The next day, Blaine skipped school. But this time it wasn’t because Puck forced him to go to play video games or to sneak into an R rated movie. No. This time, even though Puck was initially behind it, Blaine was doing this for himself. He was actually really interested in the idea of an all boys’ school. In his mind, a place like that could either be really fun with no girls to fight over or really awful, because there were no girls.

Blaine had made sure to get there on an off-hour, so he could sneak around easier. What he hadn’t counted on was how big the school was. Sure, McKinley was a big public school, but Dalton was different. The main academic building stood in the front of the lot with three dorms behind.

They all look like old mansions converted into a school. Blaine noted. It’s kind of pretty though.

Blaine had taken all the precautions into thought. Last night, after doing some light research, he had found out that the school had a dress code and uniforms. Judging by the fact that everything on their website was red and navy, he guessed those were the colors of the uniforms. Blaine wore his best navy suit jacket, tan slacks, and a red tie. That looked prep school enough. As a safety precaution, Blaine had spent a good twenty minutes on his hair that morning, smoothing down his curls with eight pounds of gel.

As he entered the doors, the sheer beauty of the building took him aback. Everything looked so old and ornate. Snapping back into reality, he scrambled up the grand spiral staircase in search of what he had so fondly begun to call “The Warbler’s Nest”. Before he could make it all the way to the top of the staircase, a bell sounded and every door burst open, boys in blue blazers with red piping and striped ties piling out of classrooms.

Blaine panicked. He stuck out like a sore thumb. What was he going to do? What if he was caught? Would he be disqualified from Sectionals?

In his panic, Blaine did happen to notice that most of the boys were headed in the same direction. What was that all about? He chose to follow suit and head back down the stairs. Curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to ask someone what the hell was going on.

“Excuse me!” He called to a boy with chestnut hair who had just passed him. “Um, hi, can I ask you a question? I’m new here.”

The boy stood rim rod straight and turned around, shock the first expression on his face. His features softened as he raked his eyes over Blaine’s obvious lack of uniform.

“My name is Kurt.” He said, extending his hand.

“Blaine.” He responded, taking his hand. Suddenly, it felt like an electric pulse had pasted between them, strong yet familiar.

What the hell was that?

“So, what exactly is going on?” Blaine asked, ignoring the strange sensation.

“The Warblers!” Kurt said as if it was obvious.

Blaine’s ears perked up, sensing he had found what he was searching for. He shot Kurt a quizzical look.

“Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the senior commons. It tends to shut down the school for a while,” he explained with a wink.

This was news to Blaine. At McKinley, the New Directions were at the bottom of the social food chain, below the AV nerds. This didn’t make any sense.

“So wait, the glee club here is kind of cool?”

“The Warblers are like rock stars!”

Blaine couldn’t wrap his head around the idea. Being in a glee club was a girly thing to do; it was something everyone made fun of. But this place, Dalton Academy, was so different from his own school.

Kurt, sensing his doubt, pulled on his hand, “Come on, I know a shortcut.”

Kurt took him through an empty hallway with the most lavish furnishings and paintings. It was stunning. Blaine could get used to a place like this.

Kurt and Blaine entered the commons bursting through the side doors. The room was packed with boys in uniform, moving furniture and finding places to sit. Blaine suddenly felt self-conscious, knowing he looked out of place in his jacket and tan pants.

“Oh my god, I stick out like a sore thumb,” Blaine said under his breath.

Kurt smiled at him. “Well next time don’t forget your jacket, new kid. You’ll fit right in. But I must say, Armani? Nice choice.”

Blaine gawked at him. No one had ever called him out on his style before. It was something he had tried hard to hide over the years, the bullying had seen to that. “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Kurt said with another wink, backing away from him and into the center of the crowd.

Upon seeing him, the Warblers picked up on the backbeat, creating a symphony of sound with nothing but their mouths. Blaine picked out the beat boxer who stood tall in the back of the group. He had bright blonde hair that spiked at the tips and pale blue eyes that seemed to pulse every time he made the downbeat.

Blaine watches as Kurt making his way to the front of the group…

Wait.

No.

Kurt was the lead singer for the Warblers!

There he goes
My baby walks so slow
Sexual tic-tac-toe
Yeah, I know we both know
It isn't time, no
But could you be m-mine?

Would you be m-mine?
Would you be m-mine?

Kurt winked at Blaine from across the room. He could feel his face flushing just from the gesture. Kurt circled the commons, pulling on ties, sliding against sides, and teasing every guy within his reach. Because clearly what Kurt was doing was bothering everyone else, right? Sure, Kurt was a guy, but no one could resist the way that he, oh god, thrust up to them… Right?

Oh baby, light's on
But your mom's not home
I'm sick of laying down alone, hey
With this fever, fever, yeah
My one and own

Kurt twirled up to Blaine hanging onto his lapel and looked straight into his eyes.

I wanna get you alone

He released Blaine a second later, peering over his shoulder with a look that made Blaine’s knees weak. That happened to everyone, right?

Give you fever, fever, yeah

Kurt was back at the front of the room, dancing, if you could really call it that, with the rest of the Warblers, who in turn, were giving the on looking students bedroom eyes. Kurt spun in time, pulling the focus back on him.

There it goes
You're still my soul and so
'Cause, sweetheart
No-no-nobody a-kno-kno-knows me

He waved in and out of the other Warblers, sneaking around and adding an element of comedy. Blaine couldn’t take his eyes off of him.

Or can find me, ooh
Time to be m-mine, mine

Standing back up front, Kurt led the glee club through the next round of choreography.

Let's get inside your car
Just you, me and the stars
Kind of m�nage � trois, sometimes
Would you be m-mine?
Would you be m-mine?
Would you be m-mine?

Blaine’s eyes widened at the sheer power behind Kurt’s voice as he flawlessly hit the high note on the last phrase.

Who is this guy? Blaine wondered. Behind that incredibly flirtatious exterior, he almost seems familiar.

Blaine watched as Kurt spun again with the group, his chestnut hair, so perfect, bouncing with every move he made. His eyes shone like sun reflecting off of the ocean, captivating Blaine. His hips rolled with the sound of the beat-

No. Stop that. Blaine thought, dragging his eye elsewhere with a blush.

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
You baby, oh baby, oh baby, yeah, oh baby, you're mine!

Blaine’s eyes widen once more. Good god, Kurt’s voice when he shot up the octave and growled the way he did; it was like pure sex.

Baby you're mine, mine, you're mine

Oh baby, light's on
But your mom's not home
I'm sick of laying down alone
With this fever, fever, yeah
My one and own
I wanna get you alone
I got this fever that I can't sweat out

Give you my f-f-fever, my f-fever
Give you my f-f-fever, my f-fever!
Give you fever, fever, yeah
Give you fever, fever, yeah!

The room burst into cheers and applause as the students swamped the Warblers to congratulate them. Blaine clapped along with the other boys but kept his distance. He could practically feel the heat coming off of his blush and the lust burning in his eyes. Why the hell had that affected him so much? Sure, he liked Adam Lambert, though he would never admit it out loud, but why was he feeling so lightheaded? He didn’t like it. He had gotten what he had come for and he needed to get out before-

“Hey,” Kurt said, trotting up to him.

He suddenly looked like a different person, composed, kind, and sweet. He didn’t understand, what was happening to him? What was going on? But Blaine couldn’t get the image of him dancing out of his head. And his voice, it was like nothing he had ever heard. And this boy’s eyes; they haunted him. They were such a vibrant splatter of color; bright blue with, oh hey, a honey golden center that spread like an exploding star.  Oh, those eyes were looking at him right now, expectantly.

“Huh?” Blaine blinked.

 “I said, what did you think? You know, of the performance?”

“Oh, yeah,” he stuttered, “It was, uh, it was interesting.”

Kurt smirked at him. “I have a free period next, would you like to have coffee with me?

“So what brings you here, Blaine?” Kurt asked over his coffee cup, his posture still flawless, even when sitting. And judging by his rim rod straight posture, Blaine could tell that Kurt was uncomfortable.

“What do you mean?” He asked innocently. “I told you before, I’m new here.”

“Mmm, yes. So then tell me, who’s your history teacher?”

He had him there. Blaine hadn’t thought that far into his scheme. He had expected to get in and get out; this coffee date was not in the plan. Is that what this was? A date?

“Okay, okay, fine you got me.” Blaine said, raising his hands in surrender.

“I thought so.” Kurt smiled faintly. “Tell me, which school are you from?”

“McKinley. Do you know it?”

“I do…” Blaine couldn’t help but notice how Kurt’s eyes darkened at the mention of the school. Odd.

“So, uh, that performance, aren’t you worried about it?” Blaine asked, changing the subject.

“What do you mean?”

“Well it was, uh, well, open and uh, sexy…”

“Thank you.” Kurt beamed.

“No, no. What I meant was it came across very, uh, how do I put this? Gay? I mean, you were flirting with all those guys!”

Kurt smiled without feeling, “Blaine, I may be gay, but I was not flirting with my classmates. I was simply adding to the mood of the song. Clearly it worked.”

Blaine blushed, “So, so is this an all-gay school then?”

Kurt laughed dryly at him.

“No, Blaine, we’re not all gay. We simply have a zero tolerance, no bullying policy. Pretty simple.”

Blaine’s eyes widened. No bullying policy? Did something like that actually exist? He couldn’t remember a time when he hadn’t been bullied. Ever since he moved to Ohio, he had been the subject of ridicule and physical violence. No matter what he did, there were always people who picked on him for one reason or another. Dalton suddenly seemed like heaven on earth. Sure, there were no girls, but that wasn’t all bad, right?

“Blaine?”

“What?” he said, coming out of his daze.

“You’re doing it again. Zoning out.”

“Oh, god, sorry.”

“Something on your mind?”

He looked at the blue-eyed Warbler with a feeling he couldn’t quite place. Acceptance? Understanding? Trust?

“I- alright. I don’t know why I’m telling you this,” and he did. He told Kurt the whole story. He told him about these two boys from school who seemed to make it their life’s mission to make his life a living hell at any cost. He told him about how no matter what he did, nothing was ever good enough and he was always an outcast. He told him about the incident all those years ago with his friend in the woods. How he hadn’t seen him since. How he thought he might have had fe- oops, nope. Not that. Why did he feel compelled to tell this boy all of this? It was no concern of his. He didn’t need to know about the woes of Blaine’s past. Yet, Blaine felt so comfortable with him.

Noticing the silence that had fallen between them, Blaine finally looked up at the boy on the other side of the table. There were tears at the corner of his eyes that he refused to let fall, making his already insanely beautiful eyes bluer.

“I- hey, don’t do that!” Blaine pleaded, “It’s not that big a deal. I’m fine!”

“Anderson,”

“Huh?”

“Would your last name happen to be Anderson?”

“Uh, yeah. How- how did you know that?”

“Blaine,” he whispered, “Blaine, it’s me. It’s me Kurt. From the playground.”

“K-Kurt? Kurt Hummel?” he asked, the realization hitting him like a freight train.

“I can’t believe its you.”

“I know.”

Over the next few hours, Blaine and Kurt sat in the senior commons and talked. Neither cared about missing the rest of their school day. Neither cared that it was after school hours now. All that mattered was that they had found each other again.

Blaine filled him in on what had happened after he left for boarding school.

“And after joining the soccer team and glee club, my popularity still sucked.”

“And whatever happened to Aaron?” Kurt asked, leaning in on his elbows, engrossed in the conversation.

“Aaron was caught soon after the attack.” He explained, “I heard that he was diagnosed with being Bi-Polar and was sent to Juve.”

“And the twins?”

“Oh, the Beelzebubs? They’re still around.”

“Pardon me, the what?”

“Oh, right. It’s a nickname my dad gave them several years ago after the incident.”

“Hmm, fitting.” Kurt smiled grimly. “And your mother? Katherine? How is she?”

“I wouldn’t know. She left my dad and me soon after my nose finally healed. I think she went back to New York; the country life was never for her. So my dad and I moved to a smaller house on the other side of town and I haven’t been back since.”

“Oh, Blaine, I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s been almost five years now. What about you? How are your mom and dad?”

“Well, my dad is doing well. He quit his old job at the garage and has his own tire shop now. Business is booming, I guess, but I’m never home to know it. And well, my mother passed away at the end of July, after our attack. Car crash.”

“Kurt,”

“No, like you said, we’re big boys now. I’m fine. Besides, my dad met someone else a few years later, a wonderful woman named Carol. She’s great.”

Blaine asked how Kurt had ended up in Dalton in the first place.

 “Once I was checked into the hospital, my dad searched for a new school for me. He didn’t want me to go to high school in the same district in fear of something worse happening to me. So, as soon as I got out, my dad packed up my things and moved me here,” he said, gesturing to the room around them, “And I’ve been here ever since.”

“But why here?”

“Because of the no bullying policy. At first I thought he was being ridiculous, but ultimately it helped me discover who I really was. Without it, I don’t think I would be as comfortable with my sexuality as I am now.”

Blaine squirmed a little in his seat. That’s right. Kurt was gay. Go figure. After all these years, it was Kurt who ended up being gay. Blaine didn’t realize it, but he envied Kurt. He was able to express who he was without fear of being judged or bullied. He seemed so at ease. Blaine wished he had that luxury.

“There’s still one thing I don’t understand, Kurt. Why didn’t you contact me? All these years and nothing. I- I’ve really missed you, Kurt.”

“I‘ve missed you too,” he said looking away. “It was my dad…”

“What?”

“My dad, he, he told me you didn’t make it.”

“Make it where? To the hospital?”

“He told me you had died in the clearing that day, Blaine. How was I to know? I passed out before the ambulance arrived.” Blaine felt like he had been punched in the gut. Died? Why would he have done that? Kurt was his best friend, why would Mr. Hummel try to keep them apart? “I begged him to let me go to your funeral, but of course, with my broken leg, he said no.”

He looked at the shell of the boy he once knew. Time had changed them and Kurt was a different person now. But Blaine knew that despite how different they may be, he wanted to get to know this new Kurt that he had stumbled upon on that staircase. Blaine wanted nothing more than to reach across that table and grab Kurt’s hand, to tell him that everything was going to be all right.

“Kurt,” Blaine whispered, keeping his hands laced in front of him. Kurt looked up at his words, his eyes hollow with the memory. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here now. There’s so much that we’ve missed and, to be honest, I want to make up for lost time.”

Kurt smiled his first real smile of the whole day. It was not forced or fake and it took Blaine’s breath away.

“I’d like that.”

As it had gotten so late, Blaine was forced to leave his old friend with the promise of another coffee date at the Lima Bean. They exchanged numbers and promised to talk soon.

Blaine got into his car in a daze. He knew he had missed Kurt, but up until now, he hadn’t realized just how much he had missed him. It was a weird feeling. One he had not experienced in a long time. He could tell that Kurt had changed a lot over the years. How he had learned the art of molding his hair into a perfect style that framed his face in all the best ways. How he had grown into his nose. How his jaw had developed into that of a handsome young man. Whoa. Handsome? Did friends call their other guy friends ‘handsome’? He had never done that with Puck. But with Kurt it was different. Right? But the thing that grabbed Blaine the most were Kurt’s eyes. Sure, they were still the prettiest eyes he had ever seen, but there was something different about how the light caught them. As if that spark that Blaine had secretly been drawn to all those years ago, was somehow gone. No, not gone, just snuffed out because he knew that even though he might not know him well now, deep down, his best friend was still there.

When Blaine drove home that night, he couldn’t help but sing along to the music playing softly.

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that

From the courtyard of Dalton, Kurt walked back to his dorm. He thought of Blaine, oblivious to the fact that the song he was singing was also the one on his mind. Kurt looked over his shoulder where Blaine would be disappearing down the road. It puzzled him. Blaine had this certain effect on him that no one else had. He began to sing softly to himself, hoping that no one would hear.

Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react

Blaine clutched the steering wheel, thinking of all the walls he had put up since entering high school, all the charades he had to put on to protect himself from, well, himself.

And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

And together they sang to each other without even knowing it.

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now

Blaine, having made it home, walked into his bedroom and fell onto his bed, wrapped up in too many thoughts. Thoughts about Kurt.

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back

Kurt unlocked the door to his single dorm room to turn in for the night. He hung his jacket on the back of his desk chair and sat on the edge of his bed, gazing out the window.

Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now

Blaine closed his eyes tightly, unsure of this strange feeling.

Falling slowly sing your melody

Kurt looked at his hands in his lap with a sigh. He whispered the last line of the song with Blaine.

I'll sing along