When afternoon fell unsteadily (pun intentional) into evening and the glee kids began to arrive, consuming an unhealthy amount of Pizza, Blaine began to think that maybe things tonight would turn out okay.

He was very wrong. Or at least in the sense he thought.

It started off like any usual group gathering, everyone sat around the living room, sharing stories, laughing loudly and embarrassing each other while Blaine sat soundly on the floor near the fireplace and absorbed as much as he could. There had been some tension between Elwy and Puck at the beginning of the evening, a few cold words and glares were exchanged before Kurt stood and told them both to get a grip. They were older now, it was petty, they should just forget about it and move on. Since then nothing harsh had been passed between the two boys, but the occasionally look now and then observed by Blaine showed that the animosity between them wasn't evaporating as quickly as everyone seemed to hope.

Blaine didn't have a clue what the guy's beef was; Puck seemed like an alright guy, if a bit rough around the edges. He put it down to knowledge he didn't yet have. There was a lot he didn't know and maybe one day Kurt would trust him enough to let him in on what exactly went down between him and Elwy. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that the two had shared more than just a year of friendship. They knew each better than anyone Blaine had ever met, and jealousy aside, he found himself smiling at the fact that Kurt had someone like that.

The banter turned into truth or dare about an hour and a half into the meet, whizzing around the circle in a blur of blushing and triumph. Santana was keen to show off and Brittany came out with so many unintentional one liners that Blaine found himself, more than once, clutching his knee's and gasping for breath, laughing hard enough to throw up.

For the first time in a long time, Blaine felt…happy. And he didn't resent the feeling at all.

When his turn came around he hugged his knees a little tighter and selected Truth. Quinn exchanged a look with Rachel who was regarding Blaine coolly before she spoke up sweetly.

"Blaine, do you currently have a crush on anyone here present?"

His stomach flipped, jaw going slack. He blinked around, taking in the expectant faces around him and finally settling on Kurt who was looking a little more wary. It was a cruel question he knew, seeing as Kurt and Elwy were the only two he was really in confidence with more than a few lines here and there.

"I err…don't know if..i…" he stumbled over his words, reddening "well I don't…suppose but…" everyone laughed at his embarrassment until Elwy spoke up to Blaine's surprise

"Sorry to interrupt Blaine, but I have an entire trunk of liquor out there and I wouldn't mind cracking it open if anyone would mind giving me a hand" Blaine let out a sigh of relief as the group cheered. Kurt stood quickly.

"We have school tomorrow"

"Oh school shmool, I needs some alcohol in me" Santana quipped, standing to offer Elwy her services. Kurt still looked uncertain and turned to Blaine for back up. He simply shrugged. He was in too good a mood to even think about the consequences of getting drunk on a Sunday night. Kurt rolled his eyes, still looking concerned.

"Okay. But I'm not vouching for anyone and if you wreck anything, you pay for it." Puck let out a whoop and the rest of the group began to move the furniture in the room to make more space for movement. It seemed this wasn't the first time Kurt had held host to an unexpected last minute party. He looked uneasy stood by the wall. Blaine pushed himself up and made his way over.

"You okay?" he asked. Kurt raised an eyebrow

"Fine. I just don't know if this is a good idea."

"Well we'll make sure we drink plenty of water tonight and we'll be fine tomorrow. Or we could just not drink." Kurt shook his head

"Oh no honey, Hummel is getting wasted tonight. What about you Mr Dapper Pants? Raise a glass with me?" Blaine hesitated warily for a moment and then sighed and nodded.

Within and hour they were both completely trashed.

Well, trashed being the relative word. Kurt was completely gone. Blaine however, had stopped after a bitter tasting concoction of Elwy's and instead had opted to seat himself in the armchair and observe the shenanigans everyone else was getting down to.

Various couples were sprawled around making out heatedly, Kurt had disappeared upstairs about ten minutes ago so he was left on his own, gazing happily around. Elwy entered and plonked himself down next to Blaine. He seemed surprisingly sober. But then again so was Blaine.

"How are you not drunk?" Blaine said loudly over the music.

"I'm Welsh" was all he was offered in reply. "What about you?"

"I don't know. I've never drunk this much before but I feel fairly okay considering" he giggled. He realised this was the fist time he'd been alone with Elwy and decided to make the most of his courageous state and try and get some answers. "What's the deal with you and Kurt anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Elwy didn't take his eyes from where Santana was dancing hotly on the coffee table.

"He said you went through stuff together"

"Yeah. Kurt lost his mom when he was little, I lost a brother. We understood it. And he was dealing with some other stuff."

"What other stuff?" he queried carefully

"I don't know man, I don't think he'd be happy me telling you. Why don't you ask him?" Blaine sighed in frustration and let his head fall back against the arm chair. A cheer went up as Santana yelled about another rendition of truth and dare but was interrupted by Kurt who came stumbling in

"spin tha bottle!" another cheer. Blaine somehow, found himself grinning. Elwy pulled him off the chair and onto the floor beside him. Kurt fell down opposite and some reason, he was happy with the position. Even though it could only lead to disaster.

Artie and Quinn were the first to kiss, followed by Elwy and Santana (that went on for a while) and then it was Blaine's turn. He took a breath and span the bottle in front of him. It went and went and looked as if it would never stop until…ah. The group erupted.

Kurt looked at him in horror. Blaine gulped as Elwy shoved him forward. He caught himself on his hands, halfway into the circle, still staring across it at Kurt warily. Kurt seemed to have sobered up within a matter of seconds and was blinking stupidly at him. The expression didn't suit his face at all.

Blaine looked around at Elwy who had his eyes on Santana again. Quiet began to fall as Blaine felt himself being shoved from the other side. Kurt shook his head ever so slightly and then staggered to his feet. "Blaine, with me" Blaine hauled himself up, another chorus of cheers and wolf whistles going up. It seemed nobody else was picking up on the tension flitting between them.

Kurt made his way as smoothly as was possibly in his state to the patio doors at the back of the kitchen and pushed himself out, falling down onto the step with a sound of exertion. Blaine followed, sitting a little more carefully.

They sat in silence, watching the stars wheel overhead. It was as peaceful a moment that Blaine had had since his moment in the park.

Kurt finally spoke up. "I'm not nearly as drunk as I look" Blaine looked over to see him, hands clasped between his crossed thighs as was his wont, looking up curiously at the sky above. The absence of the slur and sudden awareness in his eyes surprised him a little. He was quite the actor. Blaine huffed a laugh and shook his head.

"I didn't take you for the kind to get drunk on a Sunday evening"

"I'm not really one for drinking full stop. I just kept filling my cups with soda. No-one noticed." He shook his head.

"Was there a…purpose for you, not drinking?"

"Other than not wanting to feel like shit tomorrow? No. Do you ever just do things for the sake of doing them Blaine?" the question caught him off guard. He hadn't expected things to get deep all of a sudden.

"Erm...I don't know. I guess not. There isn't really much I enjoy doing for the sake of…although I guess" he scoffed "my guitar. And my music. Sound. Like…early in the morning when the light is just filtering through the blinds and you're just feeling for the strings or late in the evening, just at dusk, when you have to strain your eyes because you're tired but it's so worth it because you're voice is all rough with use and" he looked up suddenly, catching Kurt looking over fondly. He blushed. "sorry. Rambling"

"Don't apologise. It's cute" the corner of his lip slid up towards his cheekbone a little more. Blaine wasn't entirely sure what to say.

"Would you sing me a song Blaine?"

"What…now?"

"No. Not now…whenever. I mean one of your own. One from your notebook."

"I'd…like that"

"Great" Blaine grinned widely at Kurt's obvious enthusiasm. They sat in the cool air for some time in silence, merely enjoying the fresh scent that seemed to come along with darkness.

They both began to shiver within seconds of each other, huddling themselves into their own bodies. Kurt's teeth began chattering loudly and after a suggestion from Blaine they both moved back inside. Kurt paused at the fridge "I don't really want to go back out there. Shall we just head up?" Blaine nodded and as subtly as they could, they slid past the living room door and stepped quietly upstairs. It was blissfully comfortable in Kurt's room. He pulled the curtains closed and then turned, motioning towards the dvd wrack on his desk "fancy watching a movie?"

"Got any Disney?"

"Oh please. I could go for The Little Mermaid. What do you think?" Blaine nodded

"I'm always up for The Little Mermaid." Kurt smiled in response and moved towards the tv mounted on the wall opposite his bed. Blaine admired his room properly this time, taking in the details. Though he was sure anyone would be able to guess whose room this was just by decoration, there was also the little things dotted around that just added to the Kurt-ness of it all. Like the way a book was peeking out from just under the bed like Kurt had fallen asleep reading and dropped or pushed it off the bed accidentally. Or the circular stain on his nightstand that spoke to Blaine of early morning coffee and late night hot chocolate. The throw pillows at the head of his bed were mismatched, a couple tatty looking and worn, but it looked perfect against the otherwise well coordinated décor. He was brought to his senses by something soft hitting his arm and falling to the floor. He looked down at the pile of fabric on the floor and then up at Kurt.

"They may be a little big, but I figured you might be more comfortable in those rather than those braces" he raised a finger shyly. Blaine reddened

"Oh" he bent down and picked them up. "I'll just…" he half turned towards the door.

"Bathroom's the door opposite Finn's" Blaine thanked him and stepped out. His sobriety was making itself known as he made his way easily down the corridor, locking the door after him. He splashed his face and stood topless for a few moments, cooling down. He was about to spend over an hour sat in the dark in close proximity with Kurt watching a movie he usually cried at. Nothing could go wrong…right? He slipped into the pyjamas, frowning at the bunched material around his ankles. He hadn't thought there to be that much of a height difference. He rolled the tops of the pants up a couple of inches and then satisfied with how he looked, made his way back to the bedroom. This felt completely normal. Blaine knocked lightly, entering at Kurt's voice. He was pressed back against the headboard, passing the remote between his hands. "Turn the light out would you? Don't trip on anything"

Blaine placed his clothed down neatly on a chair in the corner and then flicked off the lights, zombie-ing over to the bed rather more successfully that he would have expected. He slipped onto the edge, bumping shoulders with Kurt as he shuffled backwards.

"Sorry" he murmured, shifting a little so he wasn't pressed up against the boy.

"Ready?" Blaine nodded and then realised Kurt couldn't see him

"Sure" he watched as the screen changed from menu to movie, that all too familiar tingle across his skin warming him as Cinderella's castle flashed up before him. Disney movies always captivated him, and if Kurt was the same he figured there would be many more evening spent just like this. And he would be completely content.

About halfway in, both of them having laughed out loud at each other's ridiculous Sebastian impressions during Under The Sea, Blaine felt himself begin to flag. It wasn't that late, but he hadn't slept more than four hours in the last forty eight and it was warm and comfortable. He nodded once and then shook himself a little, moving up a bit more and hugging his legs. He really, really didn't want to fall asleep on Kurt's bed and risk awkward cuddling. Blaine was one for wrapping his arms around anything huggable these days.

He made it as far as Kiss The Girl before he began to nod.

"Get under the cover if you want. I'll wake you when it's done if you fall asleep" Kurt's voice was no more than a whisper but it shocked Blaine out of his skin. He let out a sigh of relief and then laughed.

"I'm fine, honest" he cleared his throat and turned back to the screen.

"Blaine, seriously, you haven't slept I can tell. Just get under the cover already"

"Are you-"

"Blaine" he dipped his head and pulled back the comforter to slide under. It was even more lush beneath, so much so that he was nodding more often and finding it harder to focus on the screen ahead of him. He felt rather than heard Kurt's sigh of adoration as the movie neared its finish, although all he knew before he dropped off completely was not feeling the weight next to him relinquish. Huh, odd.

Whatever notion Kurt had had in his head when deciding to just stay in bed with Blaine was completely wiped from his mind when he woke slowly to find himself half wrapped around the guy. At first, he didn't even open his eyes, he just lay with one leg tangled with Blaine's and an arm slung over his waist. He came to his senses slowly, inhaling the scent of Blaine's hair gel and then he actually realised he was inhaling the scent of Blaine's hair gel and holy crap he was inhaling the scent of Blaine's hair gel. Everything moved very quickly after that.

His eyes shot open in horror and he pulled his arm and leg back instantly, waking Blaine in the process. The other boy grumbled for a few moments's before realising what had woken him. He half turned and squinted over sleepily at Kurt who was sat up with the comforter pulled up over his knees. He smiled.

"Hi"

"Hi"

Kurt sat and stared for another ten seconds or so until Blaine woke enough to realise that yes, he was in bed with Kurt. And they had school in…an hour.

Kurt almost fell out of bed in his rush to get up.

"Kurt what-"

"We have school like, now, Blaine get up" he threw clothes in his direction "They should fit you just hurry up. I'll use my en suite" Kurt rifled through his wardrobe for a few more seconds until he heard Blaine leave the room. Then he stopped to think.

So this wasn't a big deal. He'd just been tired last night, eager to get to sleep. If he'd gotten up to make up the sofa bed he would have woken Blaine anyway. Really, he had been completely selfless in his decision. It wasn't anything to do with the fact that the nights were beginning to get cold and he welcomed the companion heat next to him. Or the fact that after the conversation with Blaine the night before he didn't really feel like being alone. They both must have slept pretty deeply considering how rowdy the party must have gotten one floor down. He stepped out of the room and banged on both the guest bedroom door and Finn's room he got groans and whimpers in reply but stopped abruptly outside the bathroom. The shower was running and…

...Blaine was singing.

It wasn't a tune he recognised but it was like nothing he'd heard from Blaine before. He'd heard Blaine sing on more than one occasion but the Warbler singing chirpily in harmony with the rest of the group was nothing like the Blaine he heard now. He tip toed closer to the door and pressed his ear up against it to listen.

…So won't you run to me tonight, do not pretend that we're just lovers
But I'll only ever be, a middle distance runner

Well my heart is beating hard, and I'm off with the shot at the start
And my legs tremble from strain, but by the finish line I am drained

He began humming after that and Kurt figured he should go get ready before Blaine opened the door and found him stood there like that. He stepped dazedly towards his room and practically fell into the shower.

Blaine's voice was mesmerizing.

His morning pattern was sped up slightly due to their lack of time but he still found comfort in the routine of it. The steam of the shower relaxed him, washing all of those vexations down the drain with the soap. And the whole time he couldn't get the sound of Blaine's voice out of his head He towelled his hair dry before his body and dressed carefully. He picked out one of his plainer sweaters, coupling it with a rather busy pair of tight jeans and his staple boots. His hair took a bit longer to style than his outfit and when he exited the bathroom half an hour later, Blaine was already dressed and ready, perched on the end of his bed (which, Kurt noted, had been made neatly, each pillow placed perfectly). He had picked out a long sleeved shirt for Blaine but he had decided to discard Kurt's offered pants and slipped on his own loose fitting jeans along with the sneakers he had come in the day before. His hair (much to Kurt delight) was loose and curly about his head. If anything, Blaine looked a lot more himself today, even if the fashion taste was more to Kurt's chagrin.

He smiled wearily. "I don't know about you, but I need coffee. Lima Bean? We can get take out." Blaine nodded amiably and followed Kurt out of the door quietly. No further were they toward the stairs when Elwy came stumbling out of the spare bedroom, a hickey the size of Africa adorning the side of his neck. Kurt arched an eyebrow.

"I'd run if I were you" Elwy squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head and then practically flew down the stairs and out the door. He was jogging along the street when they both reached their respective cars. "He's going to have a brilliant first day" Kurt murmured, pausing by the door to his navigator. He placed a hand on the window and opened his mouth to speak just as Blaine was turning towards his own car. "I…Blaine?"

He turned; all bouncy curls and cheerful expression and Kurt choked. He closed his mouth, nodded "meet you there?" Blaine smiled in reply.

Needless to say, Blaine reached the Lima bean first in his Porsche. Kurt followed him in, only to almost smack into him as he came trundling out the door with two take out cups in his hand.

"Grande non fat mocha?" Kurt just stood, stunned and then went to pay him back. Blaine shook his head "this one's on me. A thanks for last night" Kurt took the cup and rolled his eyes.

"When are you going to stop thanking me?"

"When you stop doing awesome things for me that I don't deserve"

"Blaine, you deserve everything you get in the way of positives. You just need to see that…and then things will get better" Blaine chewed his lip in reply. They both automatically made their way to the grassed area behind the shop. It seemed they'd found their own little spot of peace and quiet. They seated themselves beside each other, enjoying the crisp morning. Neither of them was nursing hangovers luckily.

They sat in silence for the most part, a couple of words exchanged here and there. When Kurt felt the contents of his cup swilling lightly around the bottom, he took a breath to bring up the topic he had been dreading

"I'm erm, sorry about this morning by the way. I didn't man to roll over like that. I'm just not used to having someone else in the bed"

Blaine swallowed his drink visibly and when he spoke it sounded as if it had gone down the wrong way

"Oh no, no worries it's fine honestly I'm used to my cousins rolling onto me when I share a bed with them" his eyes widened "I erm they're like six year old girls. I read them a story and they normally fall asleep in bed with me." He reddened and fiddled with the lid of his disposable coffee cup.

"We should probably get going. I gotta make sure Elwy remembers where he's going" Kurt glanced at his watch and then stood, pulling Blaine up by the hand. They were halfway towards their side by side parked cars when Kurt remembered what he had wanted to ask Blaine. "OH! I completely forgot. I was wondering if you would come to Glee this afternoon?" he clasped his hands together in front of him "for moral support. Elwy wants to audition and it would be nice if he had a few more friendly faces among the crowd"

"Doesn't he know all the Glee members anyway?" he said, taking out his keys

"Well yes, but that's not the point. Pleeeeeeeeease? I'll buy you coffee for the rest of the week?"

"Kurt…are you asking to go out for coffee every day this week with me?" he arched an eyebrow.

"If it get's you to Glee this afternoon, then yes" he deadpanned.

"Oh…right yeah. Well I can't see why not. Not like I'm busy" he added sarcastically. Kurt touched his elbow sympathetically

"Hey, it'll be okay. And you always have me to fall back on if need be okay?" Kurt smiled, hoping it looked reassuring. Blaine nodded and then made to open his car door. Kurt turned and slid the keys into his own. Parked next to Blaine's like it was it looked like a wreck. He made a note to make sure it was at least clean when he was going out with Blaine. He slid in and rolled his window down, Blaine doing the same. He leant over in his seat and called through "see you at lunch?"

Blaine simply grinned and pulled off.

If there were a way to describe American High Schools in comparison to the one he had attended back in the UK, Elwy would probably just say batshit crazy. Having been lost four times in the space of fifteen he resolved to simply make his way out and try and navigate that way.

Wasn't as easy as it sounded.

The first problem he faced was the fact that every time he opened his mouth to ask where he was he'd either get a snort, a befuddled expression or the threat of a slushie. So he ended up bricking it alone and hoping for the best. Which, of course, wasn't happening. Kurt had left him at the main office, where he'd promptly been filled in on all his classes and handed a timetable he couldn't even understand. Even with one year at McKinley under his belt he was still having difficulty.

From outside, the place was a lot easier to riddle out; he found himself stumbling into English (with Kurt, thank God) only half an hour late, clutching a late pass and breathing a little heavier than usual. He was introduced and then pointed to a seat next to Kurt (another lucky escape). They shared a grin and fell easily into their own silent form of communication as the lesson resumed. He told Kurt that the bruise of the side of his neck was Santana's gift and that she had discarded him about an hour after himself and Blaine had disappeared. In turn, he learnt that nothing had happened between him and Blaine but that maybe there could have been, and that Kurt had heard him singing in the shower that morning. They both needed time to sit and talk properly about the previous night and Elwy was grateful out of his mind as Lunch came rolling by and they both found a seat out of the way and began talking with voices again.

"Well if you look at it this way; what are the odds that you are going to regret it if you do as opposed to if you don't? CARPE DIEM cariad"

"Seriously you got to stop calling me cariad El"

"Nope. Not happening." Kurt rolled his eyes fondly. "And stop changing the subject!" he stabbed his fork in Kurt's direction

"Ugh I don't know. I just get the feeling…you know when you just have that instinct that there's something more. Like maybe…maybe he's having the same issues as me? He's pretty guarded-"

"As are you"

"Yes, but I mean what if I scare him away by coming on too strong?"

"Well there's only one way to find out isn't there?"

"You're not being helpful at-"

"Speak of the devil. Shut up"

"What?" Kurt span in his seat. Elwy waved the bewildered looking boy over to their table and smiled warmly as Blaine slipped in beside Kurt.

"You don't mind if I join you guys?" Blaine asked shyly

"As long as no panic attacks are on the cards" Elwy teased. Kurt kicked him under the table and shot him a death glare. Elwy merely shrugged. "Sorry. You'll have to get used to my humour. The Welsh are very sarcastic"

"Don't worry about it. My brother has a pretty terrible sense of humour too" Blaine countered, arching an eyebrow. Elwy mirrored him, nodding in approval.

"Well played Anderson, I could grow to like you"

"ohmygawd" Kurt let his hand fall into his palm much to the two other boys' amusement.

"Sorry cariad I'll stop now. Leave the flirting down to you two" Blaine chuckled lightly

"I don't know where all the confidence has come from." Kurt smirked "have you remembered what you're doing this afternoon?" Elwy's heart dropped as his mind flashed with his agreement with Kurt. He cursed under his breath.

Kurt grinned wider, placing his chin atop his hands.

"hey, you agreed. No going back now." He said and then added "I invited Blaine by the way. For moral support" Elwy's head snapped upwards

"You invited more people? Oh fi casineb chi Kurt…" he dropped his head to his hands again, suddenly wracked with nerves. In his panic over finding class before graduation came around, he'd completely forgotten about his impromptu audition for the club he had refused to become a part of for months until Kurt threatened to call Lily and confess his unadulterated love for her. To Elwy's great dismay, Kurt could put on a brilliant Welsh accent and would have no trouble mimicking him if need be. So he'd agonized over song choice until one popped up in his mind. It was something he and Kurt had grown rather attached to back when they used to gush over skype while watching the X factor together. Elwy had fallen in love with this particular artist and the song in question became somewhat of a theme tune for them both. In all honesty, the closer it got to Glee, the more he was regretting the decision.

"Oh shut up. They'll love you. Have you chosen a song?" Kurt asked curiously

"Matt Cardle" Elwy replied simply from behind his hand. He didn't see Kurt's momentary look of confusion but he heard the sigh of understanding that followed.

"Of course." Elwy looked up between his fingers to see him turning to Blaine "I think you'll like it. Matt is very singer songwritery. Right up your street. Any specifics?" he added in Elwy's direction.

"Wait and see" he said grimly.

"Oh cheer up, everyone will love it, you'll wow them and then maybeeeee" he turned his puppy dog eyes in Blaine's direction "we can work on Mr Dapper Pants here?" Blaine's eyes went wide and he shook his head

"No, no oh no definitely not."

"But you were so good with the Warblers"

"I was a different person back then Kurt" he spoke quietly, only just above a whisper "as cheesy as that sounds. I don't do audiences anymore" Kurt looked disgruntled as he turned back to his sparsely laden tray. Elwy arched an eyebrow.

"Is that all you're eating Kurt?" he motioned towards the apple and water bottle. Kurt shrugged.

"Not really hungry" Elwy fixed him with a worried expression for a few moments before shaking it off to focus back on his own problems. His head was still pulsing slightly as a result of the alcohol consumed the night before and he'd woken up with a terrible twinge in his neck from they way he'd fallen asleep…halfway off the guest bed. He groaned, realising something

"Kurt, I haven't even brought my guitar"

"There are guitars in the choir room, you can use one of those" he replied simply. Elwy rolled his eyes and pushed his half eaten meal away, suddenly not hungry.

"If it's any conciliation" Blaine spoke up, rather chirpily for him "when I auditioned for the Warblers I wasn't wearing any clothes" Kurt snorted so hard he blew half of the apple in his mouth onto the tray in front of him, trying not to choke. Elwy just raised an eyebrow. "I was in the shower in my dorm and I was singing and my roommate overheard me and…well" he shrugged "I had to audition formally of course but there's nothing more embarrassing than a guy you hardly know leaping into the room all excited. Freaked me the hell out anyway." They all laughed, albeit Elwy a little weaker than the others.

"You'll be fine. Sugar got in and she can't sing a note." Kurt croaked, rubbing his throat "I have every confidence in you"

Problem was, Elwy didn't have any in himself.

The rest if the day passed without much incidence. He didn't share any more lessons with Kurt but they bumped into each other a couple of times at their lockers (which, after some strings pulled by Kurt, were placed next to each other) but other than that he didn't see either Kurt or Blaine until he was turning into the choir room, Kurt pushing him forcefully. His nerves hadn't abated one bit since lunch and a sick feeling was beginning to settle in his stomach.

The rest of the class acknowledged him with waves and nods (he even got a hi5 off Sam) and he plopped himself down on a chair just in front of Kurt. The other boy grabbed Blaine by the wrist (Elwy couldn't remember when he had turned up, but then again he didn't really remember much of the rest of the day) and dragged him up to a couple of seats slightly higher up.

The room around him was buzzing with conversation but Elwy was aware of none of it. He watch as Mr Schuester entered the room, smiled in recognition and asked if he was joining. Kurt spoke for him when he couldn't find the words, then there was a round of cheers and applause and he was suddenly sat on a stool with a guitar strap slung around his shoulders and his fingers running along the neck to get a feel for the instrument.

He looked up to find Kurt and saw his smiling face nodding slightly. He cleared his throat.

"A lot of you probably won't recognise this but it's a song I've liked for a while and I honestly adore the artist so…yeah"

He began to strum slowly, fingers slipping along the frets effortlessly. He felt his muscles begin to relax as he approached the first verse smoothly, filling his lungs and preparing his voice.

Use your eyes, oh father 'Cause I had a dream last night
I saw her body broke, still and cold where she lay
And it was all for nothing, this love I gave

He looked up again as he hit the chorus, seeing Kurt's head bowed in recognition.

And I pray you keep her safe, bring her home, keep harm away
And I pray, don't let me down, bring her back 'cause I need her now
I pray, someone else can take her place
Don't make it all for nothing, this love we made

When he usually played this particular tune, he swapped the lyrics to make it more gender specific but figuring that there may be at least one person among the small crowd that recognised it, he decided against the notion. Wouldn't want people getting ideas would he?

She's my best friend, oh mother, no other woman could turn my eye, drag me away
with the blessing comes the worry, and I worry
don't make it all for nothing, the love we made

People were swaying along as he hit the chorus again, bouncing his foot along with the beat running through his head. The familiar rasp in his voice flowed comfortably loud across the room, engaging the majority of the people sat across from him. Blaine however, Elwy noted, was sat still, gazing curiously between himself and Kurt who was nodding his head and miming the words silently. Elwy's fingers pulled away from the strings for a moment before he fell quietly into the bridge

Falling in love is like playing with fire, pulling me down but it's takin' me higher
I know it's my fault and I'm asking for favours, I needed a knife but you gave me the razor

And I pray you keep her safe, bring her home, keep harm away
And I pray, don't let me down, bring her back 'cause I need her now
I pray, someone else can take her place
Don't make it all for nothing, this love we made

He dampened the strings and sang the last line a cappella

Don't make it all for nothing, this love we made

There was a few moments of silence and then the place erupted. Rachel was clapping appreciatively and both Artie and Finn were whooping loudly. He stepped off the stool and handed off the guitar just as Mr Schue patted him softly on the back.

"Well I'm impressed. If I'd known you had that much talent maybe I would have started up Glee club earlier than I did!" Elwy just nodded and made his back to his seat. Kurt leant forward and wrapped him in a hug from behind.

"Well done" he whispered. Elwy smiled up in return as he pulled back. He grinned around at the rest of the room as things settled into themes and choreography and how Rachel wasn't getting another solo. Elwy stayed quiet, being the wallflower and allowing himself to relax as the nerves of the day slowly dissipated until he was left with nothing more than a warm, contentment.

When they exited an hour later, tired and sore considering the majority of the group were still hung-over from the night before, Elwy headed to his locker and was joined presently by a happy looking Kurt. Alone, this time.

"Well, I think I've managed it"

"Managed what?" he asked, shuffling books around in his bag.

"To convince Blaine to audition. You haven't heard his voice El it's breathtaking" he sounded awestruck.

Elwy chewed over a reply for a moment and then rolled his eyes, sighing.

"You are so fucked over by him, Kurt. Why aren't you dating the guy already?"

"Elwy!" he scolded, turning a nice shade of scarlet as he fiddled with his own locker combo.

"I'm serious!" he continued, swapping around the contents of his bag and locker. He'd come fresh from A Levels and knew it was going to be tough but the workload he'd received was more than a little bit daunting. He reassured himself it was just the adjustment that was making it look so terrifying. "You never stop talking about him, you're trying to get him into a club where he could be your possible competition, he's literally perfect for you and you listened to him singing in the shower. Ask. Him. out." he slammed his locker shut and leant against the door as Kurt finished up with his own sorting.

"I don't know…we've talked about this. I don't think either of us are up to it. I don't need to be in a relationship to be happy El" Elwy sighed again, letting his head fall sideways onto his locker.

"Are you listening to yourself? Who was it that spent three out of the four weeks in Wales non stop jabbering about falling in love, coffee dates and romantic dinners?"

"I'm not the same person I was then, that's obvious. I've been through a lot with Karofsky and…I've seen that there are more important things in life. Like making sure I spend enough time with my Dad and when am I going to find time for a boyfriend anyway? Plus I'm a year ahead of Blaine, once I leave he'd be here and I'd be there. Do I need to reiterate how hard it is to maintain a long distance relationship?" he pushed his own locker closed and they began to walk slowly through towards the parking lot.

"We managed didn't we? And it's not like you couldn't just jump on a plane or train if need be. We couldn't do that"

"I suppose but…what if…what if I'm making it up? What if he doesn't actually want anything like that?" Elwy examined his friend for a moment and took in how genuinely concerned about this fact as he was. He couldn't help but laugh. "What?" Kurt asked suspiciously

"Oh cariad you can be clueless sometimes." They'd reached the lot and had to split off. Elwy noticed Blaine stood leaning against his own car and raised a hand. Kurt looked at the floor. Elwy only took a moment to put two and two together "Wait…is he waiting for you?"

"We're going for coffee" Kurt mumbled "I made him a deal that if he came today I would go for coffee with him every night this week" he cleared his throat immediately after speaking, looking anywhere but at Elwy, who was shaking his head in disbelief.

"Clueless. Honestly. Look" he hitched his bag a little higher on his shoulder "if he's the guys I think he is, and I pride myself on being an admirable judge of character, doing something that is entirely you is bound to have him as fucked over as you are, trust me. Maybe a picnic or…something moonlit and romantic." He patted Kurt on the shoulder and turned for home "Carpe Diem Kurt!" he called over, loud enough for Blaine to hear. He raised his hand in farewell and began walking in the other direction.

He may be hopeless when it came to dating, but he had to give himself credit, he was a bloody good matchmaker when it came down to it.

Yet again, Kurt found himself arriving second to the Lima Bean. Really, they ought to carpool to save his embarrassment. He stepped out and entered the shop to find Blaine at the head of the queue. He motioned Kurt forward.

"I already ordered. Figured seeing as I was here first" he shrugged as he handed over his money. Kurt reached for his own. "Leave it" he added "you can pay tomorrow" Kurt nodded in agreement and went ahead to grab their usual table.

Blaine followed not moment's later and slid into his seat, pushing Kurt's coffee across the table to a murmured thanks. They fell into a comfortable silence as they both regarded their surroundings. It seemed they were both the anthropologist.

"So" Kurt spoke finally "what did you think of Elwy's performance?"

"He was awesome, honestly, I wasn't expecting that kind of voice from him."

"I tried to persuade him to make something of it but he's pretty dead set on pursuing writing. I guess I should be glad, he wouldn't be here if not for that."

"How does that work?" Blaine asked over the top of his mug, blowing rather distractedly to cool the liquid. Kurt opened his mouth to talk but found his gaze transfixed as Blaine fit his lips over the porcelain. He watched as he took a sip and then placed the cup down.

"Kurt?"

"Huh? Oh yeah right sorry" he swallowed, willing his tongue to begin working again. "He entered a competition through his school and ended up at the national finals. The prize was a year out here and he was one of the four winners. He's staying with a host family just down the road from me. He's got all the luck in the world"

"I bet" Blaine breathed in reply. For some reason, his nerves about asking Blaine out were beginning to get the better of him. He reached up to fix his hair more often than was really necessary and he kept adjusting his pea coat. Apparently, his fidgeting hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Kurt, are you okay? You seem a little on edge?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. Totally" he tried to sound convincing but the look on Blaine's face told him clearly he wasn't doing a very good job. Well, there was only one way to solve that.

"Blaine…" he started, forcing himself to relax "willyougooutwime" Blaine's eyes screwed up in confusion

"Sorry, I didn't catch that" oh Hummel come on, you're not Harry and he isn't Cho Change. Get a grip! He took a calming breath.

"Blaine Anderson, will you go out with me?"

Blaine chuckled to Kurt's confusion

"We're kinda already out silly" Kurt rolled his eyes, relaxing fully now he'd got the thing out in the open.

"No I mean, out out. With me. Like a date"

Blaine's expression went from amusement to surprise at the speed of a bullet, and then he became all jittery and honestly, Kurt couldn't help but grin at the adorableness of it. "I'm kinda dying here" he prompted. Blaine sighed in exasperation

"Yes, yeah I mean yes of course. I'd love to" they grinned at each other for a few moments before they both laughed and let their gazes fall.

"You most definitely have to try out for Glee now" Kurt said, only half sternly.

"Don't get cocky Hummel, we've not even been out yet" and to Kurt's complete surprise…he winked. Kurt arched an eyebrow

"Well I would say having managed to convince you to both go on a date with me and audition for Glee has me worthy of a little cockiness" Blaine dropped his head to his chest.

"I'm going to change the subject now before you out wit me" he chuckled "you recognised the song Elwy sang"

Kurt rolled his eyes but nodded

"We were talking about Matt Cardle at lunch today am I right? Well he won the British X factor a couple of years ago and well, we're junkies and fell for him almost instantly. That song…it was relevant to both of us I suppose." He shrugged and took a mouthful of coffee.

"I didn't pick you for someone into that kind of stuff" he murmured

"I'm not usually, but seriously Blaine, you need to hear his stuff, it's amazing. I actually think I have some stuff Elwy recorded when he saw him live. I'll link you to it tonight" Blaine nodded his thanks. Kurt sighed, melting a little it at the way Blaine was looking around the place curiously. Some kind of change had come upon Blaine over the last day. He hadwinked, for LuPone's sake. He wasn't fiddling with his sleeves like usual and his shoulders weren't slumped as was their wont. He seemed…positive, and much more like the Warbler he used to be. Which was strange, because from what Kurt had gathered, he'd had this trouble much before his time at Dalton. Either way, he was glad. It made the prospect of their Saturday date even more exciting. All he needed to do was get him through the rest of the week. He could do that right?

The drive home was oddly lonely. He turned the music up loud and nodded his head along to the beat, singing along where the key allowed. He reached home to the divine scent of Carole's cooking wafting through the house. His dad not being home, it was liable to be something the family had to avoid normally, looking after his health.

Kurt dropped his bag by the door and sidled into the kitchen where Carole was indeed stirring something delectable over the stove. Perfect timing for one of their girly talks.

"Hey honey, good day?" she asked as he entered

"You could say that" he said airily as he slid into a chair.

"Oh I know that voice. Someone has a crush" she teased, grinning mischievously over at him.

"Not just a crush" Kurt replied. "A date" his stepmother's eyes widened in excitement and she motioned him over

"Come help me with this and tell me all about this fabulous new man in your life"

"oh, just you wait. he's hot and he's fabulous"