Rehearsal ended well, with suggestions for Sectionals made and discussed, and Finn managed to hold his tongue the entire time. The moment practice was dismissed, however, he pounced faster than a starving dog on a medium rare steak.

"Kurt!" he yelled, storming up to his brother and Blaine, who were still attached at the hip. Kurt rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, missing the way Blaine tensed up suddenly.

"Care to explain what you think youre doing?" Finn demanded, eyes set to kill and aimed at Blaine. Blaine refused to meet his eyes, and he started worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. Kurt was caught staring at the motion, eyes widening slightly. Finn released a low growl, and Kurt snapped out of his trance to glare at his step-brother.

"What the hell is your problem, Finn?" he snapped irritated. He thought his brother had gotten over any lingering homophobic feelings years ago. "You have a problem with me hanging out with Blaine?"

"I wouldnt if all you were doing was hanging out!" Finn defended himself angrily. "But you two are acting like youre going to jump each other the moment you find a room to yourselves!"

Blaine blushed to his ears, the thoughts he was wrestling to control shooting back into his mind. Kurt turned red too, but from anger. "Finley! I cant believe you think so low of me! Do I look like someone who would sell myself like that? Remember the whole you matter speak from my dad? And you know Blaine well, do you think hed do that either?" Never mind the fact Kurt really didnt know Blaine and for all he knew the boy could be very much like that.

Finn had the grace to look taken aback. "Of course I dont think youd do that, Kurt! But youre my little brother, and youre being way too friendly with a guy you just met!"

"Screw you, Finn!" Kurt shouted. "Im older than you! I can take care of myself, Ive spent three years in a closed off, sheltered school, I didnt come here to be sheltered more!"

He stood up in a huff, tugging on Blaines hand to pull him up. "Come on, Blaine. You still up for doing our homework together?" Blaine nodded mutely, his eyes glancing at Finn shyly. He allowed Kurt to pull him forward, ignoring Finns outraged cry to "keep his hands off his brother."

-----

They drove to Blaines place separately, Kurt needing to take care of something before following Blaines instructions. Blaine raised his eyebrows when Kurt pulled up in his shiny black Navigator. Damn, was it a nice car, and definitely not what he expected Kurt to be driving. It actually made the mysterious, pale boy appear hotter.

Kurt stepped out of the car, his face lighting up as he spotted Blaine peaking through the windows at him. Blushing, Blaine ducked from the window and raced to the door, stopping to straighten his clothes before opening the door at Kurts knock. They smiled shyly at each other, their eyes sparkling with excitement to spend time together.

"Thanks for having me over," Kurt said as he stepped into Blaines house. Or really mansion was the more appropriate word, because this was probably the grandest and largest house in all of Lima, dare he say Ohio even. It looked like the house of the rich bad guy the action hero has to sneak into under an alter ego, or from the pages of commercial magazines, or the houses movie stars owned.

"Its no problem," Blaine replied, happy Kurt seemed to approve of his home. He took his coat, as dapper as ever, and offered a beverage or snack. Kurt declined gratefully, and didnt even flinch when Blaine placed his hand on the small of his back to give him a tour.

"Heres the living room," he was saying, leading Kurt through a doorway into a very spacious room. He was a little shocked, however, to see a man reclining in one of the lounge chairs, reading the paper. He had dark, gelled black hair, and the same olive complexion Blaine inherited. He wore an Armani suit, shocking Kurt.

"Hey, Dad," Blaine called out in greeting. "This is a friend of mine, Kurt. Were going upstairs to do homework."

Mr. Anderson looked up from his paper, a polite smile on his face. Rising from his seat, he strode across the room to Kurt, offering his hand in greeting. He had bright creaulean blue eyes, which spoke of years of wisdom. "Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Kurt. Im Mr. Anderson." Kurt took the offered hand and shook it firmly. "Kurt Hummel. Its nice to meet you, sir. You have a lovely home."

"Thank you," Mr. Anderson spoke, smiling politely. He released Kurts hand, and turned to Blaine with a smirk on his face, his eyebrow raised. "So homework, huh?" he said teasingly, and Blaine flushed a curious pink. "Door open bud, Ill be sending up Katherine every now and then to check up on you."

Blaine grumbled, leading a blushing Kurt away from his father towards the stairs, a mumbled "Dont need to send the maid, too old for a babysitter," barely escaping his lips. Kurt smiled in amusement, his heart rate picking up slightly.

They continued down the hallway past a lot of doors, till Blaine paused at one and came to a halt. He looked at Kurt shyly before turning the knob and pushing open the door. "Welcome to my humble abode," he said, his voice slightly strained.

Kurt was impressed to say the least. He could actually see the floor, unlike Finns room and every other teenage boy besides him, and apparently Blaine as well. It was messy, but in a way that still looked neat and organized. Music sheets were in stacks on many surfaces, a wastebasket overflowing with crumpled balls of paper wads. Musical instruments ranging from different guitars and string instruments to a shelf of harmonicas aligned the walls, and his eyes widened at the piano in the corner, an electric keyboard propped next to it. Now he knew why Blaine has such calloused, velvety hands.

The bed was king sized and made, the comforter a dark black with gold and black pillows, matching the golden walls and black carpeting. Kurt sat on it gently, not sure where exactly he should sit in his friends room. Blaine blinked for a second, the sight of Kurt on his bed short circuiting his brain. Shaking his head to clear the haze, he sat down next to Kurt, both their heart rates picking up as their knees brushed.

"So," Kurt started, his shyness slowly leaving. "Your Dad seems nice."

"Hes cool," Blaine agreed. "He and my mom are fine with me being gay, but theyre always working so I barely see them. They keep trying to get me to be a doctor or something, they dont think a career in Broadway will be very healthy financially."

Kurt thought his heart stopped. "Youre going into Broadway too?" he asked breathless. Blaine looked in his eyes, which had widened slightly in shock. "Yeah," he breathed. "Im applying to NYADA when they send their scout here."

"Me too!" Kurt exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Blaines hand in the process. Both boys smiled happily at each other, loving being in contact. Kurt was curious though.

"I will admit Im a little shocked," he admitted. "Im mean, you skipped a grade because of how intelligent you are, most would assume youd go off to Dartmouth or Harvard studying law or something."

Blaines eyes grew dimmer, and he looked away from Kurts gaze quickly. But not fast enough for Kurt to miss the pain that had flashed across them. Concerned, he reached out and cupped Blaines cheek, raising his head until the boy looked him in the eyes.

"Hey," he spoke gently, soothingly. "Whats wrong? Was it something I said?"

Blaine shook his head animatedly. "No, no, its not you, I promise." He paused, contemplating how much to tell Kurt. He looking deep into his eyes, searching for some kind of answer to his unknown question. Kurt held his gaze, hoping to convey he could be trusted, he wouldnt judge Blaine or condemn him. Blaine seemed to believe him, or he found his answer, because he took a shaky breath before looking away again.

"I went to a public school freshman year, before McKinley," he said slowly, his voice getting distant as he remembered. "There was this Sadie Hawkins dance. I had just come out," he whispered, and Kurts heart squeezed painfully. He could only guess where this was heading.

"I asked this guy... The only other out guy in school. We went and had a good time, and no one really said anything, you know? But afterwards, when we were waiting for his dad to pick us up, these guys came and... beat the living crap out of us." Blaines eyes were squeezed shut tightly, his grip on Kurts hand tightening instinctively. Kurt squeezed back gently, and placed his hand on Blaines bicep.

"I missed a lot of school being in the hospital. I had to pass my finals or repeat the year. I studied harder then I ever did in my life, and I actually passed with flying colors. We had never realized the full potential of my brain, and under those circumstances we could finally see it."

He paused, taking in another shaky breath. "Ive wanted to be on Broadway since I was a kid. With this new mind in sight, everyone wanted me to do things the way they wanted, taking away my freedom. They still are. I never transferred to Dalton because I knew Id be sheltered there, I knew my brains would draw all these recruiters and competitions and awards that I didnt want. But I couldnt stay at that school, where everyone saw me as the weak gay kid who was a genius. I didnt want to run.

"But in the end I had to. I started boxing, training to be a better fighter, using my dance skills to discover new moves and techniques, my IQ high enough to spend extra hours in the gym. Id always been a fighter, but I never started honing those skills until then. With this reputation as a fighter, I could transfer to McKinley and learn how to survive in this world of homophobes. I could protect myself."

He shook his head sadly. "It didnt take long for them to see me as someone not worth getting beat up over, gay or not. They keep their hate mostly silent now. But there are other kids, other victims of bullying that cant fight back. So I fight for them. Even homophobes are victims of other bullying. No one was there to help me; no one deserves to face bullying alone.

But its still not good for me. I have a lot of self-loathing towards myself, and Im so suffocated here. I studied hard enough to skip a grade, because Ill be one year closer to New York, closer to my actual dream, where my IQ doesnt decide my career or my sexuality my strength. Where I can be free."

"Im really not a bad guy, Kurt," he whispered softly, silent tears running tracks down his tanned cheeks. "I know I have a tongue and fight a lot and skip class sometimes because I know the material already, but Im not a douche. I just cant run again. Not again."

Kurt looked at him silently, trying not to feel pity. No one ever wants pity, just understanding. He pulled Blaines face back to his, looking into those honey eyes swimming with unshed tears, his face wet. He was so gorgeous.

"You dont have to run anymore, Blaine," he whispered intimately, Blaine hiccuping a small sob. "Well fight together. You said it yourself; no one deserves to fight alone."

Blaine gave in and let the rest of his tears fall, clutching Kurt close to him in a tight hug. Kurt reproached the embrace, rubbing his hands down the strong back in comfort. He sat there for a while, just holding Blaine. Eventually the boy calmed down, and they stayed where they were, locked tight in each others arms.

"Thank you, Kurt," Blaine spoke after a while, picking his head up shyly. Clearing his throat, he picked up his backpack, extracting himself from Kurts warm, caring embrace.

"So, homework now, right?" he mumbled, not meeting Kurts eyes. Kurt looked at him for a second before nodding, his "Yeah" soft and gentle.

-----

Blaine was embarrassed. That much was simple. He was so strong at school, someone to be looked up to, to be relied on. No one knew how vulnerable he really was, how insecure and lonely he really felt. He was a bad boy, someone you feared in the halls and didnt speak much. But hes also the guy who when he did speak, you just had to like him; someone whose bad boy antics were all in the name of good, despite what adults thought.

No one looked at Blaine Anderson and thought of him as vulnerable. No one had even known there was a wall to climb over.

And Kurt had found and climbed it all in one day.

Blaine knew he had feelings for this boy already. And he was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. So why wasnt he doing anything about it? What was stoping him?

Kurts knee brushed against his again, and his stomach twisted and grew heat again. The longer he spent in Kurts company, the more his hormones raged. He wanted to act on his emotions so badly, but he had no idea how to show it. He could tell Kurt was just as attached to music as he was, maybe he could use that. But what was a good song to serenade someone with? Hed already used Teenage Dream.

He smiled wide as the perfect song hit him. "Wait here a second," he breathed, getting to his iPhone in his dock and pulling up YouTube. Kurt watched curiously as he scrolled through, looking for the right video.

The music started playing, and Kurts eyes grew impossibly wider. No. He wouldnt. He wouldnt be that bold, would he?

Blaine started straight into his eyes, already into the performance persona. His eyes were dark and he smiled seductively.

"Oooh...

Baby girl, where you at?

Got no strings, got men attached.

Cant stop that feelin for long no.

Mmmm.

You makin dogs wanna beg,

Breaking them off your fancy legs.

But they make you feel right at home, now.

See all these illusions just take us too long,

And I want it bad..

Because you walk pretty,

Because you talk pretty,

Cause you make me sick,

And Im not leavin, till youre leavin.

Oh I swear theres something when shes pumpin,

Asking for a raise.

Well does she want me to carry her home now?

So does she want me to buy her things?

On my house, on my job,

On my loot, shoes, my shirt,

My crew, my mind, my fathers last name?

When I get you alone,

When I get you youll know baby.

When I get you alone,

When I get you alone now."

Kurt was so far past the point of turned on. Between Blaines suggestive dancing, his deep, sensual voice, and the heated, possessive way his eyes roamed over Kurts body and half his gaze, he was glad he was still on the bed and had a textbook on his lap.

"Come on.

Oh yeah-yeah!

Baby girl, you da shit,

That makes you my equivalent.

Well you can keep your toys in the drawer tonight,

All right!

All my dawgs talkin fast-

Aint you got some photographs?

Cause you shook that room like a star, now,

Yes you did, yes you did!

All these intrusions just take us too long,

And I want you so bad..

Because you walk city,

Because you talk city,

Cause you make me sick,

And Im not leavin, till youre leavin!

So I pray to something she aint bluffin,

Rubbin up on me.

Well does she want me to make a vow?

Check it.

Well does she want me to make it now?

On my house, on my job,

On my loot, shoes, my voice,

My crew, my mind, my fathers last name?

When I get you alone (lone)

When I get you youll know baby (know)

When I get you alone (lone)

When I get you alone now (its all mine)

When I get you alone,Yeah, Yeaaahhh!"

Kurt was definitely speechless. Did Blaine seriously sing that to him just now? What did it mean? He watched Blaines confident face, how his eyes danced with nervousness and excitement. Rising from the bed, Kurt walked up to Blaine slowly, placing his hands on the shorter boys hips and leaning into his ear.

"Blaine," he breathed huskily, his warm breath washing over Blaines skin, making him shiver. "We are alone."

Blaine moaned quietly, his hands gripping Kurts shoulders. A sharp knock on the door sprung the two apart, Kurt sitting back on the edge quickly as the door opened. A young woman with dark chocolate brown hair that fell to her shoulder blades, pale skin, and green eyes that looked like turquoise at first walked into the room. She was wearing a fitting dark purple dress, plain and simple, and matching nurse shoes and rubber gloves.

She raised her eyebrow at the two boys, smiling to herself knowingly. "Your father sent me to ask if youll be joining him for dinner today," she addressed Blaine, not mentioning his flushed cheeks. She turned to Kurt and smiled genuinely at him, waving slightly. He blinked and waved back hesitantly.

"Thank you, Katianna," Blaine said, sounding a little breathless, a hint of frustration hidden in his tone. She smiled at him, walking up to Kurt and holding out a hand. "Hi! Im Katherine, but I go by Katianna. Long story, dont ask. Im working here part-time as a maid."

Kurt smiled gently and shook her hand. "Kurt Hummel. Its nice to meet you, Tatiana."

"No, not Tatiana, Katianna," she said patiently. "Cut-e-on-a. Dont worry about it, everyone always gets it wrong the first time. I dont understand how no one ever hears the K, but whatever, no harm done."

She stepped back and looked at Blaine. "Should I tell him you wont be available to attend this evening?"

Kurt looked at the clock and gasped. "Oh god, its so late. Im sorry Blaine, I have to get back. I wont keep you from dinner, go join your family."

Blaine nodded. "Ill walk you out," he said, smiling gently at Kurt as he lead him by the small of his back again. Katianna smiled, following them out the room before disappearing down the hall, presumably to report to Mr. Anderson.

Blaine walked Kurt all the way to his car, stoping by the side and smiling cockily. "So, shall we be seeing you again?"

Kurt smiled devilishly, leaning in close, his face inches away. "That depends on how good a boy you are," he whispered lowly, leaning back and winking before opening the car door and sliding in. He rolled down his window, holding back his laugh at Blaines wide-eyed dazed look.

"See you at school, babe," he called out the window as he drove out, a smile spreading on his face identical to the one growing on Blaines.