Unbeknownst to Kurt, Blaine had taken a trip to the dining hall before rehearsal that night and picked out things for dinner and taken them back to him room. More often than not, they hadn't eaten dinner while Kurt stayed later. There was the month that Kurt and Blaine were broken up, but before that, Kurt could only remember eating dinner with Kurt once or twice. Every other time, they seemed to skip over everything and satiate a different appetite they had. Being seventeen year old boys, that particular hunger won out one hundred percent of the time.

Kurt was saying his goodnights to his friends and Finn handed Kurt the keys to their car, when Blaine interrupted him. "Can you wait here for me, while I run up to my room? I kind of have a surprise planned for tonight."

"Okay. If I'm not here, I probably went to the bathroom to change or to the parking lot to dump my costumes in the car."

Blaine gave Kurt a quick kiss on the cheek, smiled, said a general goodbye to everyone, and hurried out the door. He rushed into his bathroom and brushed his teeth along with quickly washing the gel out of his hair and blow drying it so his curls flowed freely, yet managably. He then grabbed Kurt's favorite jeans and put them on. He took a black tank-top from his shelves and pulled that on before carefully shoving his head through a black ribbed sweater he picked out that morning with a zip up collar. He left it unzipped which showed a little bit of the skin from the very top of his chest and sealed the look off with a quick spray of the cologne Kurt liked the best. He glanced in the mirror approvingly, knowing Kurt would approve of the ensemble he put together.

Blaine was about to reorganize his room so that they could have dinner on the floor comfortably when a cool breeze flew in his window and he came up with an idea to take Kurt outside and have a picnic while the sun was still out instead. It was a cool enough May evening, but it wasn't too late in the evening for bugs to come out. It was perfect. He grabbed an extra throw blanket from his closet and a duffle bag. Blaine thought that of all the times a picnic basket would have come in handy, it would be now, but figured Kurt would overlook this detail and be happy with whatever Blaine had planned. He put all the food he had taken from the dining hall that day and packed it in the bag with the blanket. He also took to bottles of water from his mini-fridge and put them in the bag as well.

When he was finished he walked back downstairs to the commons and while on the staircase, he saw Kurt talking to Zach. They looked like they were in a deep conversation. He wasn't sure if he should walk up to them or give them privacy, but he was also a little curious. His curiosity won over and he stepped backwards up the flight and crouched so they wouldn't see him, not that they'd be looking anyway.

Kurt and Zach

"I don't understand why you're so mad," Kurt started in with a bit of bite to his tone.

"How do you not understand?" Zach shot back. "I ask you almost everyday if you want to do something or hang out and since you got back together with Blaine, it's been a no every time."

"We've been back together a little over a week, Zach. I'd understand if I did this for a month, or later."

"If I didn't say something now, it would become a month of you telling me no." Zach was talking animatedly with his hands and looking exasperated.

Kurt looked equally tired. "You know what? If you had a girlfriend, you'd be doing the same thing to me. You'd be so wrapped up in her that you'd want to spend all your time with her too!"

"No, I wouldn't! I'd make time for you because I care about you. What's that stupid saying that the jocks use? Bros before Hoes?"

Kurt made a 'what the fuck' face at Zach, his mouth gapping open in disbelief. "Okay, there are two things wrong with what you just said. One: Thanks for referring to my boyfriend as a ho. And two: just because I took ONE WEEK to spend with Blaine to work out the kinks of our break-up, doesn't mean that I don't care about you." His voice raised in tone. "I don't know what you want from me because I sit next to you in ALL of our classes and I eat lunch with you ever day. I also have rehearsals with you. So, don't act like we never see each other."

"I didn't refer to Blaine as a ho."

"Yes you did! You said Bros- meaning you and me- before Hoes- whomever my significant other might be. AKA Blaine."

"But that's not what I meant."

"What do you want here?"

"I want to not go from spending every waking moment for a month with my best friend to not spending anytime with him at all outside of class."

Kurt squinted his eyes and his train of thought was derailed. "I'm your best friend?" he asked, his tone a lot softer.

Zach squinted back with a questioning look. His eyes began to shift back and forth from one of Kurt's eyes to the other and back. "Of course. What did you think you were to me?"

"I don't know. I didn't think about it, but I guess it never dawned on me that I was your best friend."

Zach grabbed Kurt's hand like he used to. "Have you ever see me hold anyone else's hand?" His face looked like he was almost smiling, but not quite. "I'm sorry for yelling. I just miss my best friend."

Kurt didn't take his hand back. "I would have thought that a week away from my tears and whining would have been a welcome change."

"No! Kurt, I care about you. I'd say that I love you if it weren't weird. None of that bothered me. You know why it didn't. I know you don't need me anymore, but it just feels like when I keep hearing 'no' that I'm also not wanted either."

Kurt stepped forward, dropping Zach's hand, and hugged him. "Don't say that. You know it isn't true."

Zach wrapped his arms around Kurt and gave him a gentle squeeze. He suddenly felt a feeling that he and Kurt had an audience. His eyes roamed around and saw no one, but couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching. He let go of Kurt and took a step back, giving ample space between the two. "You promised that you wouldn't dump me again."

"I'm not. You know I'm not. Blaine and I are just sorting things through. You also have to know that he and I are sort of intense about each other. My time with him is limited and it's never enough for me. I'm sorry if that bothers you, but in an obsessive kind of way, I sort of zone in and see him and only him whenever he's around."

"Like a laser?"

"Exactly. I don't want to demean the friendship that you and I have, but I'm crazy in love with Blaine. He's been an important person in my life longer than you have and he kind of out ranks you." He shrugged his shoulders and made a apologetic face. Zach knew this was true, but didn't like the feeling that came with it. He didn't like feeling like he was second. "You and I are like two peas in a pod; comfortable in close quarters and often prefer it, right?" Zach nodded his head. "Well, Blaine and I are like magnets; one of us being the north pole and the other being the south pole. We're useless without one other by ourselves, but when the one is near, the other feels this amazing pull until BAM," Kurt clapped his hands together audibly. "Now they feel complete, now they have a purpose."

Zach breathed deeply. "I guess you and I have two very different ideas of our friendship because I feel like I have a purpose when I'm with you, while you feel like you have a purpose when you're with Blaine."

"Perhaps we really do need to have a talk. One that isn't time constrained like now."

"You're going to tell me that you think I'm seeing you too much as my brother than just a friend."

"Yes I am."

"Maybe. I don't know. It's possible I guess."

"I want to be your friend; your best friend even, but I don't want to take Curtis' place. He's your brother. Not me."

"I know. I think I should be mad at your insinuation, but there is a very real possibility, that I've managed to have ignored, where you could be right."

"Why don't you think about it then? Think about it and then we'll talk. But for now, know that I'm not dumping you. I'm being honest and open and telling you that I need this time with Blaine right now. It's nothing against you, it's just me and the love of my life repairing the holes that were burnt into our hearts."

Zach lowered his head and looked at his shoes. "Okay."

"Yeah?" Kurt asked for clarification.

Zach nodded his head. "Yeah." Kurt closed the space between them and hugged him again in a real embrace. "Maybe I do miss Curtis a little too much."

"There's no such thing as too much, Zach. He was your twin," Kurt said into Zach's shirt.

"I don't want to think of you or treat you like his replacement, but being around you made everything easier." Zach knew if he didn't stop talking soon and leave he'd be sniffling into Kurt's designer shirt. "I told you that I needed you too. I just didn't think that it was that bad."

Kurt rubbed Zach's back gently. He wanted to change the subject until they had more time to talk things through. He also didn't want Zach to cry so he started thinking of funny things to say. "You know, the way you're holding me, the only thing that would make this scene gayer would be if you kissed me."

Zach took the hint and played along. With his cheek resting on Kurt still he effortless let out his response. "I could if you want."

"Please don't." Kurt was smiling on the inside, but kept his face composed on the outside.

"What if I wanted to?"

"I meant it. No."

Zach pulled away slightly and cupped Kurt's face staring into his blue eyes. "Kurt," He said.

Zach makes a convincing actor, Kurt thought. "If you kiss me, I will kill you."

"You'd make my mother have to bury both of his children?"

Kurt didn't miss a beat before answering. "Some people just have shit lives."

Zach lost his composer and stepped back with a small grin. "That's a really awful thing to say." He was almost laughing.

"So is pretending that you wanted to kiss me. What makes it worse is that you see me as a brother… eww, Zach!"

"Weren't you into Finn at one point?"

"Don't say that out loud! And it was BEFORE he was my brother so can it with the homo-erotic-incest." Kurt had an overwhelming feeling of wanted to playfully hit Zach for mentioning Finn.

The two boys were chuckling now. "Okay, I'm going to go now. Try not to think about me too much, but also try not to block me from your mind," he said jokingly.

They said their goodbyes and Zach left. Moments after the blonde boy's departure, Blaine came down the stairs with his duffle bag slung over his shoulder and a questionable look on his face.

Blaine and Kurt

Kurt's face automatically lit up at the sight of Blaine, but Blaine's expression made him weary. Blaine couldn't hear their conversation. He could only see their body language. He didn't like seeing Kurt look like he was being scolded or yelled at and what was more was that he really didn't like seeing Zach and Kurt so intimate with each other. He could have sworn for a minute that they were going to kiss each other before they started laughing. The laughing is what confused him the most.

Blaine dragged his feet as he walked up to Kurt.

"What's the matter?" Kurt asked.

Trying to be less accusatory, Blaine thought before speaking. "Should I be jealous over what I just saw?"

Kurt smiled. "Oh. That?" He giggled a little. "No. He was joking."

"I don't like the way he jokes."

"Are we going to fight when we were so happy a half hour ago?"

"I hope not, but I didn't anticipate seeing my boyfriend in kissing distance to another guy. I also didn't think I'd see him being held like a loved one so tenderly."

"To him I am a loved one."

"That makes it loads better."

"No. Sweetheart, you don't get it because you don't know. We're not romantic. You obviously couldn't hear the conversation because if you did, you would be a lot more understanding." His tone was calm. They weren't arguing. They were barely bickering. Kurt knew he did nothing wrong and what Blaine thinks he saw was just a misunderstanding.

Blaine was trying to be understanding and trusting. If Kurt was trying to hide something then he would be defensive and he's not acting that way, Blaine thought, trying to talk himself down. He's comforting me, knowing I'm bothered.

"What do you have in the bag?" Kurt asked, trying to lighten the mood and change the subject.

"The surprise I was telling you about." Blaine still sounded a little somber, but he was trying to let it go.

"What is it?"

Blaine linked one of his hands with Kurt's and started pulling him toward a hallway that would lead to the back of the building. "Come on. I'll show you." Blaine took five steps before stopped and turning his body to face Kurt completely. "Tell me you love me. I know it's stupid, but I need the reassurance. Please say you love me."

Kurt looked at Blaine worriedly. With his freehand he cupped Blaine's face. Blaine closed his eyes and nuzzled his cheek against Kurt's palm. He could feel a lump rising in his throat. Kurt sensed Blaine's overwhelming emotion and took the duffle off of Blaine's body and set it gently on the ground, not knowing what was in it. He enveloped Blaine in his arms and kissed the side if his head. "I love you." He paused. Blaine burried his face into Kurt's neck and swallowing the lump and forcing it back down. "I'm sorry you feel this way. I know you're still struggling with trusting him."

Blaine sniffled and pulled himself back. "No. I'm sorry. I don't want you to think that I don't trust you or your friendship with him. It's just, seeing you like that with him, how close you two are- I need to learn to share."

Kurt captured Blaine's face in his hands and looked him square in the eyes. "No you don't," he said. "Don't think that you have to share my love and affection because you don't. Zach is a friend and nothing more. He and I may have a bond of sorts and it is special and important to me, but it's nothing in comparison to my bond to you. I love you." He emphasized each of the last three words. "And don't feel bad for needing to hear it either. I'll spend all day, every day, telling you I love you and showing you just how much if it meant you would believe it."

"I already do believe it. And I love you too."

"Good." Kurt smiled and place a lingering kiss on Blaine's lips. "Why don't we go do what you had planned to surprise me to do and we'll talk about what you saw? I also think I need to explain why he and I are so overtly affectionate from time to time. It's sad, really." He turned his eyes down for a moment.

"You don't need to tell me. I trust you and I'm learning to trust him."

"But I want to tell you. No secrets, remember?"

Blaine linked his fingers back with Kurt's and started to head off in their original direction. "I remember."

By the time the sun was setting, Blaine was curled up with his head in Kurt's lap and staring off at the sky. Kurt was looking ahead at the horizon. Kurt melted at the picnic idea Blaine had planned and as they ate, Kurt told him everything about Zach. He told him about his brother Curtis and how even though Zach told him that Kurt wasn't his friend because being with him made Curtis' death less final, Kurt still believed that he was. He told him about why Zach felt so strongly about Kurt feeling happy and his need to 'save' Kurt. Kurt told Blaine everything he could think of and more. Blaine now felt bad for Zach because he lost his other half. Blaine imagined half of his soul being ripped away from him, then remembered when Kurt punched him. When Kurt walked out after the punch, Blaine felt empty. His other half was gone and didn't think there was ever a way to fill the void. Now he understood.

After a few minutes of silence, Kurt looked down at Blaine and took in the whole sight. "Did I tell you how dapper you look?"

Blaine smiled closed mouthed. "No. You approve of the outfit?"

"I approve of the outfit."

Blaine smiled bigger with his eyes closed. "It's no statement of awesome bravery, but I think it serves it's purpose."

Kurt's eyes trailed down his entire body again. "It definitely serves it's purpose," Kurt enthused. "That sweater makes your pecks looks incredible."

Blaine opened his eyes and got up to his knees to be eye level with Kurt. "Want to pack up now?"

"Yes."

"We have an hour left before you have to leave. What do you want to do?"

"I recall you being extra excitable earlier this afternoon."

"Yeah, being emotional sort of killed it."

Kurt looked at him curiously. "So you're saying that you don't want to go up to your room and get naked?"

"Is that still an option?"

"Honey, that's always an option." Both boys smiled and started shoving things in the duffle bag very quickly with no particular order.