The holidays flew by in the Berry household. Various Hanukkah and Christmas parties were thrown or attended. Blaine was forced to accompany his sister as she insisted on singing at each event. He himself was busy with his King's Island gig. Miss Ohio was a horrible duet partner and her talent was obviously looking pretty as opposed to singing because she could barely stay on pitch. No one seemed to notice, though, as the evening gown she wore accentuated her sizable breasts and firm abdominal region. The duet was a lost cause and though it pained Blaine to admit it, this gig was going to be more about the paycheck than the performing experience.

Blaine spent New Year's Eve at a Warblers party hosted at Wes's house. Kurt and Landrick were noticeably absent, having opted to go to the New Directions New Year's Eve get-together at the Berry household. Blaine tried to get his mind off of what Kurt and Landrick's lips would be doing come midnight by texting Jeremiah throughout the night. Jeremiah was stuck at work, as the Gap was having some sort of New Year's Eve special and all hands had to be on deck.

As the hours passed, Blaine got tipsier and tipsier along with his fellow Warblers. They played beer pong and flip cup right up until the stroke of midnight. As his blood-alcohol level rose, so did the amount of flirting and misspellings that went into Blaine's texts. Their texting conversation started with "Hey – hope all is well at work" and ended with Blaine sending "Yurr smyl is brigter thwan the siun. Anmd I luke urr fac" at 12:04am before he passed out on the couch in between Nick and Jeff.

Royally hung-over is not even a strong enough phrase to describe how crappy Blaine felt when he awoke on New Year's Day. Head pounding, Blaine stumbled to the guest bathroom, promptly fell to his knees and threw up into the toilet. After flushing, he mumbled to himself, "I am never drinking again" before he grabbed onto the sink's edge and hoisted himself up to assess the damage.

"Oh god."

It could have been worse. Both of his eyebrows were completely intact, and he triple checked to make sure no patches of hair were missing, but there were definitely drawings all over his face. Not knowing where his glasses were, Blaine leaned as close to the mirror as he could and saw that there was a penis drawn on his cheek, surrounded by a bunch of music notes and smiley faces. For as talented as the Warblers were at singing, they certainly were unimaginative when it came to drunken artwork.

After unsuccessfully trying to wash the offending marker off his face, Blaine realized he should have used hand sanitizer first. He searched in the cabinets, found a bottle of Purell, and then spent a good few minutes trying to get as much of the Sharpie off his face as possible. Mid-cleanse, Blaine's phone buzzed in his pocket. He fumbled for his phone and found he had a string of missed texts. A few were from Jeremiah, one was from Kurt and the most recent one was from his sister. She rarely texted him, so he opened that one first and saw that it was a request that he pick up some paper towels and something for them for dinner that night. He rolled his eyes at her text and scrolled through the other ones. Judging from Jeremiah's extremely flirty texts, Blaine's eyebrows shot up and he made a mental note to check his sent messages. His eyebrows stayed up as he read the lone text from Kurt "Happy New Year, Blaine. I miss you." It was sent at 12:01am.

Wes only lived a few blocks away from the Berrys, so Blaine ran some quick errands and headed home that morning before the other Warblers were even up. It was nearing 10:30am by time Blaine walked through his front door. He did pick up paper towels, a bottle of aspirin and a frozen vegan pizza for him and his sister to have for dinner that night because their dads were out of town having their own New Years celebration. It was amazing how much Hiram and Leroy trusted their kids to not burn down the house while they were gone. Surely they must have known that at least one of their kids was having a party on New Years Eve. Blaine warned his sister before he left the night before that she and her friends better clean up after themselves because he wasn't going to be blamed if anything got broken when he wasn't even spending the night at his own house.

As Blaine was shutting the freezer once the pizza was secure inside, he looked around to see if there were any horrible messes. The first floor seemed disaster-free, so Blaine surmised that his sister made everyone stay in the basement during her party. A quick peak down the steps proved Blaine was right; the downstairs was a mess of Red Solo cups, displaced cushions, and about a dozen unidentifiable kids sleeping on the floor and couches.

Blaine quietly retreated back up the stairs and grabbed a packet of Pop Tarts off his pantry shelf before making his way upstairs to his bedroom.

Once in his room, Blaine flicked on the light, dropped the Pop Tarts on his desk and made a beeline toward his dresser. He yanked open a middle drawer and then immediately shucked off the long-sleeve t-shirt he was wearing. While fumbling with his belt buckle, Blaine was surprised when he heard a low moan coming from his bed.

Whipping his head around toward the source of the noise, he saw a lump under his blankets stirring. Grabbing a track trophy off of his dresser top, Blaine tiptoed his way over to the side of his bed. Shaking, he held up the trophy with one hand as he flung off the duvet with his other.

Blaine and Kurt yelled "Augh!" at the same time – Blaine because he wasn't expecting to see anyone in his bed, let alone Kurt, and Kurt because he was a bit hung-over and his eyes were not used to the sudden light.

Lowering the trophy, Blaine questioned his friend, "What the hell are you doing here, Kurt?"

Kurt reached blindly for the duvet, but the blanket was still grasped firmly in Blaine's hand. "Ugh. Too bright."

Blaine wouldn't give the other boy his blanket until he got an answer. "Kurt."

The firmness in Blaine's voice got to Kurt and he sat up slowly in the bed. "I – We – There was a lot of drinking. And then everyone fell asleep on each other, but I didn't want to. Landrick. So then, like, yeah. I'm here." Kurt was shrugging, but Blaine honestly had no idea what the other boy was getting at. At the mention of Landrick, however, Blaine's face screwed up in anger.

"Please tell me you did not have sex in my bed last night."

That woke Kurt up. "What? Blaine. No!" Kurt's cheeks burned bright red as he shook his head, not understanding why Blaine didn't understand what he was just saying before. "We all were drinking, and people started falling asleep on each other, and I'm not ready to sleep next to Landrick let alone sleep with him, so I snuck up here because I knew it'd be quiet." Blaine let go of the duvet, dropped his trophy on the floor and sank down to sit on his bed next to Kurt's legs. "I shouldn't have slept in your room without you knowing. I'm sorry."

Blaine sighed. He wasn't completely happy that Kurt slept in his bed, but he was relieved that it was just he and not he and Landrick. Plus, Kurt looked kind of adorable with his floppy hair and Hummel Tires & Lube t-shirt. "No, it's fine. I mean, it's not fine, but… I'm not mad or anything." It was Kurt's turn to sigh. Blaine dropped his head, realized he didn't have a shirt on again in front of Kurt and just chuckled at the ridiculousness of it all. He got up off the bed, grabbed his track trophy off the floor and walked back over to his dresser. After replacing his trophy in its rightful spot, Blaine grabbed a clean shirt out of his open drawer and tugged it on over his head. Kurt watched as Blaine took out a pair of sweatpants and started heading toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Blaine held up the pants. "This is your room, Blaine. You shouldn't have to leave to finish getting dressed. I promise I won't look." Blaine raised his eyebrows at this then laughed out loud when Kurt threw the duvet over his head. "See. Not looking. Change fast, cuz I want to talk to you."

"You're talking to me now," Blaine commented as he quickly shimmied off his jeans. He almost fell over as he hopped on one foot to yank his pant leg off.

"Shut up. You know what I mean. And thank you for not judging me on my sleepwear. I know I look extra horrible right now," Kurt retorted from under the blanket.

Blaine pulled on his sweatpants and tied the drawstring so they slung low on his hips. He could have told Kurt it was safe to take the blanket off his head, but Blaine was too amused by the silliness of the situation. He walked over to the opposite side of the bed that Kurt was on and he sat down on the bed. Leaning over toward Kurt, he reached out with one hand and grabbed the duvet, slowly lowering it to reveal his friend. "Hi."

Kurt smiled. "Hi," he whispered back, eyes locked on Blaine's. "Can we talk? Please?" Blaine knew what Kurt wanted to talk about without him having to say anything because it was the same topics he deemed taboo over the past few weeks. Regardless how much Blaine knew he didn't want to hear it, he nodded.

Without speaking, the two boys settled themselves with their backs against the headboard. Even though it was Blaine's bed, Kurt was the only one under the covers, and yet somehow it didn't feel awkward even though conversation was likely going to end up as such.

"Can I be honest with you?" Kurt asked as he glanced over at Blaine. Nervous, Blaine swallowed before he nodded slowly. "I feel like you've been ignoring me since…" Kurt knew he had to say it, even though he didn't want to. "Since we sang that song together and almost…" The word kissed didn't need to be said out loud for Blaine to know exactly what he meant. "And then I started going out with Landrick…" Blaine's jaw clenched at the mention of his name, "and I needed to talk to you about it, but I didn't know how. But, I meant what I texted you last night. I miss you, Blaine."

None of this was really new information for Blaine, but he still needed a minute to process what Kurt said. Kurt was right; Blaine had been ignoring him. And now Kurt was waiting for Blaine to say something… he just didn't know what. "Kurt." He closed his eyes for a second while he took deep breaths in and out. "You're right. I-I have been ignoring you. I was upset and instead of talking with you about it, I ran. I'm sorry I ran, but you didn't chase me… so I just stayed away. But I… I miss you too."

Kurt knew Blaine often got down on himself for running from his problems instead of confronting them, but he also knew that he was to blame. Kurt didn't make much of an effort to talk to Blaine over the past few weeks because he didn't know what he was supposed to say. Yes, Blaine had almost kissed him, but he was fully ready to kiss him back. But then there was Landrick, who had been actively pursuing Kurt for weeks… and Kurt liked Landrick and the attention he gave him. And when Landrick serenaded him with "All I Want For Christmas Is You," and danced with him until they were standing under some mistletoe, Kurt couldn't help but say Yes when Landrick officially asked him out. It was all so romantic and new, and at the time it felt really right. And while Kurt really liked Landrick and spending time with him and kissing him, he felt like something – or rather someone – was missing from his life. And that someone was Blaine. But because Kurt was confused with his feelings regarding Blaine, he didn't know how to tell Blaine about Landrick. So, Kurt let Blaine be, even though he missed him dearly. Besides the occasional Facebook status update, Kurt had no idea how Blaine's winter break was. He didn't even know how the King's Island gig turned out. He felt like a bad friend.

Kurt gave Blaine a sad smile. "I know we'll probably still have to talk some things out eventually, but for now, can we please be friends again?"

Blaine's face dropped because even though they hadn't spoken in a couple weeks, Blaine never considered Kurt anything less than one of his closest friends. "Kurt." The name slid off his tongue with such care and reverence.

Against his better judgment, Blaine put his left hand on the duvet in between his and Kurt's bodies with his palm facing up. Eyeing the proffered hand, Kurt slowly reached down and rest his right palm on top of Blaine's. Both boys twined their fingers together, not quite knowing if he or the other one initiated it. Sighing contentedly, both boys slunk back against the headboard and just sat there for a few moments, glad to be reconnected.

As comfortable and natural as this felt, Blaine couldn't help but let his mind drift to the fact that Kurt was holding his hand but was dating Landrick. If he and Kurt were going to stop ignoring each other, he figured he owed it to his friend to be honest and for Kurt to be honest in return.

"Kurt, can I ask you something?" Blaine looked over and saw Kurt nod. "Why does my sister think that Landrick was your first kiss?" He instantly felt Kurt's hand go slack in his and knew he had overstepped his boundaries. "Oh god, that's none of my business. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that."

Kurt unclasped his hand from Blaine's and quickly brought it to his lap and began playing with the edge of the blanket. He shook his head and stared at where his feet were nestled under the duvet. "No." He sighed. "No, you shouldn't have asked that, but…" He looked over at Blaine through tears in his eyes. "Nobody knows about Dave kissing me but you."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up. He kind of understood why Kurt hadn't told Rachel about it because she blabs a lot, but if what Kurt was saying was true, then that meant Landrick still didn't know either. "Wait. What about…"

Another shake of the head, though this time the tears were falling. "I haven't told Landrick either."

"But he… I thought he helped you confront your bully after it happened?" Blaine reached over and grabbed a box of tissues off his nightstand and put them on the bed between he and Kurt in the same spot where their hands were just occupying.

Kurt grabbed a tissue and wiped the tears away from his eyes. His shoulders sunk as he confessed, "He did. But he only thought I was getting shoved into lockers. He didn't know about the kiss… or the death threat. And now he and Rachel and everyone – well, everyone except for you – thinks that he's my first kiss. And it's killing me, but I can't just tell him now. I can't."

Blaine immediately felt extremely guilty for feeling burdened before by knowing Kurt's secret. He wished he could take back his stupid question and pretend that it wasn't something that was eating away at him for the past few weeks.

"I'm sorry," Blaine whispered, ashamed. "That was selfish of me and I shouldn't have asked you that." Blaine shook his head at himself. "Feel free to take back your request to be friends again."

Though Blaine was being completely serious, his comment caused Kurt to snort. "God, we are a mess, aren't we?" They sat quietly for a moment, the silence awkward but probably not as much as it should have been. Eventually, Kurt shifted so he was facing Blaine. "Look, over the past few months, you've become one of my best friends, Blaine. And I feel comfortable telling you stuff because you're you… but I'm hung-over and I don't think I am in the position to explain myself any better than that right now. But, I promise we can talk about all this later, okay?"

Blaine nodded. He wanted answers to so many questions, but he knew then was not the right time. Truth be told, he was still a bit hung-over too, and he knew that if he expected Kurt to tell him about Landrick, then Blaine would probably have to tell Kurt about Jeremiah. He didn't know what he and Jeremiah were, if they were anything, but honesty was a two way street in a friendship and Kurt probably had a right to know. However, it was too early in the morning (even though it was nearing 11:00 by this point), and they had too big of headaches to get into deep discussion at the moment. All this thinking was making his head hurt even worse, so Blaine scooted himself forward until he was laying down on the bed. He then wiggled around until he managed to get himself underneath his covers, though made a conscious effort to keep his body as far from Kurt's as possible.

Kurt looked down at his friend and gave him half a smile. "You look about as bad as I feel. I should probably go, huh?" He went to get out of bed, but was stopped by Blaine's arm reaching up and grabbing his.

"You can stay if you want…"

There was a buzz from Kurt's phone, which was under the bed in his shoe. Blaine let go of his arm as he leaned down and fished around for his phone. It was a text from Landrick. "Woke up and you were gone! Am going home myself. Call me later? Happy New Year! xoxo" Kurt thought for a moment and texted back "Safe travels home! Expect a call tonight :P" Kurt shoved his phone back in the shoe and slid back under the covers. "Your bed is ridiculously comfortable, you know."

Blaine hummed in agreement, his eyes already closed. "Happy New Year, Kurt."

"Happy New Year, Blaine."

…

When Blaine woke up a couple hours later, he found himself alone in bed, though on the side where Kurt was. He had drool running down his chin and his hair was sticking up every which way it possible could. Though he still had a bit of a headache, he felt rested and a lot better than before. As his eyes adjusted to being awake, he noticed there was a bottle of water and a couple aspirins on his nightstand next to the tissue box that was back in its rightful spot. Blaine sat up and opened the bottle of water. He took a sip before popping the pills in his mouth. He swallowed the aspirins and then proceeded to chug the rest of the water.

Eventually, Blaine wandered down to the kitchen. He swung the refrigerator door wide open and was looking at drink options when he heard his sister walk up the basement stairs.

"Can you grab me a V8?" Blaine scrunched his nose at her request, but grabbed her a bottle of the offending juice and then took out the carton of orange juice before shutting the door. He took a seat on a barstool across the island from her and slid her bottle toward her. "Thanks, brother."

"You're welcome, sister." They each opened their respective juices and took sips. Blaine knew he looked a mess and saw his sister looked the same. Her hair was in a very un-Rachel like messy ponytail and she was wearing gray sweatpants and a sparkly pink thermal top. "How's clean-up going?"

"I think I'm finally done, no thanks to anyone else. I mean, Kurt helped for a bit before he left a little while ago, but other than that, no one even recycled their own bottles." She shook her head. "Heathens." Blaine's eyebrows rose at the mention of Kurt's name, but Rachel didn't seem to notice. "Dads will be home later. Remember, there was no party here."

Blaine nodded, "And I did not stay out all night at Wes's."

Rachel lifted her V8 bottle up toward her brother and he toasted it with his orange juice carton before they both took another sip.

…

Before anyone was ready for it, school was back in session. Though Kurt had been doing well catching up with the rigorous course load at Dalton, he was a bit underprepared for how quickly the start of the new semester got underway. While the day after winter break was syllabus day at McKinley, it was syllabus day and then dive first into extensive lessons at Dalton.

Junior level students were expected to do their coursework on top of prepare for statewide testing they would need to complete during the month of May. Passing these tests was a requirement to graduate from high school. The tests were administered junior year so that if someone failed, he or she would have the opportunity to take them again at the beginning of their senior year. Although Blaine was a sophomore, he had the option to take the tests if he wanted to because he was enrolled in all junior-level classes. When he saw how panicked Kurt looked about the tests, Blaine decided he would take them too. He was going to have to take them eventually, may as well be able to help Kurt study and get them out of the way now. It was a win-win situation.

It took a little over a week, but Blaine managed to help Kurt get his studying and course load under control on top of practicing with the Warblers for Regionals. Because they were so busy, Kurt spent less time at the Berry household and more time studying with Blaine in the student lounge. He and Landrick were still going strong, so any out-of-school free time was spent shopping with his boyfriend or going to the movies.

Blaine's personal life got a little busier too. He was still composing music for camp applications and had gotten bursts of inspiration lately. Most nights were spent working out melodies on his keyboard, or frantically erasing and rewriting chords on staff paper.

He was still in the thick of things with Jeremiah too. Blaine had been back to the Gap a couple times (Rachel did love her Gap gift card and the Warblers were grateful for the scarves he picked out for all of them), but the two of them hadn't had a chance to go on another coffee date yet. After the New Year, their texting conversations went from a few random musings throughout the day to hours of back and forth about dumb movies, celebrity crushes and some heavy flirting. Blaine liked the attention and it allowed him to not think about Kurt being with Landrick.

Kurt and Blaine still hadn't talked out their issues from winter break, but they were quick to acknowledge they had some things to work out but studying was a priority. They kept conversations light and impersonal, which worked for them on the surface. Each boy longed to ask the other a bunch of questions and demand answers of why they almost kissed, but it was just easier to not address it.

Warblers practices were getting intense. Each Monday, the Council gave them a pop song or two to perfect for a full-out performance on Friday. Their goal was to have 8-10 songs ready to pick from by the time the end of February rolled around. That would give them a few weeks to make their final selections and be ready for Regionals.

One Friday morning near the end of January, Kurt asked Blaine if he wanted to join him, Landrick, Rachel and Mercedes for coffee after school. Blaine knew his sister was missing spending time with Kurt and was flattered Kurt asked, but part of him wanted to say No because Landrick would be there too, and he didn't know how awkward that was going to be. Blaine smiled at his friend, but politely declined the offer, saying he promised his dads he would help them with something. It was mostly a lie, but Kurt accepted the answer, no questions asked. Kurt knew it was likely a lost cause anyway, getting Blaine and Landrick to hang out in a social situation, but he made a point to ask anyway.

That afternoon, the Warblers staged their rendition of Destiny's Child's "Bills Bills Bills." Blaine owned the space, dancing his way in and out of his fellow Warblers while he sang. Kurt admired the fact that Blaine never tried to imitate the original artist, but put his own quirky flair spin on the song, whether it was the silly dance moves her threw in, or the way his hands involuntarily waved about to the music. It was a fun song and though it wasn't quite the right fit for competition, it was a shining example of how they were technically ready for Regionals.

After school, Blaine watched Kurt and Landrick get into Kurt's Navigator for their coffee date with Rachel and Mercedes. Blaine threw his satchel on the passenger seat of his Subaru and slammed the door shut. He cranked up his music and drove straight home where he did help his dads sort through some files in the den before they went out to dinner with a work colleague, leaving Blaine to his own devices.

Blaine showered and changed into comfortable clothes by time his sister, Mercedes and Kurt came home. The three of them made a resolution on New Year's to have at least one sleepover a month, regardless how busy their schedules got. The friends found Blaine in the kitchen, pulling some tater tots out of the oven.

"Oh my god, those smell so good," Mercedes exclaimed as she sat down on a barstool.

Blaine smiled as he set the cookie sheet of tots onto the stovetop next to a lidded pot. "Well, I made enough for everyone. I have chili cooking too; I thought we could make chili fries. Well, chili tots. There's cheese and sour cream in the fridge."

Kurt joined Mercedes on the barstools as Rachel went to the fridge and started pulling out sodas for her friends. "Blaine! You didn't have to do that."

He shrugged, "I know, but after the dads left, I felt like cooking. And I thought I remembered you saying tonight was your sleepover, so I figured you'd probably be hungry after your coffee date."

Rachel slid Kurt and Mercedes cans of Diet Coke before settling herself onto a barstool. "Thanks. You're the best little brother ever."

Blaine smiled and then glanced over at the group. His smile faded when he saw they all looked pretty glum. "What's wrong with you guys?"

"Football problems," Kurt replied.

That was definitely not an answer Blaine was expecting. "What?" He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bag of cheese and the container of sour cream. After closing the door with his foot, he walked over to the island and put the dairy products down in the middle.

"All the guys on the football team quit. Well, all the guys who aren't in glee club. And now they don't have enough people to play in the championship next weekend. So all the glee guys are super depressed," Rachel answered.

"Yeah, and you can't play with just five guys, and one of the guys is in a wheelchair. So, basically we're screwed and have to forfeit," Mercedes added.

"Oh," Blaine responded. He opened a cupboard and grabbed four bowls, which he then set on the counter. "Well, the good news, kind of, is that you only need four more guys. High school regulations actually let you play a couple guys short if you want to."

Kurt turned around and looked at Blaine. "How on earth do you know that?"

Blaine shrugged as he grabbed a spatula out of a drawer and closed it with his hip. "I love football."

"And I love scarves," Kurt retorted at Blaine matter-of-factly before he turned back to face the girls, "but where are they going to get four more guys if no one will sign up?"

Rachel's eyebrows rose as a grin spread across her face. "Hey Blaine, are there any rules against girls playing high school football?"

Knowing what his sister was getting at, a smile crept across Blaine's face as he shook his head. "No, I can't say there are." Blaine grabbed a bowl and started scooping in some tater tots. "You're crazy, you know."

"Crazy brilliant," Rachel responded as she hopped off her barstool and skipped over to her brother. "But that's why you love me." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and grabbed the bowl of tots out of his hand. "This is vegan chili, right?" He nodded and grabbed another bowl to fill with tots.

A few minutes later, bowls of chili tots were sitting in front of Kurt, Mercedes and Rachel. Blaine had his bowl in his hand as he flung open the fridge to grab his own can of soda. Drink acquired, he was halfway across the kitchen when Kurt called out to him, "Hey, stay and eat with us." Blaine turned around and locked eyes with Kurt. "Please?"

So, instead of walking out of the kitchen, Blaine found himself on a barstool next to Kurt and across from his sister and Mercedes. They all laughed, shared stories and fell into easy conversation.

During dinner, Rachel was taken aback by the way her little brother kept looking at Kurt like he was the most precious person on the planet and how Kurt looked at him the same way in return. She knew the two of them had become friends ever since Kurt transferred to Dalton, but something seemed strange. Having spent the afternoon with Kurt and his boyfriend, Rachel was surprised to see how Kurt interacted with Blaine on a much more intimate level.

During coffee, Kurt and Landrick sat next to each other, but they didn't look at each other the way Kurt and Blaine were during dinner. Kurt would look over at Landrick and dutifully smile at an anecdote he told, and Landrick would eyeball Kurt like he was some sort of prize. But at dinner, a small smile on Kurt's would grow into a wide grin whenever Blaine found the courage to speak up and voice his opinion. And Blaine, Blaine looked at Kurt with so much adoration and reverence. They would briefly lock eyes and look away, as if they had gotten caught doing something wrong, only to repeat their actions moments later.

"So, Landrick's kind of cocky, huh Kurt?" Rachel blurted out as dinner came to an end.

Kurt's eyebrow's shot up and Blaine almost choked on a tater tot. "Pardon?" Kurt asked, confused as to why Rachel seemed to ask that out of nowhere.

She shrugged, "No, I was just thinking about what he said at the Lima Bean earlier. About how you guys are going to kick our butts at Regionals because the number you did today was, and I quote, 'off the hook.'"

Mercedes side-eyed Rachel, wondering where her friend was going with this new topic of discussion.

"Well…," Kurt started, but didn't know how to finish his sentence. Thinking back to coffee earlier, he was a bit put off when Landrick started bragging like that, especially when he could tell something was bothering his friends.

Blaine could tell Kurt was struggling for an answer, so he came up with one for him. As seriously as he could, Blaine attempted to be cocky as he said, "Well, he was right. You guys need to watch out because I slayed that song this afternoon. New Direction's ain't got nothing on me." Immediately embarrassed by his rudeness, Blaine ducked his head and shoveled a couple tater tots in his mouth. He kept his head down as he chewed, though he could feel the others staring at him.

Rachel knew her brother said what he said and the way he said it on purpose. She could tell he was embarrassed and Kurt was mortified, so she switched topics. "Mercedes, you forgot to tell me about the new outfit you're going to wear to church on Sunday. Once again Mercedes looked at Rachel with a confused look, but after seeing Rachel nod her head over toward Kurt and Blaine, she played along with Rachel's weird question.

Kurt leaned in toward Blaine and whispered, "What is wrong with you?"

The youngest Berry swallowed the tater tots he was chewing and dared to look at Kurt before he whispered back, "I'm sorry. Rachel shouldn't have said that. But I shouldn't have said what I said either."

"I can fight my own battles, you know," Kurt responded quietly.

"I do know," Blaine explained. "That's why I'm sorry."

…

Dinner ended soon after Blaine's outburst. Though Kurt offered to do the dishes, Blaine waved him off and said he was his sister's guest, so he should go upstairs and spend time with her and Mercedes.

As laughter rung out on the floor above him, Blaine scrubbed the dishes while muttering to himself how he shouldn't have said anything. His sister was right, though, Landrick was cocky. He was a cocky son of bitch. And Kurt was far too good for him. But, as far as Blaine was concerned, Kurt was far too good for him as well.

Once the last dish was done, Blaine retreated to his room to work on some compositions. Headphones on, Blaine didn't hear when Kurt knocked softly on his door a half hour or so later. He almost fell out of his chair when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Whipping his head around, Blaine's panic lessened when he saw it was Kurt. Blaine slid his headphones off and hung them around his neck. "God, Kurt, you scared me."

"Sorry," Kurt apologized as he sat down on the edge of Blaine's bed. "I knocked a few times, but you didn't reply. I saw your light on, so I just kinda went for it. I didn't mean to scare you."

Blaine nodded in understanding. His heart stopped racing quite so fast as he looked over at Kurt, who had since changed into some Dior gray silk pajamas. "Shouldn't you be with my sister and Mercedes, gossiping about boys and doing each other's hair?"

Kurt rolled his eyes at Blaine's joke. "Ha. Ha. And to think I came here to ask if you wanted to join us."

Triangular eyebrows shot up. "Really?" Kurt nodded as Blaine blushed. "Well, thank you for the offer, but I think you three deserve a night together. I know how much you miss spending time with them. Plus, I don't think I'd be the best company tonight."

"That's too bad. I was really looking forward to doing your hair," Kurt said as he reached out and tugged on one of Blaine's curls before standing up from the bed. Blaine stuck his tongue out at Kurt before he turned to head toward the door and Kurt reciprocated the childish action. They smiled at each other and then Kurt left. Blaine slid his headphones back on, so he didn't hear Kurt say once he was out in the hall, "And for the record, Blaine, you're always good company."