When Blaine got home that night, he couldn't keep the giddy grin off of his face. His sisters laughed at him and Beth teased him for a straight fifteen minutes. Later that night they all gathered in Blaine's room and bombarded their brother with questions ranging from "Can we visit his pretty cottage?" to the more serious "Are you gonna tell dad...?" Blaine's stomach flipped nervously at that one. He just shrugged and his sisters stared, worried.

That night, Blaine fell asleep listening to 'Teenage Dream.' The following morning he sang it while tending to the gardens with Sam.

"Song stuck in your head?" Sam asked, looking over his shoulder at Blaine.

He paused and glanced over at Sam. "Yeah," he said with a laugh after a beat. "Sort of," he finished in a mutter.

During rehearsal that afternoon Blaine heard word going around about a new student who was apparently the headmaster's son. Blaine thought little of it.

At first.

The following day while Blaine was finishing his work on the floors in the English hall, he was approached by a strange boy. Blaine recognized every student in the academy and this face was surely unfamiliar. The boy, however, smiled at Blaine as if he had known him for a lifetime.

"Hi," the boy greeted. He was tall and lean. His hair was light brown, perfectly coiffed (much like Kurt kept his own hair) and he had the greenest eyes Blaine had ever seen.

"Um, hi," Blaine greeted, dipping the mop into the bucket beside him. He resisted the urge to glance behind him and make sure this boy wasn't talking to someone else. His job while tending to the grounds was to be invisible, as Margaret often reminded him, and most of the students (aside from the kids in West Side Story, recently) did look right through him.

"I watched you yesterday during rehearsal," the boy said through a brilliant smile. "I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Sebastian Smythe." He held out a hand to shake.

Blaine hesitated briefly, looking at the boy's hand before taking it and shaking. "Blaine," he said.

"Blaine," Sebastian repeated, "you were amazing up there. Hell of a lot better than those other kids. You are so, so very talented. And quite frankly, unfairly attractive."

Blaine blinked, "Thank you, but..." he paused, eyebrows knitting together, "I thought students not involved in the production aren't allowed in rehearsal."

"That is correct," Sebastian confirmed with a smile, "but the school makes little exceptions here and there for me."

Blaine stared, lips parted.

"Sometimes big exceptions, actually." Sebastian shrugged. "Enough about me, though, lets talk about you. It looks like the rumors I heard were true. You really are just a..." his eyes trailed down Blaine's body then, slowly, back up, "groundskeeper." Blaine nearly drew back, uncomfortable at the sudden attention he had from this boy. "You are far too hot and talented to be a groundskeeper."

The compliments had Blaine taken aback. Especially the hot comment. His initial reaction was to laugh sheepishly with a small shake of his head at the sheer ridiculousness that was Sebastian Smythe. "Thanks, I guess," he finally managed to say.

"Oh, you are quite welcome," Sebastian said, winking. With a quick glance at his watch, he took a step forward, touching Blaine's shoulder. "See you around, groundskeeper." And then he was stepping around Blaine, letting his hand linger and slide down Blaine's arm.

"By the way," Sebastian called across the hall. Blaine looked over his shoulder. "You missed a spot." And then he was gone.

-o-o-o-o-

Kurt Hummel did not like Sebastian.

Correction.

Kurt hated Sebastian.

He was a privileged little brat. He was a smart-ass. He was also convinced that he was the hottest piece of ass in the academy. And, apparently, the entire female student body agreed. At least the straight girls. Judging from the razor sharp looks Santana was shooting the boy during Kurt's lecture that afternoon left nothing to the imagination. And maybe Kurt should have said something when Santana told Sebastian to "shut the hell up, 'afores I ends you, Smythe." Maybe it was the responsible, adult thing to do, telling Santana to not say such things but. Maybe Kurt happened to have selective hearing. Maybe Sebastian deserved to be put in his place.

Sebastian was the stepson of Headmaster Newton. He was a transfer from an elite academy in the city. His transfer, however, was something that was most definitely not planned. News between professors at Fosters traveled quickly. Especially when it was juicy gossip like Sebastian's story.

There was a scandal.

Sebastian was a flirt. He was gay and attractive and he was the type of boy who threw himself around. The academy he transferred from was an all boys school. And Sebastian took advantage of that. He slept around with other boys, probably serving as a sort of "experiment" for those who were questioning. Eventually word got back to the administration. They were outraged. He was to be expelled. But of course Headmaster Newton could not have such dirt on his hands. In a matter of days, Sebastian Smythe was officially enrolled in Foster's Academy.

Kurt had to walk on eggshells around Sebastian. As much as he hated to admit it, the kid had power and that sucked. He couldn't risk anything. Headmaster Newton had been incredibly lenient when it came to allowing Blaine audition for the show. He had pulled strings for Kurt. So, in turn, Kurt was in no position to piss the headmaster off. Especially when Blaine's happiness rode on that. So Kurt had to refrain from snapping at Sebastian. No matter how badly he wanted to punch that smirky little meerkat face of his.

-o-o-o-o-

It was a sunny afternoon. Kurt made sandwiches for himself and Blaine. They bundled up in their jackets and ate out back on the grass.

"By any chance," Blaine started as he bit into his sandwich, "do you have a new student in any of your classes?"

Kurt paused mid chew, swallowing with a nod.

"I thought so..." Blaine mumbled, mostly to himself, "This guy I had never seen before just randomly started talking to me earlier today. And I couldn't tell if he was new or if I had never noticed him before."

Kurt took a sip of his sweet tea. He paused for a moment before saying, "Did he say what his name was?"

"Mm, yeah," Blaine said as he munched on his sandwich, "Sebastian Smith or something?"

Kurt's eyes widened, "Sebastian Smythe?"

"Yeah," Blaine's eyebrows hiked, "He's in one of your classes?"

"Yes!" Kurt almost shrieked, causing Blaine to draw back with a laugh, "He's such a little...such a little turd!"

Blaine laughed harder, "Oh my god!" he said, falling onto his back, "I can't believe you just called someone a 'turd'! I thought you were way too proper for such words." He draped an arm over his eyes to shield the sun.

"I guess you don't know me very well then," Kurt said with a grin as he set his sandwich down on his plate and leaned down to press a kiss on Blaine's mouth.

Blaine practically squeaked in response before laughing softly and moving his arm to rest beside his head. He smiled up at Kurt. "Mm, stay right there," he said, closing his eyes. "You're the perfect sun shield."

"Oh, is that all I am to you?" Kurt questioned with a grin.

"Yup, it's the only reason I like you, really." Blaine responded, opening one eye before Kurt laughed and kissed him again and rolled onto his back beside Blaine.

o-o-o-o-o

Kurt ended up dozing off for a few minutes, skin soaking up the sun. He was fairly certain Blaine had done the same, judging from the way he became very still.

If there was one thing Kurt had learned about Blaine it was that he was always moving. He was a ball of energy. It was a beautiful thing, catching Blaine when he slept. He always looked so peaceful, so at ease. So gorgeous.

Kurt rolled on to his side, looking up at Blaine. He examined his profile, the slope of his nose, the curves of his mouth and the gentle swoop of his neck. Blaine truly was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

The moment Blaine began to stir, Kurt quickly looked away. They may have been...well, whatever they were (boyfriends?) but creepily staring at Blaine while he slept was still fairly weird.

When Blaine sat up, rubbing at his face, Kurt smiled up at him. "Ready to go inside?"

Blaine nodded and they gathered the plates and glasses.

Once inside, Blaine brought Sebastian up again. When he did, Kurt couldn't help but sigh quietly at the mention of the boy's name.

"That guy is a piece of work," Blaine said with a chuckle as they set the dishes into the sink. Kurt made an attempt at starting up the water to wash them but Blaine nudged him away. Kurt looked down at Blaine to watch the boy shake his head. "I've got it," he said softly.

Kurt couldn't help but smile as his stomach flipped at that simple but so very domestic action.

"He just started talking to me like he knew me," Blaine continued as Kurt hoisted himself up on the counter. "At first I thought he was saying 'Hi' to someone behind me. I was kind of shocked when I saw no one else around."

"What did he say to you?" Kurt asked, watching Blaine's hands work at the dishes.

"He, um, complimented me on my performance during rehearsal. And he also said that I was too hot to be a groundskeeper." Blaine laughed at that, shaking his head.

Hearing that last part made the hairs at the back of Kurt's head stand. He suddenly felt this possessive urge overtake him and he wanted to make sure Sebastian knew that Blaine was his. But as quickly as that possessive nature emerged, Kurt pushed it away. As far as the outside world was concerned, Kurt and Blaine were friends and definitely nothing more.

But still...

"I really don't like that kid," Kurt muttered, staring down at his feet. His hands gripped tightly at the edges of the counter. "Really don't like him. At all." He heard the water shut off as Blaine set the dishes aside to dry. Suddenly, Blaine was standing in front of him. Kurt lifted his head a little to meet Blaine's eyes. He was smiling.

"What?" Kurt mumbled as he drew back a bit.

"You're jealous," Blaine mused.

Kurt said nothing. Instead, he turned his head to look out the window.

"You are," Blaine laughed. "You are, aren't you?" He moved closer, placing his hands on Kurt's knees.

"Alright, fine," Kurt snapped, looking back down at Blaine. "I am, ok? Is that a problem?"

Blaine smirked. "No," he said. "No, not at all. I, um..." He shrugged, "I kind of like it. It means you really care."

"Of course I care, stupid," Kurt muttered, reaching up to touch the side of Blaine's face. He leaned into it closing his eyes and sighing happily. Kurt slid down, now trapped between the counter and Blaine's body. Which was a lovely place to be. "I really, really like you, if you haven't noticed," Kurt reminded Blaine in a whisper before kissing him sweetly.

o-o-o-o-o-o

"Hey, hot stuff."

Blaine blinked, turning to watch Sebastian slowly approaching the stage. There was no group rehearsal tonight but Blaine had decided to run through a few scenes by himself. It was a short day at work today and he had missed a few of his cues last week. Margaret had given him the keys to the theater and Blaine had let himself in.

"Hey," Blaine greeted as Sebastian looked up at him, squinting with a smile against the lights.

"Looks like we're going to be spending a lot more time together in the next coming weeks," he informed Blaine.

"We are?" Blaine asked.

"The boy playing Bernardo took a nasty fall down the main staircase this morning. Broken leg and sprained wrist. Truly tragic. So, I told Mr. Abrams that I was more than happy to take over. I've done the show three times before so I'm more than qualified."

Blaine stared, eyes narrowed in confusion. "Oh," he finally said. "Well, congratulations. I guess."

"I look forward to working with you, Blaine," Sebastian said with that perfect smile of his.

"Likewise," Blaine replied as Sebastian turned to walk out of the theater. Blaine watched his retreating form, for a second time at a complete loss for words.

o-o-o-o-o

"Oh my god, he's what?" Kurt practically yelped into the phone when Blaine called him later that night. "Why?"

"I guess he really wants to be in the show. He's willing to join having missed weeks of rehearsal."

"He probably pushed that poor kid down the stairs," Kurt spat out.

"C'mon, I seriously doubt that," Blaine said.

"Doubt it?" Kurt snapped, "Sebastian is pure evil! You probably think he isn't even attracted to you."

"But he flirts with ev—"

"Blaine," Kurt cut in, "Don't. You are far too kind and understanding for your own good."

Blaine laughed softly, a little embarrassed.

"But I guess that's why I like you so much. I need someone to balance me out."

"Does that mean I can stick around for a bit?" Blaine asked with a smile and a bit of a flirty tilt to his voice.

"Yes. Definitely," Kurt replied.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Having Kurt as the costume designer was great. Correction--it was awesome. Because that meant Blaine could see Kurt every single day after school. He especially loved the fact that Kurt was the one that had the keys to the theater because that meant they had it to themselves for half an hour every afternoon.

"C'mere," Kurt said from where he sat off to the side of the stage, behind the curtains. He had been watching Blaine rehearse alone this entire time, offering him a few pointers here and there and marveling at how incredible he thought Blaine was.

Blaine walked over to Kurt, kneeling down in front of him. He smiled when Kurt reached out, pulling Blaine closer. And his heart nearly stopped when Kurt pulled him a little closer until Blaine was practically in his lap. And suddenly they were kissing, which was something Blaine was definitely not opposed to.

They were taking things slow. It wasn't something they had necessarily spoken about out loud. It was more of a silent, mutual understanding. Blaine was new to all of this and he was fairly certain Kurt wanted to take things slow but sometimes--especially now--Blaine just wanted everything. His hormones were going insane and he just wanted.

Blaine nearly shuddered when he felt Kurt's mouth open against his and he whimpered when he felt Kurt's tongue brush his lip. It felt like too much and not enough all at once.

"Alright guys, dress rehearsal is today!"

Artie's voice echoed through the empty theater and in half a second, Kurt and Blaine were pushing away from each other. Blaine looked over at Kurt who was wiping his bottom lip with his thumb and staring at Blaine. Even from where Blaine was he could see how blown his pupils were.

"Kurt, you in here?"

"Yeah," Kurt called back, his voice so even and calm. He stood, walking out from behind the curtains. Blaine watched him before standing as well and--he looked down and felt his cheeks flare up with heat. Needless to say he would stay behind for a few minutes until he calmed down.

Rehearsal went well. Except for the fact that Sebastian was flirting with Blaine every chance he got. And every time Blaine looked at Kurt he could see him watching Sebastian with a blank expression. Though Blaine was certain that if looks could kill--Well, Sebastian would have been dead long ago.