfect opportunity for an all-day Warblers rehearsal, he didn't manage to talk any of the council members into this and therefore, it didn't happen. Even though Blaine liked singing and the Warblers, he was glad that Wes hadn't gotten his way. He was already not looking forward to next year, when Wes would probably be in the council. The amount of rehearsals per week and the length of each rehearsal would increase by at least a hundred percent, or at least, that's what Nick and Jeff said. They'd even started a bet about the matter, something everyone happily took part in – except for Wes, of course, who, as far as Blaine was aware, didn't know about the entire thing.

Instead, the boys spent their morning playing violent video games – something Blaine wasn't particularly into, but it was alright every once in a while. After lunch, Blaine decided to read a book in the Warblers' usual meeting room, while his friends were doing things he didn't think he wanted to know about. The last time Dalton had had a day off, a game of hide and seek (yes, hide and seek) had gone slightly awry. Nick and Jeff had snuck into the teachers' lounge and gotten a detention, and Trent had had to be taken to the hospital after he'd been stuck in a freezer in the kitchens for the duration of three games.

Around four, Blaine's caffeine addiction kicked in once more and, deciding that he might as well visit the Lima Bean again, he walked back to his room. He didn't always have the time for this, and now that he had, he wanted to use it well.

During the drive over, Blaine suddenly remembered – for the first time since he'd gotten out of his car that morning – the boy dressed in silver. He wondered how his classmates had reacted to seeing him dressed like that. Would they just accept it? Were they used to him dressing outrageously? Blaine preferred not to think about the other option.

It seemed that he had forgotten about the fact that the Lima Bean was always rather busy around this time. With a sigh, Blaine went to stand in line, hoping that there would be a free table, or at least a empty seat, when he got his coffee.

He had no such luck. Glancing around the coffee shop, Blaine realised that every single seat was somehow taken. He sighed again. It looked like he'd have to enjoy his medium drip in his car, then.

Or not. There, in the corner of the shop, was a boy sitting at a table all by himself. Blaine could only see his back, but if he wasn't mistaken, there was an empty chair opposite him.

As quickly as he could, Blaine made his way through the coffee shop, dodging all the other customers as he went. When he came to a stop next to the boy's table, he spoke up nervously.

"Hi, sorry, is this seat taken?"

The other boy looked up, and Blaine noticed that he looked quite distraught. He also looked familiar. "Oh, god, you again? Are you stalking me now?"

Blaine's eyebrows rose to an unimaginable level. It was the boy he'd met this morning, only now he wasn't wearing a wig or any silver clothes. No wonder Blaine hadn't recognised him immediately.

"No – no, I'm not," he replied. "I didn't even realise it was you…"

The boy's features softened slightly, and with a somewhat vague wave, he said, "Nobody's sitting there."

Blaine nodded mutely and sat down, glancing at the boy concernedly. "Are you alright?" he asked. "What happened to your Lady Gaga tribute clothes?"

The boy just gave him an odd look at first, but after a minute, he started speaking. "I'm fine. Nothing's… wrong. And my clothes… they're at home. It was easier making over my bedroom without those clothes on."

Blaine smiled a bit. "You made over your bedroom?" he asked. "That sounds like… fun." Truth was, it didn't really. The last time Blaine's mother had come up with the plan to redecorate Blaine's room, he'd ended up with yellow walls and a bright red carpet. Needless to say, he'd spent another week on the couch while his father undid most of the changes.

The boy smiled wryly. "It was. I just didn't get the reaction I would've wanted, but I'll live."

"Want to talk about it?" Blaine asked. He didn't know the boy, but perhaps that was a good thing. If they'd never see each other again, the boy wouldn't have to worry about spilling all his secrets (or something) to Blaine.

However, the boy himself seemed to have an entirely different opinion about the matter. "To a complete stranger?" he asked rhetorically. "You're kidding, right?"

"Not really," Blaine admitted. "I just figured you could use someone to talk to, and it's pretty unlikely we'll see each other again, so…"

The boy still didn't seem convinced. In the end, he leant forward slightly, cast a quick glance around the shop and muttered, almost inaudibly but still harshly, "I'm gay."

Blaine nodded. "Yeah, I figured as much after the Gaga costume. I mean, I didn't want to assume, but…" He shrugged. "Oh – wait. Is that what you're so worked up about?" If he was completely honest with himself, it had been quite a shock for Blaine when he'd first realised he was gay. Not because he was repulsed by himself or anything, but because he'd been so afraid that people around him wouldn't accept it.

The look on the other boy's face was pure shock. "Why are you not running away right now?" he asked, once he'd recovered.

Smiling, Blaine replied, "I'm gay as well. And even if I wasn't, I doubt I'd be running away from you for that."

"Okay," the boy said. "Okay. But no, that's not what I'm 'worked up' about; I've known that I'm gay for ages now, and I'm fine with it." After a pause, he added, "It does have something to do with it, though."

Blaine nodded. As much as he hated to admit it, he'd come to realise in the past few years that a whole of problems and issues gay people dealt with, were actually issues they would've have to deal with if they were straight.

"There's this guy," the boy started hesitantly, glancing at Blaine. When that turned out to be all he said, Blaine smiled wryly.

"Let me guess, he's straight?" he asked. He had been there once, and it hadn't been pleasant.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Very much so. Quarterback on the football team and one of the co-captains of out Glee club. Very tall and handsome, and nice enough. At least, I thought he was."

"Did he know you're gay?" Blaine asked, and the boy sent him a disbelieving look.

"Everyone knows I'm gay," he shot back.

There was a short pause, which, eventually, Blaine broke. "So you said he's the quarterback? In my experience, jocks usually aren't very accepting towards gays…"

"They're not," the boy agreed. "But… he was different, in a way, I guess. He tried to stop one of his friends from harassing me once."

Blaine blinked. "No offense, but… once?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know, maybe twice. And he was never the one bullying me… even though he was always around…" He sighed. "Look, I know that it doesn't make a lot of sense for me to like him, but I do. I did. Just a stupid, entirely misguided crush. Who doesn't have them?"

"So what happened?" Blaine asked concernedly. He sincerely hoped that the jock had somehow hurt this boy in front of him, or insulted his outfit or something.

"I wanted to get closer to him," the boy responded. "So I did the most logical thing there is to do in a situation like that."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "You also joined the football team? Or proposed to work together for a school project?"

"Joining the football team didn't work," the boy said. "I already tried that, and it's just not my thing. And no offense, but I'd rather not work on a project with him – he's one of the least intelligent guys you'll ever come across." After a brief, somewhat dramatic pause, he added, "No, I decided to introduce my dad to his mom so they'd start dating."

Blaine just stared at him for a moment. "Wait – so you got your parents to date, so you could get closer to this guy? You tried to make that guy into your potential future stepbrother and thought it would be easier to date him?"

The boy pulled a face. "Obviously, I didn't think it through very well at the time."

"I take it he wasn't all too happy about it?" Blaine asked.

"Not at all," the boy answered. "Though I must admit, I'm not sure if that was, initially, because he was uncomfortable with me, or because he thought my dad was trying to replace his own father. But now our parents decided to move in together, and since we don't have the biggest house there is, he'd have to sleep in my room for the time being."

Blaine winced. "I bet that went well."

The boy sighed again. "I think I took it a little too far. I was convinced, after all, that he'd eventually fall head over heels in love with me. Instead, he just thought I was some creepy person who would… I don't know, have my wicked way with him while he's asleep and defenceless."

"Ah." That was something Blaine had heard before as well.

"Then I went and redecorated our room," the boy continued. "Which only ended up with him calling basically everything in the room 'faggy'."

"You're kidding." Truthfully, Blaine wasn't very sure anymore if that boy was really all that nice.

"Unfortunately not," the boy opposite him said. "I guess you could say I'm already over him, though it'll probably take a while before I mentally forgive him for that."

Blaine thought that that must be the quickest he'd ever heard of someone getting over a crush, but he figured that that was only logical, what with the other boy basically insulting him many times over. "I'm so sorry," he muttered. "Really, no one deserves to hear that."

"It's alright," the boy said. "Besides, my dad threw him out, which I'm actually pretty grateful for."

Despite the situation, Blaine found himself smiling just a little. "Your dad sounds great," he said, almost feeling a little envious.

The boy grinned back. "He is," he agreed.

Blaine nodded. "I would tell you to let it all out, but I'm guessing this is kind of a bad place for that?"

The boy smiled apologetically. "It is. Besides, you're still a complete stranger. I'll probably call one of my friends later. It's just… nice, being able to talk about this to someone who's unbiased. It's not like you know either of us."

Blaine flashed him another small smile. "I know. It can be quite a relief." After another short pause, Blaine said, "Anyway, tell me more about the room," attempting to distract the boy a little. It even seemed to work, as the boy launched into an animated tale about all the stores and websites he'd consulted before revamping the room. At times, Blaine's attention lessened a bit, but all in all, he managed to keep up with the story.

"And what about you?" the boy eventually asked. "How was your day?"

Blaine shook his head. "Not at all as eventful as yours, I can tell you that. I had a day off from school so I spent the day just hanging around a bit. Nothing special." He smiled softly. "Care to tell me more about where that Lady Gaga assignment came from?"

"There's not really much to tell," the boy informed him. "One of our competing choirs were doing her music last week, so our director decided that we needed to get… theatrical as well. The other guys got to do a Kiss song instead, seeing as they weren't very keen on dressing up like Lady Gaga." He rolled his eyes. "So now, they dressed up like the members of Kiss."

Blaine raised an eyebrow at him. "So in the end, they were the ones wearing all the make-up?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "I know! But weird as that was, I still like our costumes better."

"You got all the girls to dress up like Lady Gaga as well, then?" Blaine asked, wondering what the group as a whole would've looked like. Insane, probably.

As the boy described all his female friends' outfits, Blaine's mind reeled. It all sounded pretty surreal; how could a group of people walk around a public school like that for days?

All of a sudden, the boy stopped talking, and Blaine eyed him curiously. "That's my dad," the boy muttered, his eyes on his phone. "Oh, god. He's probably worried about where I am."

Checking his own watch, Blaine noticed that it was, indeed, pretty late already. If he didn't head back to Dalton soon, he'd miss dinner entirely. "I should get going as well," he therefore said. "I would say I'll see you around, but…"

"You'll never know," the boy said, standing up from his chair, Blaine following suit. "But as I said before, it seems highly unlikely to me."

"So we'll also refrain from even telling each other our names?" Blaine asked with a smile, even though he wasn't certain if he was really happy about that fact.

"If exchanging names and whatnot will make us less like strangers, it would defeat the whole purpose of me telling a stranger about all my woes, right?" the boy retorted. "It just doesn't seem right, at this point, only after our conversation. But who knows, perhaps we'll find out each other's names some other time."

When they parted, Blaine couldn't help but feel one hundred percent sure that he would meet this boy again. He didn't know when, or how, but the promise was there, somewhere. He couldn't wait.