Blaine is helping Kurt arrange the chairs in a semicircle when he asks him the question that nearly causes Kurt to drop one of the chairs on his foot.

“Kurt?”

“Blaine.”

“Are we boyfriends?”

“Boyfriends?” Kurt squeaks. “What are you talking about?”

“Everyone thinks we’re boyfriends.”

Kurt is certain that not everyone is concerned with their dating status, or lack therefore of. Sure, his Dad smiles at him in that nervous, I’m not ready to talk to you about this sort of way, but his Dad does that with a lot of things. He even gives him that very same smile when Kurt’s talking about teaching him how to make souffle.

Blaine is not a souffle. Nor is he his boyfriend.

“That doesn’t mean that we’re boyfriends,” Kurt rolls his eyes. “People think all kinds of things, it doesn’t make any of them true. In fact, a lot of them think it’s acceptable to wear white after labor day.”

“It’s not?” Blaine teases. He’s dragging his chair closer to where Kurt plans to sit, and Kurt notes that as usual, their chairs are closer than anyone else’s. It’s practical. It makes it easy for them to whisper during the meetings without disturbing the others.

“No Blaine, it’s not,” Kurt says, dragging his chair away from Blaine’s. He only moves it about an inch to the left, but he hopes the slight distant will cement the fact that he is not Blaine’s boyfriend.

The idea of being someone’s boyfriend scares Kurt, especially someone like Blaine, who has been through so much. He doesn’t know how he feels about being responsible for Blaine’s feelings, his happiness.

The safety of his crush on Finn lies in the fact that Finn is unobtainable. Sure, there are times when he thinks about planting seeds in his mind. Girls are nothing but trouble, Finn. Don’t you ever think of giving them up forever? But Finn is the kind of person who seems like he can be swayed by a dangerous little idea, so Kurt doesn’t want to chance it. Finn will always be unobtainable, and Kurt will always feel safe.

“What if it’s part of my school uniform?”

Kurt shakes his head, and looks back over at Blaine. His smile is too hopeful, and it makes Kurt feel nervous.

“Just as long as you stay away from that atrocious red sweater vest, so help me god.”

-

“My dearest and I are star-crossed lovers,” Jesse drawls. “Consider her rag-tag team of crooners, the New Directions, the Capulets.” He sighs. “I am at a loss.”

“I thought Shelby just wanted you to go fuck with them or something,” Giselle says.

“I have never been one to half-ass a role, Giselle. And this? This is the role of a lifetime.”

“Isn’t that the guy who’s dating your friend Rachel?” Blaine whispers.

Kurt tries to ignore him, but Blaine keeps poking his shoulder in the absence of a response.

“Just because I took pity on her and waxed her eyebrows, it doesn’t mean we’re friends,” Kurt hisses back.

Rachel, ever the hypocrite, had discouraged Kurt’s budding friendship with Blaine during a New Directions practice last week. But apparently, it was a different story when serendipity brought her into Jesse St. James’ arms in a local record store.

They weren’t even set to compete with the Warblers this year, at Sectionals or Regionals. Like most thing related to his school’s glee club, it hardly made sense.

“You fixed my hair,” Blaine says softly, scuffing his feet on the ground.

“What’s what supposed to mean?”

“Are we even--”

Oh. Kurt gives Blaine’s shoulder a small squeeze. “Yes, Blaine. We’re friends.”

He feels bad that he has to keep reassuring Blaine of that, but part of him understands why. Kurt knows what it’s like for friends to disappear for reasons that are out of your control.

“...early acceptance into UCLA. You might have heard of it, it’s in--”

“California, Jesse. We know,” Harmony groans. “It’s in the name, you giant waste of hair product.”

“Oh, I’m liking her,” Giselle purrs. “Can we keep her? You know, Vocal Adrenaline has been looking for some fresh talent. You’re a spunky little thing.”

“I’m in eighth grade,” Harmony says, narrowing her eyes.

“Honey, the recruiters scope out the local elementary schools.”

“Oh, no,” Jesse interrupts. “Not since Chris got banned from that playground.”

“Ah,” Giselle nods. “Right. Simple misunderstanding...”

“You know,” Kurt says. “As lovely as this has been, I’m not seeing how any of this is going to help build our resumes for NYADA.”

“It’s a bit of a circle jerk, yes,” Jesse confirms. “But it’s been helpful in making connections.”

Blaine is fashioning his Dalton tie into what seems to be some sort of ninja headband.

“How do you plan on getting into a decent school?” Kurt asks, smacking his shoulder. It does nothing to discourage him.

“Rely on the Dalton name, write a stunning essay on perseverance, and dop-wop admission’s socks off,” Blaine says with a wink.

Kurt groans. “I liked you better when you didn’t talk.”

“Liar.”

-

The meeting draws to a close. Kurt is still stuck on the words ‘circle jerk’ and he can’t help but blush every so often.

They’re waiting outside for Wes. Kurt is only there to keep Blaine company. He’s aware that he should be going, it’ll be dark before long, but he feels a bit funny about leaving Blaine alone.

“So are you going to tell Rachel about Jesse?” Blaine asks. He’s walking back and forth on the curb, mimicking a tightrope walker. Blaine reminds Kurt of a giraffe. He grew too quickly and he’s all bony knees and awkward limbs. For this reason, he trips off the curb more than once.

“We’re not really friends,” Kurt tells him.

“Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t say something. It’s the right thing to do.”

“Maybe,” he shrugs as he sits down on the curb, blocking Blaine’s path.

When Kurt looks up, Blaine is scrambling to yank the tie off his head and shove it into his blazer pocket. When he turns the other way, as expected, Wes’s car is approaching.

“You goof,” Kurt chuckles.

Blaine extends a hand to help Kurt to his feet. He’s still looking at him expectantly, waiting for a reply.

“I’ll think about it,” Kurt finally relents, because he knows Blaine will accept no less.

“Good,” Blaine smiles.

Kurt tugs Blaine into for a quick hug. He doesn’t miss the way Blaine lingers when he pulls away, not releasing his hold on Kurt’s waist until the last minute.

“Off you go,” Kurt grins. “Before you turn into a pumpkin.”

“I thought I was the mouse!” Blaine throws his arms in the air. He’s walking backwards towards where Wes is parked and waiting, and Kurt has to hide his face in his hands when he trips over his own feet.

“And now you’re the pumpkin!”

“Does that make you the prince?” Blaine calls from Wes’s car.

Kurt doesn’t want to give him the wrong idea, because things with Blaine are already starting to feel unsafe. He feels comfortable where they are, but the idea of anything more is still a bit scary.

But that doesn’t stop him from shouting back, “Guess you’ll have to wait and see!”