Burt stood at the doorway to Kurt's new dorm room, removing his cap to wipe at his forehead with the back of his hand before placing it back on his head. Blaine carefully set down the final box filled with Kurt's belongings in the corner of his room before standing up and stretching out a bit. His eyes found Kurt as the younger boy nodded a bit.

"Yeah, I think so," he said as he glanced around the room.

This past weekend had been absolutely exhausting, but Blaine did his best to help out the Hudson-Hummels in Kurt's transfer to Dalton. It was all very last minute and rushed and Blaine did his best to help out in the packing and moving when he wasn't at work. Kurt's time had been limited, so he only packed the essentials like clothing, school supplies, toiletries and a few personal things like his computer, television and picture frames.

Burt stepped back into the room, moving over to his son and smiling down at him. Raising a hand, he placed it on Kurt's shoulder. "I'm gonna miss you, kid," he muttered and before he could say anything else, Kurt was pulling him into a tight hug as he muttered a, "I'll miss you too, dad…I love you."

"I love you too, Kurt." And then he pulled away, holding his son at arms length and smiling down at Kurt. "You take care of yourself, alright?" he said, pointing down at Kurt's face bringing a little watery laugh from Kurt before he sniffed and nodded. Stepping back from Kurt he looked across the room at Blaine with a smile and a wave before leaving and shutting the door behind him to which Kurt sighed softly before sitting down on the edge of the empty bed.

Kurt looked around before laughing softly. "This room looks so depressing," he said.

Blaine smiled gently before crossing over to the bed and sitting down next to Kurt. "That's why you need to decorate it," he said as he kept his eyes on Kurt who was looking up at the walls. "Give it your own touch. I promise, it'll feel like home in no time." And then a little pat to the knee before Blaine stood. "What do you say we grab a bite to eat? I'm starving."

"Where do you want these?" Blaine asked as he held up a few of the picture frames that Kurt had neatly packed away into a box.

Kurt, who was sitting Indian style in the middle of his bed folding his clothes, looked up before pointing over to the bookshelf. "Just put them over there. Top shelf." Then he returned his attention to folding the clothes as Blaine moved over to the shelf and began setting the frames down. In one of them, Kurt was standing with a group of kids who looked to be his age. He recognized Puck and Finn but none of the others. Blaine could only guess…

"Are these your friends from the New Directions?" Blaine asked. He had seen them during sectionals, but hardly remembered their faces. Blaine had mostly been watching Kurt that afternoon and he was far too preoccupied with freaking out about the competition to really memorize the faces of his opposing team.

"Hm? Oh. Yeah, that's them."

Blaine could hear the fondness in Kurt's voice. He knew the boy missed them terribly already. Looking up at Kurt, Blaine watched as the boy held out his hand, making a grabby motion for the frame. Blaine walked over to the bed and handed Kurt the picture frame as the younger boy scooted over a bit to give Blaine some space to sit. He watched as Kurt pointed to one of the girls, the one in the middle with dark brown hair, a brilliant smile and sparkling eyes. "This is Rachel Berry," he said, "her wardrobe is atrocious and no matter how many times I've suggested it, she won't let me give her a make over." He paused, bringing a finger to his chin as he looked up thoughtfully. "Actually, scratch that. She did let me give her a make over, but that was a joke. I was kind of trying to sabotage her because she wanted to impress Finn. I may or may not have made her look like a French whore."

Blaine snorted out in laughter. "What? Oh God, Kurt, that's horrible." But hilarious.

"I beg to differ," Kurt said with a sly grin. "It was rather amusing. Needless to say, that didn't last very long and she was back to her old ways when she found out her new look wasn't doing much for Finn." He moved on to the next person in the picture. Another brunette in a cheer leading uniform who was very beautiful. "Santana," he said, "she's kind of a bitch but if you're on her good side, she will do everything in her power to defend you. Even beat the crap out of someone." Kurt moved on to the next girl in a cheer leading uniform, one of the two blondes. "Brittany. She's not the brightest crayon in the box, but she can dance. She and Mike Chang," he pointed to a lanky Asian boy, "are our best dancers. And of course there's Quinn," he said, "she used to be Finn's girlfriend last year. There was so much baby-daddy drama between her, Finn and Puck-"

"Wait, wait. She was pregnant?" Blaine asked suddenly, staring at the picture. She looked like such a wholesome, good girl. Then again, Blaine supposed it could happen to anybody.

"Yeah. And the best part of it all is that she was the president of the celibacy club." Kurt shrugged. "Go figure." And then he moved on to the next person. "Artie," he said, "we don't talk much, but he's a really nice guy. One of our best singers, actually. He loves hip hop and is almost always the one who raps for our hip hop songs." He then pointed to the next girl. "Tina," he said, "She's an amazing dancer too. She used to fake a stutter because she felt insecure." And then he moved on to a blonde boy, "Sam." Kurt smiled. "Ever since he joined New Directions, he's never treated me differently for being gay. Or made a comment on it like some of the other kids used to at the beginning. I wanted to sing a duet when him when he first joined and he agreed to do it even though Finn thought it was a bad idea…since I was gay." Kurt shrugged a little before moving on to the last girl. "And of course, we can't forget Mercedes," he said, "The only person I have met that is just as fabulous as I am. She's such a diva and I love her for it." Kurt sighed before looking up at Blaine. "So, there you have it. The New Directions."

Blaine smiled at Kurt before taking the picture frame into his hands. "Everyone is sodifferent and different in your Glee club, Kurt." He laughed a little, "It's nothing like The Warblers. When we have new people, sometimes we end up confusing them. Then again, it doesn't really help when we're all dressed the same."

The New Directions were very, very different from The Warblers from what Blaine had gathered and Blaine was a little worried that Kurt would have a bit of trouble adjusting to their Glee club because of that. Kurt was smart, though. He seemed to be a quick learner, so Blaine didn't want to worry too much about that. He was sure Kurt would fit in in no time.

Moving off of the bed, Blaine placed the picture frame back in its place before dropping down to his knees again to continue going through the box of Kurt's personal little trinkets and decorations, asking where he wanted each thing. Once he was through with that box, Blaine offered to help Kurt start putting his clothes away into the closet and dresser, hanging everything up carefully, afraid if he wrinkled anything, Kurt would scold him for it and forbid him from touching his clothes again.

"Thanks for helping me," Kurt said as he slid off of the bed and began packing some of the folded clothing into the drawers in the dresser.

Blaine glanced over his shoulder to look at Kurt for a moment before grabbing some more of the clothes neatly stacked on the bed. "It's no problem, Kurt, really. It's the least I can do."

Kurt flashed Blaine a little smile before he spoke again. "The Warblers," he began.

Blaine grinned knowingly. It was only a matter of time before Kurt asked about Dalton's Glee club.

"Is there any special initiation I need to go through to join? Or do I get accepted automatically because I'm good friends with its lead soloist?" Kurt raised his eyebrows with that little smirk of his. The one that kind of made Blaine's stomach do a funny little flip.

"Just like any other Glee club," Blaine said, keeping his cool even though his insides were going crazy, "You have to audition."

"Perfect," Kurt said happily. "Where can I sign up?"

-------

Thad, Wes and David didn't know Kurt personally. They knew that he was Blaine's friend and that he was in The New Directions. Naturally, they were a bit skeptical when they found out that Blaine and Kurt were becoming close friends, but once Blaine explained the trouble Kurt was having with bullies at school, they immediately understood and refrained from giving Blaine disapproving little looks when he mentioned hanging out with Kurt. Blaine always made sure he made it very clear that he and Kurt never discussed any Glee related things.

They welcomed Kurt to Dalton with open arms, seeing so much of Blaine in the boy. They seemed to have a little bit of a soft spot for Kurt and that alone made Blaine very, very happy. When Blaine mentioned Kurt wanting to join their Glee club, they were more than willing to open up a spot for an audition. Kurt had eagerly chosen a song for his audition Monday afternoon after class and asked Blaine what he thought of his selection; Celine Dion's "Because of You." Blaine laughed a little with a nod saying, "Sounds good."

This was the first time Blaine had ever heard Kurt sing, actually. And he didn't expect to be so blown away by the sheer elegance in which Kurt delivered the song. His voice was smooth and so very clear and hit notes that Blaine could never imagine reaching himself. His delivery, though, was dramatic. Something that The Warblers weren't used to and Blaine could see it in their faces as they watched Kurt. Some of the boys were absolutely awestruck by Kurt's singing while others were a little taken aback by the dramatic and unnecessary hand gestures. As Kurt sang, Blaine couldn't help but notice how those eyes seemed to find their way to Blaine every now and then. Blaine shifted a little in his seat, heart racing, an encouraging smile on his lips.

There was no debate on Kurt's acceptance. With a smile and a nod of the head, Wes spoke up, "Welcome to The Warblers, Kurt Hummel." to which Kurt practically squealed and thanked him before taking his seat on the couch beside Blaine who have him a little pat on the shoulder before leaning in to whisper a "Congratulations" as Wes began to speak about narrowing down their final selections for their regionals set list.

It seemed as if Kurt had a bit of trouble understanding how The Warblers worked. The environment at Dalton was different than the one at McKinley. Everything was much more controlled and screaming out ideas wasn't the way to get them noticed. Kurt tossed several of them at the council, but they kindly shot him down. Blaine nearly winced as he watched Kurt sink back into his seat. He didn't say a word for the rest of rehearsal. Before Blaine could even get a word in once Glee club ended, Kurt was gathering his bag and walking out. A little frown crossed Blaine's face as he watched Kurt disappear through the door and then he turned his attention to one of the other boys who was asking him a question about one of the classes they shared.

Walking out of the room, Blaine tugged his cell phone out of his pocket and immediately opened a new text message to Kurt and began typing as he slowly walked along the halls. Classes had ended over an hour ago so most students had either gone home or back to their dorm rooms.

Sorry about Wes. He can get kind of bossy when he's sitting at the council's table. He didn't mean to offend you. Are you alright?

-B.

It took a few minutes, but Blaine finally received a response from Kurt as he entered the dining hall and sat down at one of the empty tables, looking down at his phone.

I'm fine. Don't worry about it.

-K.

Blaine sighed softly. Even though it was through a text message and Blaine couldn't see or hear Kurt, he knew he was a little upset.

Join me for a late lunch?

-B.

It was worth a try. Having your ideas turned down wasn't easy and Blaine knew how snippy the council could get. Usually, they were the ones who made the decisions and they only considered everyone else's suggestions.

I'll be there soon.

-K.

He almost sighed in relief. At least Kurt wasn't so upset that he didn't even want to see Blaine. Maybe he was just really missing his friends and seeing the difference between The Warblers and New Directions made it clear and final to him that he was no longer a part of the New Directions and he was no longer a student at McKinley.

-----

"Hey," Kurt said as he dropped his bag on the chair beside Blaine. The older boy looked up from the game he was playing on his iPhone to smile at Kurt.

"Hey, you made it. I was beginning to think I'd been stood up." Blaine winked and that, at least, got a smile out of Kurt.

"I'm classy," said Kurt, sticking his chin up a little and looking down at Blaine through his eyelashes. "And people with class don't stand their dates up."

Blaine grinned as he stood and slipped his phone into his blazer pocket. "Well, then, it's good to know that I can always count on you." And then he offered his arm for Kurt to take. "And now, we dine," he said with a light British accent that had Kurt giggling as he hooked his arm through Blaine's and they made their way over to the food.

Back at their table, both boys began to eat with a comfortable silence settled between them. After a few minutes, though, Blaine decided to break it. "I know it might take a little getting used to," he said, tearing a piece off the dinner roll on his plate and popping it into his mouth. "The Warblers are very different from your Glee club."

"Yeah, I noticed," Kurt muttered before taking a sip of his water. "The choir room at McKinley is a chaotic mess half of the time. Usually, Rachel is trying to take control while Santana or Quinn snaps at her for it. Then, sometimes Finn defends Rachel or Quinn depending on how he's feeling that week. And then Mr. Schuester has to step in to calm them down while I try to suggest something from the back of the room only to get ignored until I have to practically yell at them."

"Mm, yeah. There isn't much yelling during our rehearsals," Blaine pointed out as he chewed on a piece of chicken.

"I have to admit, it's kind of eerie how quiet and respectful everyone is." The look of sheer amazement on Kurt's face was enough to get a chuckle out of Blaine as he continued working away at his food.

A short silence settled between them before Blaine decided to speak up again. "You were really good today," Blaine said before glancing up at Kurt who froze for a moment to stare at Blaine who laughed a little nervously at the slightly wide eyed stare Kurt gave him. "Like, really good," Blaine added. "I've never actually heard you sing before." What Blaine heard when Kurt sang along to music in the car didn't really count considering Kurt's voice was overshadowed by the radio. He watched as Kurt bowed his head a little to pick at his food.

"Thank you," Kurt finally said after a short pause. He seemed a little uneasy. Maybe even shy, which was very un-Kurt like. But, he seemed to gain that little spark back when he spoke again. "At least somebody appreciates my talent."

Later that night, Blaine found himself in his room on his bed. He was sitting with his back against the headboard, his keyboard sitting on his lap. Across the room, Kurt was sitting at Blaine's desk, browsing the internet as Blaine played a few notes on the piano.

"Surprised to see you play the piano," Kurt muttered, eyes on the computer screen.

Blaine looked up to examine the back of Kurt's head before he laughed a little and continued playing. "Oh, thanks. Do I seem that musically challenged?"

"No. I just didn't think you could get any more perfe-" Kurt quickly stopped as Blaine's head snapped up. Kurt looked back at him for a moment before shaking his head. "Never mind. Um. How long have you been playing?" he asked quickly.

Blaine could feel a blush creeping up his neck and slowly reaching his cheeks as he lowered his head, focusing his eyes on the keys as his fingers lightly played at them. "Since I was about seven. I didn't want to, but my parents made me go to piano lessons. They practically had to force me. After a few months though, I ended up loving it and looked forward to it every Friday. Needless to say, I'm glad they forced me."

Kurt laughed. "Really? I had to beg my dad. He kept asking me if I would rather play football or soccer but I refused."

Blaine grinned. "And that's the difference between your parents and mine." He looked up at Kurt who was smiling at him as he stood and walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge. Looking down, Blaine let his hands glide easily over the keyboard as he began playing "Poker Face." As soon as Kurt recognized the song, he grinned at Blaine as he began singing.

"Can't read my, can't read my

No he can't read my poker face

She's got to love nobody."

And then Blaine took the next part, repeating the lyrics back to Kurt,

"Can't read my, can't read my

No, he can't read my poker face

She's got to love nobody."

And then, Kurt joined in.

"P-P-P-Poker Face

P-P-P-Poker Face

P-P-P-Poker Face…"

Blaine let Kurt take the next verse with a smile.

"I wanna roll with him

A hot pair we will be

A little gambling is fun when you're with me"

And Blaine picked up the next few lines.

"Russian Roulette is not the same

Without a gun

And, baby, when it's love if isn't rough it isn't fun!"

Blaine tossed his head back for a moment on the word "baby", voice growing strong for a moment. He also happened to miss the fact that Kurt was a little short of breath watching the older boy belting out the note.

"You're really good too," Kurt was suddenly saying making Blaine stop playing to look at Kurt. "I've got my work cut out for me if I want to score a solo."

Blaine smiled a little before idly poking at a few of the piano keys. Blaine always got compliments on his singing from The Warblers. For some reason, it felt different hearing it from Kurt. For some reason, it nearly made Blaine blush and nearly babble like an idiot. For that reason, he dodged the compliment as his eyes moved up to Kurt's temple where he had been hurt when Karofsky pushed him. It seemed smaller. And then, he thought about the bruises. "How's your back?" Blaine asked as he turned the piano off and pushed it off of his lap, placing it on the ground.

"It's getting better. They started to fade through the winter break and the only run in I had with Karofsky when I went back to school was this one-" he pointed at his head, "which is the worst since I have no way of hiding it." Kurt sighed a little. "It's like fate's cruel way of slapping me across the face."

Blaine frowned a little. "It looks much better than it did on Friday," he said softly as he leaned in a little to get a better look. He seemed to lean in a little too close judging from the way Kurt seemed to lean back a little with a nervous little smile. Pulling back, Blaine spoke. "I'm glad your back is healing. Does it hurt?" he asked.

Kurt nodded a little. "Yeah. Sitting in class is the worst. Those wooden chairs are awful."

"And they always have been," Blaine said with a small sigh as he shifted a little to sit beside Kurt on the edge of the bed, head turned, keeping his eyes on Kurt as the younger boy lowered his head. "Now that you're out of that school and away from him those bruises will be gone in no time." Blaine bumped Kurt's shoulder playfully before his eyes drifted over to his computer screen as he caught what Kurt had been doing. "Oh God, shopping for scarves online, Kurt, seriously?" Blaine laughed.

"What?" Kurt snapped. "The stores at the mall are very limited and they don't have certain styles!"

"They're scarves, Kurt. Scarves."

"Ohmygod, you just don't understand. Do not question my fashion motives." There was a dangerous little edge to his voice.

Blaine held his arms up in defense laughing. "Alright. Whatever you say."