On the first Monday after the wedding, Blaine came home from school and found his sister pacing around their living room, talking to herself.

"This isn't fair! This was my year to go to Nationals. Stupid Karofsky!"

Blaine toed off his school shoes before dropping his satchel onto the couch. "Rach! What are you doing?"

Rachel whipped her head around to glare at her brother. "YOU!" She pointed at Blaine in anger. "You don't even KNOW how lucky you are!"

Eyebrows furrowed as Blaine shucked off his blazer and loosened his tie. "What are you talking about?"

She paced some more. "Kurt's transferring schools tomorrow and now my chances to go to Nationals are RUINED because there's no way we're going to win Sectionals without him."

"Wait, Kurt is transferring schools? Why?" Not that he and Kurt talked a lot at the wedding over the weekend, but he thought that if Kurt told him about the bullying situation, he maybe would have mentioned something about leaving McKinley.

Rachel shook her head, "I don't know all the details. But the point is; we are going to lose at Sectionals without him. This isn't fair!"

Blaine bolted up the steps and to his room. Kurt had friended him on Facebook a few weeks ago and he wanted to check if there was any indication of why Kurt was transferring.

After firing up his laptop, Blaine logged on to Facebook but saw no evidence as to why Kurt was leaving or where he was going. Just as he was about to log off and try to get some more information out of his sister, Blaine received a chat message from Kurt.

Kurt:

Blaine?

Blaine:

Are you okay? I just got home and Rachel kept going on and on about you leaving and her not going to Nationals because of it. What happened?

(Because the conversation was not happening face to face, Blaine was able to be bolder, give longer answers, and ask questions he might be too scared of otherwise.)

Kurt:

I'm okay now, I guess. Super long story short, last week my bully threatened to kill me and he got expelled. But his parents fought the school board and he'll be back at school tomorrow. Which means I won't be.

Blaine:

KURT!

Blaine:

I'm so sorry

Kurt:

Thanks. Listen, I've got to go, but can we talk more tomorrow during study hall?

Blaine:

Um, sure.

Blaine:

Wait. Study hall?

Kurt:

Yeah. I'm transferring to Dalton.

…

Time passed achingly slow for Blaine the next morning, so much so that he practically ran to the student lounge once it was finally time for his study hall. Even though he was a sophomore, Blaine was in accelerated Junior's classes however his and Kurt's schedules hadn't overlapped in the morning because they took different languages (Blaine took Latin, Kurt took French) and sciences (Blaine was in Chemistry, Kurt took Physics).

Blaine slowed himself to a halt and took a few breaths before walking into the lounge. If his face wasn't already red from running, it would have turned that color anyway when he saw Kurt sitting at a table drinking coffee out of a to-go cup. Though the Dalton uniform was far from flattering, Kurt somehow made it look good. He took a step into the room and was about to say Hi to Kurt when he heard him.

"Hey Blanderson, shouldn't you be clapping erasers or something?"

Kurt looked up at Landrick's remark and smiled warmly at Blaine, who in turn was biting his own cheek to keep all his frustration in. Landrick was over at the coffee counter, stirring his drink and looking smug.

"Hi Landrick. Nice to see you too." Blaine wanted coffee, but he refused to go near Landrick. Instead, he walked over and sat down at Kurt's table.

Landrick watched Blaine's every move and he himself walked over toward Kurt. "I have to get to class. Senior stuff, you know. So I'll bid you both adieu." When he neared the table, he leaned in and whispered in Kurt's ear. "Call me later."

Blaine noticed how Kurt flinched slightly as his personal space was being breeched, but felt queasy at the smile that spread across Kurt's face at the same time. Landrick would never hurt or threaten Kurt the way that Kurt's bully did, but Blaine didn't like how Landrick treated Kurt all the same.

Kurt waved as Landrick left the room and then focused all his attention on Blaine. "Thanks for meeting with me. I'm sorry if I'm keeping you from anything."

With a shake of his head, Blaine stood up and walked over to the coffee counter now that it was Landrick-free. "You wanted to talk?"

"I know I just got here today, but I was wondering if you could help me get an audition with the Warblers? It's probably too late to join before Sectionals, but I really like singing and I thought if I joined up I'd be able to make some friends and –"

"Kurt." Though Blaine found Kurt's rambling utterly adorable, he had a feeling if he didn't cut in soon, the other boy would just keep talking in circles.

Blue eyes dropped toward the table while he sat down as Kurt's cheeks flushed pink. "Sorry. I'm just really nervous being at a new school."

"Understandable."

There were a few moments of awkward silence while both boys sipped their coffee.

Kurt broke the silence first. "So, about the Warblers…"

"Oh, right." Blaine cursed himself for forgetting Kurt's initial question. "Well, you've already met a couple members of the council, so they'll know who you are, though they might think you're back to spy. Can you come to rehearsal tonight? It'll be easier for me to ask about auditions if you're there to answer any specific questions they have."

While swallowing some more coffee, Kurt nodded his head. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

More awkward silence.

"Blaine, can I ask you a personal question?"

His ears began to burn with the endless possibilities of personal questions Kurt could ask. However, he nodded and agreed quietly, "Uh huh."

"We've known each other for awhile, right?" Blaine nodded, wondering where this was going. "So how come I don't know much about you?"

Well, that was not the question Blaine was expecting. His first reaction was to shrug even though he knew why Kurt didn't know much about him… because he didn't think he was worth knowing much about.

"Blaine!"

Blaine's eyes widened as he realized he must have said what he was thinking out loud.

Kurt could tell the younger boy was mortified and didn't want to embarrass him further. That didn't mean he wasn't going to try and get to know this familiar stranger better; Kurt felt bad for not trying to learn more about Blaine sooner. Though he was already friends with Rachel, Kurt didn't think it would be wrong if he tried to befriend her brother, especially now that they would likely be in glee club together.

While pushing his chair back from the table, Kurt looked at Blaine and saw his cheeks were an unhealthy shade of pink. "Well, I'm gonna head off and find my next class, but I'll see you at Warblers practice later." Blaine watched out of his peripherals as Kurt threw away his coffee cup. He stilled as Kurt paused in the doorway. "And for the record, you are completely worth knowing about."

If Blaine weren't frozen to his chair, he would have sprinted down the hall to his bathroom sanctuary.

…

Kurt had nothing to worry about at Warblers practice after school. Upon mentioning he was a countertenor, Wes dropped his gavel on the table and David jumped up and threw his arm around the stunned new recruit. After double and triple checking that no audition was necessary (an unprecedented occurrence in Warbler history), Kurt assured his new glee club he would return during the assigned Warbler rehearsal period.

…

The Warblers council requested that Kurt make an entrance at rehearsal the next day, so Blaine was selected to open the double doors of the practice room to reveal their newest member. Kurt smiled, mostly at the applause but partially because a familiar blushing face welcomed him to the room. Blaine ducked his head as he smiled, pleased to see Kurt and tickled to find the older boy wearing a Hippo head brooch.

As Kurt walked into the room, Blaine scurried back to his seat on the arm of the couch. Right away, Wes announced the traditional new Warbler gift – an actual Warbler. Landrick grabbed the handle of the birdcage that was sitting on the coffee table and strutted up to a slightly confused Kurt. Wes informed him that this was Pavarotti. "Protect him. That bird is your voice."

"Hey, I'll bring him to work with me. Weekends I work at a stray cat rescue. It's at the bottom of a coal mine." Blaine cracked a smile and had to muffle a chuckle. Kurt just looked around the room and was thrown because no one seemed to get his humor. "That was a joke. I don't – I don't work at a coal mine."

Blaine watched Kurt's face fall when his suggestion to perform Duran Duran's "Rio" at Sectionals was shot down without a second thought by the Warblers Council. His own face fell when Landrick saddled up to Kurt after the meeting and walked him out the door, leaning in and whispering all the while. Though Blaine felt selfish for being a little relieved that Landrick's presence was not cheering Kurt up, he felt even worse that Kurt's first official day as a Warbler was met with him not melding very well with the overall vibe of the group.

As the rest of the Warblers filed out of the room, talking amongst themselves, Blaine made his way up to the Council's table. He stood in silence, arguing with himself what he was doing when he heard Wes ask, "Was there something on your mind, Junior Member Blaine Anderson?"

At the sound of his name, Blaine startled and looked up at Wes and the other members of the Council. They only know School Blaine, so any reticence he was showing was a direct reaction to Kurt being around. He couldn't let Kurt being at Dalton affect how the other members of the group perceived him. So, he cleared his throat and assumed a serious face. "Actually yes. Council, I'll be brief. I know that you're still auditioning for soloists to be featured in our second song at Sectionals next week. I think it would be a show of good faith if you allowed our newest member the opportunity to audition."

Wes, David and Thad all made eye contact with each other and after several brief moments of silent conversation and the tiniest head nods from David and Thad, Wes nodded. "It's in agreement. Warbler Kurt Hummel may audition for a Sectionals solo in two days' time. He will be notified by the end of the day."

Blaine held up a hand to interrupt the Head Warbler. "With all due respect, if it is in agreement with the Council, I will inform Kurt of this news myself."

Another quick glance among each other found all three members of the Warblers Council nodding. If Blaine weren't so busy feeling elated and nervous about having to speak with Kurt today, he might have caught a subtle glint of knowing in the eyes of his peers.

Blaine shouldered his satchel as he exited the practice room. He thought Kurt and Landrick were already long gone by now and was surprised to see them talking atop the grand staircase. Torn between not wanting to impose on their discussion and wanting desperately to burst in between them to tell Kurt the good news, Blaine stalled right where he stood, fiddling with his pocket watch and wishing he was as brave as his fellow Warblers seemed to think he was.

Out of his peripherals, he saw Landrick make a motion with his hands like he had to go. Blaine watched as Kurt gave him a small but defeated smile as he turned to make his way down the steps.

Knowing this was his chance to talk to Kurt – alone no less – Blaine scurried toward the top of the staircase and called out to the older boy. "Hey Kurt, wait up!" He caught up to Kurt and they walked down the stairs together. "I saw that glee club was hard for you today… seeing your idea shot down like that."

Kurt shrugged. "It's just a different energy in there. Not better or worse, just something I'll have to get used to."

Blaine could tell that Kurt was still mildly unhappy with how the meeting went. He was too embarrassed to admit that giving Kurt a chance to audition was his idea, so he pulled up some faux confidence and replied matter-of-factly, "We recognize that and we have a tradition at this school of rewarding a student with a good attitude, so we'd like to invite you to audition for a solo."

Stunned and stunning. If Blaine were to forced to pick two words to describe how Kurt looked after receiving this news, he would definitely pick "stunned" and "stunning." He stopped at the base of the stairs and turned to face Kurt, smiling because you couldn't pay him not too when he saw how his news made the other boy react. A sparkle had returned to Kurt's eyes as they widened with glee. "For Sectionals?"

Blaine smiled and gave him a small nod in agreement. "For Sectionals. Sing something good." His cheeks flushed pink as that last sentence slipped out because anything Kurt would sing would be good.

…

The next night, Blaine was in his bathroom brushing his teeth before bed when he overheard his sister on the phone. Normally he would just roll his eyes, but when he heard her say, "You're going to do amazing, Kurt" his hand stopped brushing and his body involuntarily leaned out of the doorway into the hall, straining to hear more of what she was saying. Toothpaste mixed with spit dribbled out of the corner of Blaine's mouth and onto his Buckeyes t-shirt as he smiled, listening to his sister unselfishly (for once) giving her friend a pep talk. He couldn't wait for Kurt's audition the next day and wondered what the boy would be singing.

…

Three Warblers, including Kurt, were singing their audition songs the following day. Because he was new, the Warblers Council offered Kurt the option of whether he wanted to sing first, second or third. Because his nerves were starting to get the best of him, Kurt decided to go first. He entered the practice room to find the Warblers were all waiting quietly. You could have heard a pin drop, the room was so silent.

Although the Warblers sang a cappella, people who were auditioning could perform to a pre-recorded track or accompany themselves on the piano. Kurt collected himself as best he could as he set his iPod dock on the piano and pressed play.

Based off of the opening strings, Blaine knew in a heartbeat it was "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." His sister sang this song around the house all the time and he could distinctly remember several of Rachel and Kurt's sleepovers when he could hear them singing along to the DVD of Evita as they cried into their popcorn.

Blaine might have heard Kurt sing before, but he never heard him sing like this. Like this was the last song he was ever going to sing. Like his life depended on it. Like the words were his own.

Tears welled up in Blaine's eyes as they followed him about the room. Blaine was so moved by the performance, the way that Kurt just left everything he had out on the floor. He was also getting emotional because he knew that Kurt was not going to get the solo. He silently kicked himself for not telling Kurt that he shouldn't sing show tunes because they mostly sang Top 40. The Warblers were showy in a non-showy way and Kurt was showy in the loudest way possible… and maybe that was part of the reason why Blaine liked him so much.

So, when Blaine noticed Kurt's arms start to rise in signature Evita-style, Blaine somehow quickly managed to catch his eye and motion with his own hands that Kurt shouldn't bring his arms to the full football-post position. The Warblers weren't ready for the Kurt Hummel Blaine knew was hiding beneath that Dalton blazer.

As the song came to a close and Kurt let his last note die out, Blaine smiled and nodded to himself while he and the rest of the Warblers applauded politely.

Kurt collected his iPod dock and slunk down in the only open seat in the room, which happened to be next to Landrick. Blaine felt jealous when he saw Landrick lean into Kurt's personal space and whisper something to make Kurt smile. However, Kurt's smile seemed forced through tight lips and he flinched when Landrick put a hand on his knee. Blaine hoped it was because Kurt didn't like Landrick like that, but part of him was pretty sure it was just because he was so high strung after his audition and Blaine didn't think Kurt was one of those touchy-feely people in the first place, especially after being bullied so much. Blaine could sympathize. He didn't like it when people touched him either… though that didn't stop him from wishing Kurt would hold his hand.

Blaine zoned out during Nick and Jeff's auditions, but managed to clap after each song just because everyone else was doing it. Once everyone sang, Kurt, Nick and Jeff were asked to sit outside the room while the Warbler Council voted on who would advance to the next round.

While waiting, Kurt asked the other two how many times they had auditioned. This was Nick's third tryout and Jeff's sixth. Kurt let out a low whistle and had a feeling in his gut that he wasn't going to get the solo even though he know he performed to the best of his ability.

All the boys were startled when the doors burst open and Blaine and Landrick walked through.

Blaine gave Kurt an apologetic smile as he announced, "Hey guys. Nick, Jeff, congrats. You're moving on." They were ecstatic as they leapt up and shook Blaine's hand. He congratulated them once again and then walked over to where Kurt (and now Landrick as well) was sitting.

Kurt looked up at Blaine. "Any sage advice?"

Landrick answered instead. "Don't try so hard next time."

Blaine's eyes widened at Landrick's comment, but Kurt just closed in on himself a bit. "I didn't realize that caring was frowned upon."

Landrick went on to say, "I don't know how it worked at your old school, but did you notice that we all wear uniforms around here? It's about being part of the team."

Kurt rocked back and forth where he sat. "I guess I'm just used to having to scream to get noticed."

"You're not going to make it as a Warbler if all you care about is getting noticed," Landrick remarked.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Kurt sounded so defeated and it broke Blaine's heart. He cut in before Landrick could say something else stupid.

"I know it's going to take some getting used to," Blaine started, "but you'll fit in soon enough." He locked eyes with Kurt. "I promise."

Blaine's kind words were enough to coax a small smile out of Kurt.

Just then, Landrick's phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and eyeballed the source of the text. Blaine was surprised to see him look at Kurt with sincere apology after he just got done saying all those douchy things to him. "It's my mom. I need to call her, but I'll be right back and then we can go to lunch, okay?"

Kurt nodded in understanding and he and Blaine watched Landrick walk out of the room.

Knowing he likely had a couple minutes before Landrick came back, Blaine wanted to take advantage of his alone time with Kurt while he still mostly felt like School Blaine. "May I sit down?" Kurt looked up as Blaine motioned to the now-empty seat next to him. He nodded again, a mostly blank expression on his face. Blaine couldn't quite tell if Kurt was upset about not advancing through to the next audition or what, so he asked, "Are you okay?"

Kurt nodded again as he collected his thoughts. "I'm not mad about the audition, if that's what you think. I mean, I'm new and those other guys auditioned a bunch of times. It was just nice to be able to try out, but…" his sentence drifted off as he looked away from Blaine and out the window behind them. "I guess I just didn't realize that I can't be myself here either."

Those words sliced through Blaine's heart like a knife and he felt for Kurt. "Hey, hey. Don't say that." Without thinking, he reached down and grabbed Kurt's hand with his own to get his attention and offer some empathy. At the moment of contact, Blaine felt a bolt of electricity shoot up his arm. Kurt's head whipped back around and then quickly down at their hands before snapping his eyes up to meet Blaine's.

Blue eyes that swirled like the sky in Van Gogh's Starry Night connected with hazel eyes that looked like a nebula of greens, browns and grays. And for a half a second that seemed to last a lifetime, time stopped.

"I -," Kurt started in surprised.

Blaine yanked his hand off of Kurt's without breaking eye contact, though his eyebrows shot up on their own accord. "Sorry! I – sorry! I was just… I didn't mean… I – just, sorry!" Though he was still in a Dalton blazer, School Blaine was gone and Home Blaine was present and mortified.

Their attention shifted from each other to the door as it opened. Landrick was still on the phone, but obviously trying not to be. "I'll take care of it later mom, I promise…. Uh huh… yes, I - … I have to go. I love you too. Bye." He hit the "end call" bar on his phone's interface and slid it back into his pocket before addressing Kurt and Blaine. "Sorry about that."

Blaine bolted up from where he was seated and made a beeline toward the door while Kurt shifted his attention back out the window, pretending to admire the view of Dalton's front lawn.

"See ya later, Blanderson," Landrick remarked as Blaine brushed past him to get out the door. This snarky comment made Blaine roll his eyes, but also stopped him in his tracks. He grabbed Landrick by the elbow and pulled him out the door with him. "Hey, watch it Blaine!"

"No, you watch it, Landrick." Blaine was pissed about a lot of things, mostly how Kurt was sad about what Landrick said to him earlier and how Blaine just completely ruined his own moment with Kurt. "You need to apologize to Kurt, okay? You can't just say what you said and not expect his feelings to get hurt." He dropped Landrick's arm, straightened his tie and then stormed off, muttering to himself. "I thought you liked him, Jesus…"

Landrick watched in confusion as Blaine purposefully made his way down the hallway. He rubbed his elbow as he walked back in the room. When he noticed Kurt didn't turn around to look at him, Landrick realized that maybe Blaine was right. He thought back to what he said, and although he felt it to be the truth, he guessed he could kind of see how what he said could be interpreted as not nice. Regardless, he just had to say he was sorry, right? And then everything would be great between him and Kurt.

"I'm sorry, Kurt, for what I said," Landrick started. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Kurt finally peeled his eyes away from the window and shifted slightly so that he was looking at Landrick. Landrick could see a hint of sadness in Kurt's eyes and they were glassy as if he had been crying or was about to cry. "Don't cry, Kurt Hummel." Landrick raised a hand to Kurt's cheek and brushed a finger under his eye, pretending to wipe away a tear. "You're too cute to look so sad." A bell sounded, indicating classes were about to start in five minutes. "Crap," Landrick moaned as he got up. "I have to get to English class. I'll see you later, though, right?"

Kurt nodded. He had study hall and was going to head to the student lounge for coffee and hopefully to talk to Blaine. Landrick gave him one last smile before he ran back out of the room.

The study lounge was empty when Kurt arrived a few minutes later. He poured himself a cup and then sank down into a chair at the table where Blaine usually sat. He wasn't lying when he said he wasn't mad about the audition; he knew he wasn't likely to get a solo during his first week in this new glee club. He was a little confused, though. He wondered why he didn't flinch when Landrick touched his cheek. He wondered why his fingers still felt like they were tingling after their brief moment of contact with Blaine's hand earlier. He wondered where Blaine was.

Blaine was sitting in the corner of his hidden bathroom, running his hands through his hair, which by this point was sticking out in every direction. He wondered why he grabbed Kurt's hand. He wondered what would have happened if Landrick didn't barge in on them like that. He wondered if Landrick apologized to Kurt. He wondered what Kurt saw in Landrick. He wondered if Kurt would ever see something in him. He wondered why he couldn't force himself not to care.

…

Saturday morning found the Warblers en route to Marion, Ohio where Sectionals were being held. Blaine was disheartened to see Kurt and Landrick sharing the back seat, so he opted to sit alone toward the front of the bus. Ear buds firmly in place, Blaine tried to drown out his thoughts with some Roxy Music.

A few hours later, the Warblers were in the Green Room waiting to take their places on stage. However, their newest member was missing. "Where is Warbler Kurt?" Wes demanded after taking roll call.

"Oh, he went to go talk to that Berry chick from New Directions. Do you want me to try and find him?" asked Landrick.

Before Wes could say yes, Blaine spoke up. "I know where he is, sir. I'll go."

"Thank you, Warbler Blaine."

And with a nod, Blaine was out of the room.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Blaine quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted his sister. "Hey – where R U?"

He glanced up from his phone and started looking around, seeing if he could spot his sister and Kurt before she responded. When he was unable to spot them, he was grateful for her text back. "Candy Counter. Why?"

Blaine didn't bother texting her back and instead ran as fast as he could toward the concession stand near the entrance of the venue. He slowed to a walk and caught his breath as he approached his sister and Kurt.

As nonchalantly as he could, Blaine walked up to Kurt and touched his elbow gently. "They're calling places." He then made eye contact with his sister. "Hey."

She let out a sigh and squinted her eyes at him, trying to intimidate him. "I hope you know what an unfair advantage it is that you guys have Kurt in your glee club."

Blaine smiled as he turned and walked away next to Kurt. "I love you too, sis."

…

Blaine felt most alive when he was performing. Something about singing and dancing was fulfilling in a way that he could barely describe. It made him happy, but it also seemed to make other people happy too… if only he could figure out a way to bottle that feeling and feel like that all day long.

Like the other two glee clubs singing that day, the Warblers performed two songs. They started with the song that featured Blaine, Train's "Hey Soul Sister." He couldn't help but smile when the song started. It wasn't his favorite song, but he thought some of the lyrics were really meaningful… and allowed him to look directly at Kurt as he sang "and so I went and let you blow my mind."

Other lyrics were just plain silly, but he opted to go for broke when he was forced to sing lines like "So gangster, I'm so thug, you're the only one I'm dreaming of, you see."

But he poured his heart into the performance as he sang, "I can be myself now finally, in fact there's nothing I can't be. I want the world to see you be with me." He stole a quick look at Kurt as he sang and hoped that no one saw his break in choreography. He knew he was supposed to be performing for the audience and judges and not stealing looks at Kurt, but he physically couldn't help it; the older boy was magnetic.

Blaine broke choreography several more times before the song was over and he swore Kurt looked over at him at least once. Those small shared glances encouraged Blaine to perform full-out that much more.

When the song was over, Blaine was surprised, but pleased, to see his sister was the first person to jump to her feet and applaud. He saw her looking at Kurt throughout the whole performance and was grateful to see her offering him support even though they were no longer in the same glee club.

The Warbler's second song featured Nick with his first ever solo. They sang Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time" and it went over really well with the audience. The blazer-clad boys bowed in unison and then ran off the stage, clapping each other on the back and congratulating themselves for a good performance.

After allowing themselves a few moments to celebrate, the Warblers were quickly ushered into their assigned seats to watch the New Directions perform. Blaine felt a bit smug when they were forced to find seats quickly and Kurt and Landrick got separated and Blaine ended up with an aisle seat next to Kurt.

It was weird for Blaine to watch New Directions perform without his sister as lead and with Kurt sitting next to him instead of being up on stage with the rest of his friends. Blaine was surprised at the talent of the rest of the kids and really enjoyed all the dancing in the second song. He remembered admiring Mike Chang's dance moves back in middle school and used to practice said dance moves behind closed doors. But after what happened to him in middle school, Blaine didn't dance much anymore. Not even in his room.

…

The Berry residence was in full celebration-mode that night because both the Warblers and New Directions made it through to Regionals. Rachel was initially miffed at the tie, but was grateful she would likely get a chance to have a solo during the next round of competition. Blaine knew he would have a solo at the next competition, but didn't say anything because he didn't want to start a fight with his sister. So, he kept his mouth shut and smiled away while their dads praised their obscenely talented children.

…

On Monday, the Warblers allowed themselves five minutes at the start of rehearsal to finish congratulating themselves on advancing to Regionals before they launched into ideas for their next competition.

The Council kept deferring to Blaine any time a song was mentioned, as he would get first pick of his solo. While he was grateful for being selected as lead vocalist of the group as a sophomore, he hated when all the attention was on him. After being asked his opinion of at least 10 songs, Blaine told the Council he would keep a list of suggestions and go over it and get back to them. He reminded them that Regionals wasn't until the following Spring, so perhaps they should focus on the holiday songs they needed to prepare for the following week's Christmas performance at the Westerville assisted living facility.

Wes, David and Thad immediately shifted rehearsal to holiday song suggestions and Blaine was grateful to get the attention off himself. He spent the remainder of rehearsal doodling in his notebook and saying, "Yeah, that sounds good," whenever asked his opinion about a song. He snuck glances at Kurt every now and again. Kurt was sitting across the room with Landrick, but looked off for some reason. As much as Blaine hoped it was because of Landrick, he could tell there was a deeper lying problem than that.

Kurt ran from the room as soon as rehearsal was over, which confused Blaine. He, on the other hand, dawdled while putting his notebook into his satchel. He checked his pocket watch out of habit. He knew it was lunch period and was contemplating whether he actually wanted to go to lunch (it was pizza day) or go to the student lounge for coffee and solitude. His decision was made for him when his phone buzzed from his pants pocket.

Blaine yanked his phone out and saw the text was from Kurt. They had only just exchanged phone numbers during Sectionals. It was Kurt's idea because he wanted a way to contact Blaine with Dalton related questions without having to go through Rachel or Facebook first.

Blaine rushed into the room and found Kurt hunched over on the couch, leaning toward Pavarotti's cage, which was sitting in the middle of a chessboard. "Hey, I got your text. What's wrong?" Kurt looked up and Blaine could see panic in his eyes.

"It's Pavarotti. I think he's sick. He won't eat and he's losing his feathers…" Kurt was on the verge of tears, fearful that he was killing the pet he just received last week. He knew he'd be kicked out of the Warblers for sure if something were to happen to that bird.

Without completely thinking about his actions, Blaine sat down on the couch next to Kurt and involuntarily mimicked his body language. After quickly inspecting the bird, Blaine knew everything was going to be okay. "He's just molting. His body has to shut down while he grows a new coat of feathers." Blaine watched as Kurt sighed with relief. He remembered how Wes told the other boy last week how the bird was his voice. Though this was a gross misuse of hyperbole from the head of the Warblers Council, Blaine knew that the bird might not really be Kurt's voice, but that Kurt and this bird had more in common that one might think.

Kurt's body had been shutting down well before he transferred to Dalton. People who didn't know him very well probably didn't notice, but Blaine could. For years, he admired the older boy's joie de vivre, but lately more and more, the sparkle behind Kurt's eyes was gone or dim at best. Blaine knew being bullied had a lot to do with it, but Dalton did too. This school would protect Kurt, but it also seemed to smother him. The Dalton dress code prohibited the boys from expressing individuality in lieu of branding them as a cohesive unit that looked professional and well-mannered.

So, like Pavarotti, Kurt's body was shutting down while it literally adjusted to its new coat. Landrick's harsh words from last week about being part of a team were grounded in truth, but that didn't make them any less hard to hear. Blaine knew Kurt would adjust, but he also knew it was going to take a little time. He had been in the same position himself just last year. And while Blaine's sense of style nowhere near rivaled Kurt's, even he took awhile to adjust to the formality of it all. Once he realized it was just easier to gel his hair into submission and assume an overly confident façade, Blaine began to fit right it. He hated that he had to act a part every day he was at school and secretly hoped Kurt would be able to find a way to fit in without losing his personality.

"He'll be singing again in no time," Blaine said as he blinked his eyes before locking them on Kurt's. The older boy offered him a grateful smile that made Blaine's heart race.

"Thanks. Landrick said you'd know what was wrong with him."

Blaine's heart stopped racing and instead felt like it was drowning at the bottom of a lake. "Landrick?"

Kurt nodded, looking back at the bird. "He said since you were the one taking care of Pavarotti for the past year, you'd probably know if he was sick or not."

"Oh," Blaine rocked back and forth where he sat, "right. Yeah. That makes sense." Blaine sighed as he got up from the couch. "Well, if you need anything else, just let me know. See you at practice later."

Blaine was halfway out the door when he heard Kurt call his name. "Blaine?" He stopped and ducked his head back into the study lounge. Kurt gave him a genuinely grateful smile. "Thank you. For everything." Blaine pursed his lips together and nodded in a non-verbal you're welcome.