Blaine Anderson had planned on running out of his Advanced Placement American History class as soon as the bell sounded, but his professor kept him an extra minute to congratulate him on his perfect midterm exam score, seeing as he was a sophomore and all the other students were juniors.

"Exemplary work, Anderson. You've made an excellent addition to our fine institution. Keep up it up, son. I expect great things from you."

Anxious to get going but ever the polite young man that his fathers raised him to be, Blaine bowed his head slightly and accepted the compliment. "Thank you, sir." He backed out of the room as gracefully as he could without making it look like he wanted to be anywhere but there. "Have a wonderful day, Professor Davis."

With a forced smile, Blaine bolted from the room and headed toward the grand staircase. He didn't want to be late for his first performance as the Dalton Academy Warblers front man.

Dalton was an all-boys boarding school with a zero-tolerance harassment policy. He used to attend public school with his older sister in Lima, Ohio, but after getting beat up at his 8th grade Sadie Hawkins dance for attending with his friend Kyle, his fathers pulled him out of that school district as fast as possible. This was his second year at Dalton, his second year with the Warblers, but his first singing lead. It was unheard of for a sophomore to be designated as the featured soloist of Dalton Academy's famous glee club, but Blaine was the exception to the rule. The children of Leroy and Hiram Berry were stars and Blaine was to follow in his sister's footsteps even if they were attending different schools.

Blaine Anderson was born Blaine Anderson Berry. Upon entering middle school, his fathers allowed him to drop Berry and simply go by Blaine Anderson so that he could have the opportunity to forge his own path to stardom instead of resting on the laurels of his older sister, Rachel. Though the Berry siblings were now at different schools, Blaine still tried to maintain distance from his sister's name. They were both known in the show choir circuit for being topnotch performers, but Rachel was considered selfish and diva-esque. Blaine wanted to be known solely for his talent. It was hard for him to keep his mouth shut when fellow Warblers whispered rumors about the Berry girl at McKinley, but he had to admit that they were right sometimes. Rachel was determined to win, and Blaine was too; he just wanted to do it without pissing anyone else off.

As he flew down the steps of the grand staircase, Blaine heard someone call out from behind him, "Excuse me. Can I ask you a question? I'm new here." Even in his rush, he felt compelled to stop and turn around. That voice sounded so familiar and when he spun on his heel to see its source, Blaine's mouth dropped.

It was Kurt Hummel.

Blaine had a crush on Kurt ever since he could remember, but he was never brave enough to really talk to him. He had very shyly said Hi a few times to Kurt after accidentally running into him in the kitchen or the hallway when Kurt was at the Berry house visiting Rachel. Blaine knew Kurt went to McKinley (he also knew his favorite musical was Wicked and his dream role was Elphaba, among other Kurt Hummel trivia), but was surprised and confused to see him on the staircase at Dalton. Was he new here? Did Kurt transfer schools? He was dying to find out, but too scared to ask.

Not that he could have asked right then anyway. Fellow Warbler, senior Landrick O'Callahan, had stopped at the sound of Kurt's voice too and was now outwardly flirting with the object of Blaine's affection, not five feet away.

Blaine's ears turned bright red as he tried to swallow his jealousy and frustration. Though he needed to get to the commons, somehow his feet refused to move from their spot and he was forced to listen to Landrick joke about how the Warblers were basically rock stars at this school and that he would gladly escort Kurt to their performance.

When Landrick held out his arm for Kurt to take, Blaine wanted to throw up on the spot. However, he somehow managed to get his feet moving and he sprinted to the commons so he could get there before the other two. It was bad enough seeing them flirt right in front of him, he couldn't stomach getting stuck behind them in the hallway.

Blaine burst through the doors of the senior commons to find most of the other Warblers already gathered. A slew of other Dalton students were milling about, trying to find seats for the performance. Blaine still couldn't quite get over how supportive a majority of the Dalton population were of the glee club. Sure, there were guys who thought singing and dancing was stupid, but on a whole, the Warblers were well-liked among their peers - probably because they had a great connection to Dalton's sister-school, Crawford County Day.

Blaine settled himself among the Warblers and was trying to psyche himself up for the performance when the doors swung open and revealed Landrick and Kurt. Though Blaine was too far away to hear the conversation, he saw Kurt's face morph from worried to bashful when Landrick leaned in and whispered something to Kurt and then fixed his lapel that had lodged itself under the strap of Kurt's satchel. Before Blaine could wallow in the fact that Landrick was the one putting Kurt at ease instead of him, the Warblers started harmonizing around him.

As if someone flipped a switch, Blaine quickly transitioned into performance mode. He put on his best show face and began entertaining the crowd as if they were thousands of cheering fans instead of a bunch of prep school boys fist-pumping to Katy Perry.

Blaine might never had gone "all the way" with someone (hell, who was he kidding, he never even kissed anybody), he acted out the lyrics as if they were his own thoughts. He had a knack for performing and making those watching him believe every word he sang. Partway through the song, his eyes locked on Kurt's and there they stayed for the remainder of the number.

Were Blaine not performing, he would have been mortified directing those lyrics at Kurt. What he didn't know, though, was that Kurt had no idea who he was. Like, he knew who Blaine was – he was Rachel's younger brother who seemed painfully shy anytime he encountered him. Kurt knew Blaine was gay, sang in show choir like his sister, and now went to Dalton. But Kurt had never seen Blaine perform, nor had he ever seen him in his Dalton uniform.

School Blaine and Home Blaine were two completely different people.

School Blaine looked sharp in his Dalton Blazer and his tie always hung neatly down the center of his chest. School Blaine's eyes were wide and receptive, soaking in all his lessons and the praise from his teachers and classmates. School Blaine's hair was combed off his face and gelled back to keep it looking perfect all day. School Blaine looked like a Disney prince. Home Blaine, on the other hand, was a bit disheveled. Though his clothes fit fine, they mostly consisted of cuffed jeans, form fitting but uninspired sweaters and the occasional hoodie or sweatpants. Home Blaine wore glasses, didn't shave on the weekends if he didn't have to, and never bothered to style his naturally curly hair so it often fell over his forehead and into his eyes if he hadn't had it cut in awhile. Home Blaine didn't dress to impress because he thought that if he didn't draw attention to himself, people would leave him alone and he wouldn't get beat up again.

Kurt only knew Home Blaine, and even so, he only knew him vaguely.

And because Kurt only knew Home Blaine, he had no idea that this cute and confident boy who seemed to be singing "Teenage Dream" directly at him was actually the painfully shy younger brother of one of his best friends.

The song ended much too soon for Blaine's liking. After watching Kurt smile and applaud, Blaine felt a surge of confidence. Maybe he should go over and say Hi. It's not like they were strangers… and since Kurt seemed so engrossed in his performance, maybe Kurt would actually want to talk to him.

Blaine took a deep breath and tried to work his way through the throngs of Warblers and other Dalton students who were patting him on the back. He grinned and nodded his thanks as he made his way toward Kurt, who seemed to be smiling extra wide at him. But, just as Blaine was nearing Kurt, someone yelled, "Hey Blanderson Berry, lay off the new kid, he's mine!" and stopped him in his tracks.

Landrick.

Landrick was the only person who knew Blaine's real last name (he was in the headmaster's office when Blaine and his fathers were filling out enrollment papers and overheard the conversation between the Berry family when it was decided Blaine would still go by "Blaine Anderson" and not "Blaine Berry"). Somehow, the other Warblers had yet to figure out why Landrick sometimes called their star singer "Berry." Though someone joked that it was because he was as talented as that chick from McKinley, neither Blaine nor Landrick ever let on that he was actually her younger brother. Blaine could never figure out why Landrick never told his secret, but he was too scared to ask.

However, Kurt wasn't in on this information, so he only knew Blaine as Blaine Berry. And after Landrick's remark, Kurt went from embarrassed to stunned as he locked eyes with Blaine (who had since gone from confident to mortified).

"Blaine? Blaine Berry, is that you?"

Blaine's eyebrows would have gone up higher if they could, but they had reached maximum height on his forehead. He felt tears threatening to form from embarrassment and fear, so he did what he did second best to performing; he ran.

After getting beat up in middle school. Blaine's "fight or flight" response was stuck permanently on "flight." His dads encouraged him to take up track because it was something he could do by himself, but still in a team atmosphere. Not only was Blaine a talented performer and strong student, but he helped Dalton reach Nationals in distance sprinting his freshman year. Even though he decided not to compete for Dalton his sophomore year so as to focus on his studies and the Warblers, Blaine still kept up his running in his free time. So, Blaine wasted no time bolting out of the senior commons and across the school to a seemingly hidden bathroom that became his sanctuary when he got overwhelmed. He even got so bold as to hide a bottle of hair gel and a stick of deodorant for when he needed to freshen up after continuously pacing and running his hands through his hair after getting worked up over a misstep in rehearsal or an A- on a test. No one at Dalton knew that Blaine was a completely different person underneath his seemingly perfect facade and he intended to keep it that way. Performing was his forte.

…

The next day at school, Blaine was studying in the student lounge during his study hall because it was the only place on campus where one could get coffee. His head was down, nose practically touching his notebook. His dads always told him he studied too hard, but too hard was the only way he knew how to study. So, he didn't notice right away when two of the members of the Warblers council, in addition to Landrick and Kurt, walked in the room and sat down at a table across the way.

Blaine's concentration was interrupted by the sound of laughter. He looked up to screw his face up in disgust at the offenders but found himself staring at Kurt. His face flushed pink as he watched Kurt's cheeks burn bright red. At first he couldn't figure out why Kurt looked so embarrassed, but then he heard Landrick say, "No. I mean I am, but these two have girlfriends."

Though he pretended to go back to studying Blaine listened in as, David, one of the Warbler Council members started to explain the Kurt that Dalton was not a gay school but that it had a zero-harassment tolerance policy. The other Council member, Wes, finished the thought by stating that everybody gets treated the same, no matter what they are.

Blaine knew that wasn't entirely true; Landrick often picked on him for being a teacher's pet or a goody-goody on top of making fun of him and his sister. But, even Blaine had to admit that no one ever bullied him for being gay. And for that, he was eternally grateful.

Kurt didn't look grateful to hear about the zero-tolerance harassment policy; he looked shocked. Blaine dared to continue looking at the older boy and found his heart breaking as he swore he saw a tear travel down Kurt's alabaster cheek.

Wes, David and Landrick were now talking among themselves, allowing Kurt the opportunity to discreetly wipe any evidence of sadness away from his eyes. By the time they turned back to him, he had put on a brave face and pretended like nothing happened.

Kurt went to ask the three Warblers a question but was interrupted by the sound of a bell. They quickly got up from the table and Blaine overheard them making apologies to the outsider, saying they had to get to lunch. Blaine cringed as he watched Landrick walk around the table and lean down to whisper something into Kurt's ear. Kurt broke into a genuine, albeit small, grin and said goodbye as the boys left him alone in the student lounge.

Well, almost alone.

"Blaine?"

Oh crap, Blaine thought to himself as he snapped out of it and realized he had been caught staring at Kurt. He tried to play it off nonchalantly, but his nerves got to best of him. "Oh, hey." His voice cracked a bit before he paused to quickly clear his throat. "Hey, K-Kurt."

Kurt smiled; glad he was right about the quiet kid alone in the corner being his friend's little brother. It was a relief to see a familiar face in such a foreign location. He got up and grabbed his to-go coffee cup before walking over to Blaine's table. He paused next to an open chair next to Blaine. "May I join you?"

Blaine's thick eyebrows shot up as if that were the first time he ever heard that question in his entire life. "Um, yeah, sure. Let me just..." He quickly scrambled to clear his books and notebooks off of part of the table to allow Kurt some empty space for his cup and arms.

Kurt smiled as he sat down, "Thanks." He suddenly realized he had never actually had a conversation with Blaine Berry before. Blaine was still shuffling around papers and flashcards so Kurt had a few moments to observe the other boy. Though he knew this was the same person he saw perform lead on "Teenage Dream" the day before, Kurt couldn't help but be amazed that that was the quiet boy before him and the same silent stranger he saw on weekends at the Berry residence. "I didn't know you went to school here. Rachel never mentioned that."

Blaine tried to keep himself busy with collecting his things so he didn't have to look back at Kurt yet. "Yeah. This is my second year here. I don't think she wants people to know I'm in a rival show choir." He shrugged. "I don't think a lot of people know we're siblings."

Kurt looked confused. "Aren't you guys the only Berrys in this part of Ohio?" Blaine nodded. "So how have people not put two and two together? You're obviously just as talented as her, maybe even more so." Kurt took a sip of coffee and quickly swallowed to blurt out, "Oh my god, please don't tell her I said that!"

Blaine chuckled and ducked his head. He wasn't planning on telling his sister anything. She was so self-centered; Blaine figured she had no idea her he had been crushing on Kurt for years and he hoped to keep it that way. "Don't worry, I won't. I promise." Blaine startled fiddling with the corner of one of his notebooks. "Plus, um, my dads have been letting me use my middle name as my last name since middle school. People tend to leave you alone when they don't know you're Rachel's brother. Or that you're that f-fag with the gay dads." He sounded like he was trying hard not to sound defeated. This was one of the few things at which Blaine would never succeed.

Kurt frowned slightly as he settled back into his chair. He had never heard Blaine say maybe more than two or three words at a time even though he saw him at the Berry household a couple times a month for the past few years. "Blaine, are you at Dalton because you were bullied in public school?"

Though Blaine couldn't bring himself to look Kurt in the eye, he nodded. Kurt saw the boy closing in on himself right before his very eyes and opted not to ask any more questions. He was still surprised he got that much information out of Blaine.

Blaine who was struggling so hard to fight back tears.

"I know how you feel. There is a Neanderthal at the high school who is making my life a living hell. I'm the only one out of the closet at my school and no one seems to care," Kurt confessed. He hoped sharing his own experience could help show Blaine that he's not alone. He wasn't looking for advice; he just wanted to let Blaine know they had something in common.

Blaine nodded again, content with keeping his mouth shut for as long as he can. Who was he to give Kurt any advice? Kurt was older and wiser and so beautiful...

"Blaine?"

The younger boy dared to look at Kurt who offered him a small smile. Somehow that gesture of kindness made Blaine feel a bit braver.

"You have a choice you know," Blaine said quietly.

"A choice?"

"Mmm hmm," Blaine said as he nodded. "I mean, you could always come here, but you could confront him, you know. Your bully." Blaine shrugged to himself. "Prejudice is just ignorance."

"You sound like a fortune cookie, Blaine...?" Kurt realized he didn't know Blaine's middle name.

"Anderson."

Kurt smiled. "Blaine Anderson." He liked the way that sounded. "How did you get so wise?"

"I'm not wise." Blaine shook off the compliment. "I ran, Kurt. I let my bullies chase me away." He kept fiddling with his notebook. "I'm a coward." As he stared down at the table, he felt tears welling up. He shook his head, willing them to go away, but to no avail.

Kurt reached over and stilled the younger boy's hand. "Don't. You're never a coward when you're smart enough to get out."

A solitary tear slid down Blaine's chin as he dared to look Kurt in the eye. He swallowed hard as Kurt offered a half a smile. "I, uh, I have to go." Blaine bolted out of his chair and quickly began shoving his belongings into his satchel. Kurt watched in silence, wondering if he did something wrong.

Blaine ran out of the lounge and took sanctuary in his hidden bathroom. He dropped his satchel and sank down into the corner, both hands tearing at his gel-confined hair. He shook his head, muttering to himself over and over again that he was an idiot.