A/N: Hello, it’s your author, late as ever!

Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters you recognise.

Chapter Fifteen: 4 Minutes.

Blaine wasn’t sure if he would ever find Glee club boring or average. Quite apart from the tension and drama obvious in every look shared between the members of the club, it was thrilling to be in the choir room, improving on his musical talent and getting ready for Regionals (Regionals!). And, of course, he was in the same room as Kurt, which was always a good thing. He glanced at his crush, who was looking particularly cute today, wishing he could move closer and cuddle up to him, then told himself to focus. Thoughts like that wouldn’t get him anywhere, not least because Kurt didn’t think of him in the same way.

“What comes to mind when you see that name?” Their teacher asked, underlining the word ‘Madonna’ and re-capping his pen as he turned to face them.

“Genius.” Rachel piped up, and Blaine could tell she was beaming, despite only being able to see the back of her head. Her other teammates may find her enthusiasm overbearing, but Blaine thought it was pretty great. She’d obviously do anything in order for them to win, and her love for the music was refreshing when compared to the members of the club who spent their time making snide comments.

“Icon.” Kurt put in, eyes lit up with awe and respect. Blaine smiled, tucking his chin into his chest and trying not to notice just how cute Kurt looked in the hoodie he was wearing. It was a change from his usual clothing style, that was for sure. That, and the way he had chosen to sit right at the back and away from everyone else, hinted that he wasn’t feeling so good today. Blaine was just sitting next to him because, well, he was Blaine.

“Hall of fame MILF.” Puck added. Blaine frowned at him, not sure why Mr Schuester let that slide, but maybe he just wanted a friendly atmosphere.

Kurt looked pleased when Mr Schuester said they’d be doing Madonna numbers, but he seemed to be holding back on the overly excited reaction Blaine would expect from him. Maybe something really was up. The girls definitely seemed happy, though. Even Quinn, which was new. In the few Glee lessons he’d attended so far, she’d looked really bored. Though that made sense, he supposed, since she must have a lot on her mind right now. Still, he questioned why she was still in Glee club, if she didn’t enjoy it and had all that awkwardness with Finn.

“As a dude, Madonna makes me kind of uncomfortable.” Kurt and Blaine rolled their eyes simultaneously. Puck was a typical straight boy, threatened by any sort of femininity. Though it didn’t really surprise him, especially when Finn spoke up to agree. What did Kurt see in that dude, he wondered, a little resentfully, before pushing that thought away to listen to Mr Schuester.

“Guys! You know, it’s come to my attention that many of you haven’t been treating the young ladies of our group very nicely lately.” Blaine wasn’t unaware of the misogyny that the girls went through, but he hadn’t expected their teacher to pick up on it. They’d probably told him, he supposed. It was depressing that the boys didn’t realise how they were acting.

The girls were nodding as Mr Schuester spoke. Blaine figured he should probably think about what they were saying. Sure, the fact that he was gay meant he didn’t put girls down by objectifying them, but that didn’t mean he escaped sexist attitudes. And he knew that gay guys sometimes acted just as bad as straight guys towards girls, simply because they thought their attitude was okay due to their sexuality. Tina had talked about this sort of thing enough for him to get the message, and his mother had always told him he had to treat girls right.

Kurt put his hand up, almost bursting with excitement, which Blaine thought was really adorable. God, he needed to get over this crush. Soon he was going to be mooning over Kurt’s sneezing or something. “I would like to honour her contributions by tackling a multimedia project with Mercedes.”

Mercedes turned and beamed at him, obviously pleased.

It was good to know their friendship was still strong. Blaine really didn’t want to feel like he was stealing Kurt from her. And this gave him the chance to maybe sing a song for the Glee club, if he could pluck up the courage.

---

“I think we were the only guys who weren’t bored during the girls’ performance.” Blaine said, sounding a little sad. “In fact, I’m pretty sure Artie nearly fell asleep. Which is ridiculous, because they sounded great.”

“Mr Schue’s right. They don’t respect the girls enough. Even Artie doesn’t, despite the fact that nearly all his friends are girls.” Kurt replied, inspecting his nails and tucking the phone between his shoulder and ear so he could start filing them. How someone could spend time around Rachel, Mercedes, and Tina, and not respect girls, was ridiculous.

“I hope this lesson teaches them, well, a lesson.” He laughed a little.

“If it doesn’t, I think Quinn will.”

Neither of them said anything for a moment, contemplating quite how angry Quinn seemed with the boys’ attitudes. It probably didn’t help that she was pregnant, so she was a lot more stressed out than usual, and being treated badly by people who knew.

“Hey, did you hear that Jesse and Rachel are back together?” Blaine asked, in a casual tone.

“No, I did not.” Kurt sat up straight, this juicy gossip making his eyes light up. If that was true, that put Rachel out of the picture, and with Quinn dating Puck or whatever was going on there, Finn was single and with both his on-off girlfriends out of the way. And just in time, too.

“I wouldn’t be too excited.” Blaine cautioned, as if he could sense what Kurt was thinking. He could probably guess. Kurt had been dropping hints about his plan for a few weeks now. “I saw Santana coming on to him earlier, and you have to admit she’s hot. He’s not going to be able to resist her, at least not for long.”

Kurt paused for a moment, surprised. “Well, we all know that won’t last.” Santana wasn’t exactly the type to settle, and he’d never have guessed that she’d go after Finn. It was actually really weird that she wanted him. Maybe it was just because he was on the football team, or she was trying to hurt Rachel. If it was the latter, he supported her fully. It was still likely that Jesse was going to betray her, and she was being frustratingly dense not realising this.

“Well, probably not, but...” Blaine hesitated, and Kurt bit his lip, waiting for the next speech about how straight Finn was. “... anyway, so Jesse wants them to have sex. Haven’t they only known each other a few weeks? And Rachel’s younger than he is. It just seems sort of...” He trailed off, seemingly unsure of how to phrase it.

Grateful, Kurt nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, yeah they have. Maybe Jesse should be included in the lesson this week. Looks like he’s just another teenage boy wanting as much sex as he can possibly get.” He raised his eyes skywards and shook his head. “Personally, I don’t see the attraction.”

“You... don’t see the attraction of sex?” Blaine asked, sounding confused.

“Well... I just think... there are more important things, li-like... intimacy, and romance.” Kurt stammered, face warming. “Can we not talk about this?” He asked, voice higher than normal.

“Sure, sure, sorry.” There was silence for a moment. “Look, it’s okay, Kurt. Everyone has a different attitude when it comes to sex. Wanting to wait, that’s okay, and-”

“Please can we not talk about this?” Kurt interrupted, practically begging.

“Sorry, sorry.” He was fairly certain that Blaine was blushing, too. “So, uh, I was thinking maybe I should do a song for Glee club? I don’t know, though.”

Kurt wasn’t so sure if Blaine would get the chance to sing, since they all so rarely did, but it was good that he was considering it. “Well, how about you sing for me? Since you might not be able to actually sing in Glee club.”

“Alright.” Blaine sounded pleased at the prospect, which was good to hear. “I actually have something already... if you wanna...?”

“Yeah, sure.” He tried not to sound too eager, but if he was honest, Blaine had the voice of an angel and he loved listening to him sing.

There was the noises of Blaine switching on a CD player, and Kurt recognised the song almost instantly.

 “Things haven't been the same since you came into my life. You found a way to touch my soul, and I'm never, ever, ever gonna let it go...”

He smiled. Of course it was a Madonna song, and the word ‘secret’ described Blaine’s existence pretty well right now. Though he tried not to focus on the lyrics’ meaning too much, a voice in the back of his head was asking him frantically if the song was about Mike and how Blaine could feel like that about him when they’d never even spoken. Then again, he couldn’t really talk, considering he’d developed a crush on Finn almost the second he’d seen him. It was his job to be Blaine’s friend, not to judge his choice of love interest.

---

“So guess what. Artie says he wants to be with me, but he wants me to stop wearing black clothes and start wearing tighter clothing.” Tina told Blaine with a frown as they walked out of their lesson.

“That’s not okay.” He said, indignant on her behalf. “I mean, your clothes are how you express yourself.” Not to mention that it was just really rude, especially given the lesson this week. It was like none of the straight guys paid attention in Glee club. Maybe they didn’t: he wouldn’t be too surprised.

“Which, of course, Madonna tells us is important.” She said, with a sly grin.

Blaine paused, having to take a second to realise what she was talking about, then grinned. “Yeah, it is important that you express yourself.” He checked his phone, texting Kurt quickly to update him on the Artie situation. “Anyway, Tina, you don’t have to change yourself for anyone, especially if he only wants you to change so he can objectify you more easily.”

She was already nodding. “I know. I was just so taken aback, I didn’t know what to say. But I am not giving up my clothes. I love dressing like this.” She gestured to her outfit, and Blaine took a moment to admire it. It was a great style. “You’re right, it’s how I express myself.”

There was a commotion, and Coach Sylvester walked past, yelling “Who else wants a piece of this? Huh?”

They both cringed against the lockers until she’d passed. Tina stood up straight and looked thoughtful. “Y’know, maybe I should take a page out of her book.”

“Okay... but please warn me before any vicious, violent rampages through the school?” Blaine asked, slightly nervous at the prospect.

“Of course not the violence, but... if she’s angry, she vocalises it. I should stop being so afraid to do the same.”

“I think you’re right.” Blaine said thoughtfully, watching Coach Sylvester as she continued down the hall and out of sight.

“Women are always being told to be quiet, meek, and gentle. It’s actually kind of great that she doesn’t respect that.” Tina mused. “I think I know what to say to Artie next time I see him...”

---

“The presentation you and Mercedes did was really great.” Blaine told Kurt the second he entered the choir room, giving him a quick hug.

“Thank you.” Kurt said, looking pleased for a moment, then dispirited again. “Coach Sylvester didn’t seem to think so, though. She didn’t use any of the looks we invented for her. On the contrary, she seems to have decided she needs to reinvent Mercedes and me.” His expression suggested that he thought that was ridiculous, though Blaine wouldn’t be surprised if he considered that Mercedes’ wardrobe definitely needed reinventing.

“And what does that mean?” Blaine asked, eyebrows lifted quizzically.

“Oh, you’ll see.” Kurt winked, swapping a smirk with Mercedes before they did their little finger-wiggle handshake.

Sensing he wasn’t going to get any answers, Blaine left the topic alone. He glanced over at Finn, who was frowning at the floor. Ever since the previous Friday, he’d seemed sort of distracted and guilty.  

Kurt followed his gaze. “Wonder how Finn and Santana’s date went.” He muttered. “I... hope they had fun.” He added, bitterly but quietly.

There wasn’t much Blaine could say to that, when he knew that Kurt was jealous of Santana and wished they hadn’t gone out.

He’d guess that the guilty face was because Finn had told Rachel that he hadn’t slept with Santana, but Blaine sort of doubted that. He was a hormonal teenage boy, after all. His suspicions were backed up by the fact that Santana looked pleased with herself and kept smirking at Finn. Rachel, on the other hand, had told Finn that she had slept with Jesse.

Really, everyone in this room needed to stop lying so much. It’d make life a lot simpler, and solve most of their problems. Except then he’d have to come clean about his crush on Kurt, which wouldn’t solve anything. He shook his head a little to clear it of all non-music thoughts.

Mr Schuester walked in, followed by Jesse. Everyone swapped puzzled looks and sat up a little straighter in their seats, unsure of what to expect. Rachel seemed as confused as everyone else.

“Everyone, say hello to Jesse St. James, our newest member.” Mr Schuester said, with a smile.

Finn practically exploded with rage, and Blaine couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the reaction. It was hard to be sympathetic when Finn had managed to lose two girls by being an asshole, and had then hurt Kurt in order to keep his position as popular jock. By this point, Blaine was fed up with him trampling all over everyone else’s feelings and acting like Mr Big Shot. There may also have been some jealousy thrown in there, but he told himself that he was mainly fed-up.

Kurt spoke up, irritated. “We were already fighting for second leads, and now that you’ve shown up, I have lost all hope at ever getting a solo.”

Blaine leant forward from where he was sitting next to Tina to pat Kurt’s shoulder sympathetically, hoping that wouldn’t turn out to be true.

“Yeah, that’s right. And y’all just trot me out at the end of every number so I can wail on the last note. How is that okay?”

Mercedes had a point there. They’d done that on both of the group numbers at Sectionals.

Listening to them squabble, Blaine had to admit that maybe they were right. If just the idea of Jesse being in the club did this, then his actually being in the club was going to destroy them.

---

School assemblies were usually fairly boring, but the promise of a Cheerios routine was exciting for Blaine, in a way. Two members of the Glee club were on the Cheerios, after all, and while he couldn’t call either of them friends – Santana had already called him a hobbit and about ten other rude nicknames – he still felt a certain sense of loyalty towards them. And Brittany, at least, was nice.

He settled back in the stands, wondering where Kurt had got to. And he couldn’t see Mercedes anywhere, either, he realised after glancing around for a moment. Next to him, Tina was slouched, looking bored.

Trumpets began, and then Mercedes – Mercedes? – started singing, and the two of them sat up straight abruptly fast.

OH. This was what Coach Sylvester had meant, and what Kurt had been so secretive about.

As they emerged, he gaped. Kurt looked hot, confident, and he sounded amazing. He was born to perform. If it was up to Blaine, he’d sing a solo in every competition. Great, he sounded like an obsessed fanboy.

In front of him, Jacob Ben Israel stuck his microphone in Rachel’s face, and she pushed it away. Quinn looked delighted, which was cute. He only saw all this in his peripheral vision, though, because it was really hard to take his eyes off Kurt. That outfit looked so good on him...

Yep, he was in trouble. He spent the entire performance glued to his seat, spellbound. Kurt’s voice usually did that to him, but the Cheerios uniform was giving him not-exactly-PG thoughts as an addition.

Tina nudged him as the song came to an end. “Close your mouth, you’ll catch flies.” She said, with a giggle.

He snapped it shut quickly, glad to realise he hadn’t quite been drooling. The grins on Kurt and Mercedes’ faces made him smile. It was good to know they’d enjoyed themselves.

Watching Mr Schuester walk over to the two, he chewed on the inside of his cheek, knowing their teacher wouldn’t be pleased. They’d sort it out, though.

“Feel like joining another club?” Tina said, grinning at him and winking.

Blaine snorted. “Yeah, right. Can you imagine me as a cheerleader? Never gonna happen.”

“Yeah, me either. Weirdly, I’m not confident enough to be hoisted up into the air by girls who hate my guts.” She said, with a grin.

Though he couldn’t imagine they’d go so far as to drop her, he had to agree. Kurt and Mercedes were pretty brave to agree to that, or they just really craved the spotlight, something Blaine was happy to stay out of.

For now, at least.

---

Kurt wasn’t quite sure why he and Blaine had to be involved in the boys’ Madonna number, but he went along with it. It felt a bit silly though, considering he was an honorary girl. Of course, he would never know exactly how the girls felt, but he was always being bullied for how feminine he appeared, talked, and acted. Guys looked down on him, treated him like crap, and it wasn’t all because he was gay. They were so sexist that they thought it was bad to be even a little bit like a girl.

Hopefully this number would at least help the Glee guys slightly.

Plus he got to see Finn sing without Rachel fawning over him, which was always a good point. But he couldn’t help shooting Schue a few dirty looks. Honestly, there were so many things he could be doing right now. He sighed quietly as it reached his line.

“But secretly, you’d love to know what it’s like, wouldn’t you? What it feels like for a girl.” At least it was a good song. Though it was a shame they probably wouldn’t end up performing it.

Some of the guys seemed to be really getting into it, he noticed with approval, and had to admire Finn for being one of those guys.

“I like being a dude.” Puck protested, at the end of the song.

“That’s because it’s easy to be a dude.” Finn told him earnestly, and Kurt applauded him inwardly for having grasped the concept Mr Schue was trying to teach to them. It was really hard not to be in love with him, when he was so wonderful.

And then there was Puck, who was still a jerk. Well, he could be cool sometimes, but he could also be really sexist.

“Wait, hold on, Puck. Finn has a point. I mean, haven’t you noticed how low morale has been around here lately?” Mr Schue asked seriously, looking around at them.

“I have. I think the way I was objectifying Tina may have sent her over the edge.” Artie said seriously, looking guilty and worried.

Kurt swapped a smile with Blaine, glad that from the sound of it, she’d let Artie know how she was feeling.

They disbanded after Finn telling them that they had to make it right with the girls, a message Kurt approved entirely.

“Looks like Madonna week’s over, then.” Blaine said as they left, with a bit of a sigh.

“Yeah. Do you wish you’d gotten the chance to solo?” Kurt asked.

“In a way, but I’m not sure I’m brave enough to do it. I’m not you, after all.” Blaine told him, shrugging a little, though the corner of his mouth twisted.

It came as something of a shock, that Blaine thought he was brave. It was never a word he’d have thought to use to describe himself, and he straightened up slightly more.

---

“So, Valentine’s Day is approaching.” Tina announced with a delighted smile, receiving groans from all but Rachel. ‘Approaching’ was a strong word, since it was over a month away. Her smile turned a little apologetic in response to their reactions, and she leant into Blaine a bit more, wriggling a little. Kurt, who’d claimed the headboard seeing as it was his bed, eyed them with a little resentment. Not that he didn’t love being sandwiched between Rachel and Mercedes – maybe the latter more than the former - but it wasn’t exceptionally roomy. Really, he needed a bigger bed.

“Is this when we find out what the deal is with you and Artie?” Blaine asked, and Kurt groaned again. The movie they’d just watched at the cinema had been a rom com, and while he loved romance, it was beginning to make him feel a little lonely. Though he tried to remain optimistic about his chances with Finn, there was a small voice in the back of his head chiding him for his efforts.

“I am hoping he will ask me out, yes.” Tina confirmed, and Rachel squealed.

“It’s all happening for us... well, some of us.” Rachel said, with a glance at Kurt, who tried not to take it personally. For about a millisecond, he really did try.

“It’s not happening for Blaine or Mercedes either.” He defended himself, gesturing at them both, and Rachel gave Blaine a sympathetic look that he suspected had everything to do with Blaine’s crush on Mike. This only served to irritate him further. Why did she know everyone’s business? “Anyway, Jesse still might be trying to gain your trust in order to backstab you.” Maybe it was a low blow, but he was fed up of her attitude.

Rachel glowered at him. “At least I’m crushing on someone who’s actually interested in my gender.” With a huff, she wriggled as far away from him as she could without falling off the bed. “Sorry, Mercedes.” She added as an afterthought, with a sheepish smile, and Mercedes just shrugged.

“And Blaine.” Kurt spoke without thinking; he just knew he was irritated. He then winced a little as all three girls looked first at him, then at Blaine. At least they all knew he was gay, he thought, but it didn’t stop the guilt flooding him.

“Who do you like?” Mercedes asked.

Blaine chewed on his lip and half-shrugged. “Uh, y’know, just one of the guys in Glee club. Is there any popcorn left?” He asked, in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

“Which one?” Rachel didn’t get the message, and Kurt tried to convey with his eyes to her and Tina that they needed to back off, feeling worse now he realised she hadn’t known about Blaine’s crush before now.

Tina paid no attention to him. “Yeah, Blaine, who?” She asked, with a too-innocent smile.

“Just... Mike.” Blaine said reluctantly.

Rachel looked confused. “Mike?”

“He has great arms.” Blaine defended his crush, and Kurt fought the urge to roll his eyes.

“He does have great arms.” Tina agreed, finally coming to his rescue, a little too quickly for Kurt’s liking, as he wondered if maybe she had a crush on Mike.

“And he’s an amazing dancer. Blaine could do worse.” Mercedes added in. So they’d stand up for Blaine’s crush, but not Kurt’s? He ignored the little voice that pointed out that Blaine wasn’t trying to get Mike to fall for him.

Rachel was still eyeing Blaine, who wriggled a little under her scrutiny before climbing up from the bed, leaving Tina pouting. “I’m gonna make some more popcorn.” He announced, and left in a hurry.

“See, now you’ve made him uncomfortable.” Kurt accused, giving the girls pointed looks.

Tina grumbled a little, but shifted uncomfortably when he glared at her. “Maybe I should go after him.” She mumbled, making to get up.

“I’ll go.” Kurt waved his hand at her, getting out of bed in as dignified a way as possible, and she sat back with a sigh.

As he left, he heard Rachel asking “Mike?” and then some giggling. So maybe they weren’t as supportive as they’d pretended to be.

Kurt took his time getting to the kitchen, wanting to give Blaine a little time to himself. “Sorry about them, but you know you don’t have to answer their questions, alright?” He asked, leaning against the doorframe and watching Blaine watch the microwave.

Blaine looked at him with eyebrows drawn together and lips pursed. Kurt took the hint. “And I’m really sorry for indirectly telling them about your crush.”

After a small sigh, Blaine nodded, body relaxing. Kurt hadn’t even noticed how tense he’d looked. “It’s okay. I don’t even mind them knowing, really. I’m just not ready for everyone else to know.”

Kurt nodded in return, not sure quite what to say. They stood there for a few moments, looking at each other. Blaine opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the microwave as the popcorn finished. They both jumped, and Blaine scurried to get it, whatever he’d been about to say forgotten.

Kurt watched him, and tried to fight the feeling that there was something Blaine wasn’t telling him.

A/N: Next chapter will be up soon! I’m optimistic about this one, I feel like I’ve got my inspiration back. So it should be by the end of June.