"What do you mean?"

The words stung Kurt's ears as he heard them. This wasn't at all how this was supposed to happen. Finn wasn't supposed to look so betrayed and they were supposed to be the ones to tell him. But they weren't.

Blaine looked up at his best friend and tried to find the words to speak again. He didn't think it would be a good idea to discuss everything in front of the club they just played at with so many people passing by and not an ounce of privacy, but Finn looked like he wanted answers. It just wasn't supposed to happen like this.

"Blaine," Finn repeated, taking another step closer. Kurt turned to face the hazel eyed man as well, about to intervene before his stepbrother continued, "What do you mean? What is he talking about? Kurt…"

Kurt looked away from Blaine to his stepbrother now. His mouth felt dry and he feared he'd have no voice when he tried to speak. Luckily, Blaine spoke again before his voice could fail him.

"I swear to everything that I love I was going to tell you, Finn. I really was. I just wanted to talk to Kurt about it first, and I was a little nervous you wouldn't approve so—"

"Approve of what, exactly?" Finn interrupted. He faced Blaine again, still not moving, just simply staring. "Approve of my best friend, who is proud of the fact that he's been with more guys at this school than he can count on his fingers…" he stopped momentarily, still trying to wrap his mind around all of it, "were you nervous that I wouldn't approve of you and my little brother screwing around in the parking lot of a club?"

"Finn," Kurt spoke shakily at first before getting his nerves in check, "Calm down a little so that we can talk about this, please. You're making a scene—"

"You messed around with B, Kurt?" Finn asked with what sounded like both confusion and disbelief. "B of all people? You just got off the plane yesterday! I just introduced you two yesterday!" Finn shook his head and looked away from his brother's hurt expression to Blaine's regretful one, "I… tell me you're joking. Tell me all three of you are joking."

Malachi sort of took a couple steps back, seemingly not wanting to be involved now. He didn't know how he expected Finn to react but this wasn't what he expected.

Blaine took a deep breath and looked over to Kurt. He didn't like what he saw. Kurt seemed afraid, almost. He definitely looked tense. He looked as if he'd cry and Blaine absolutely hated that, for whatever reason. He turned to face Finn who was still waiting for an explanation and spoke softly.

"Finn, listen… you're my best friend. You have been for years…"

Finn remained steady, staring at Blaine in a way Malachi had never seen. Kurt knew that look from High School and it meant his stepbrother was pissed off. Kick a chair over pissed off. After everything he went through with Blaine, he didn't want to be on his brother's bad side tonight, too. Blaine cleared his throat and stepped a little closer, hoping to calm his teammate down a bit.

"You're my best friend. We've been through so much together and you know you can trust me. I would never hurt Kurt, Finn. He already means a lot to me because he's your family and I know how much you love him."

Malachi saw his cousin step out of the club and turn to face them. He began to shake his head as a warning that now wasn't the time for whatever he was about to say. Kurt had been too busy thinking about everything Blaine said when the man walked over, carrying a few instruments on his own.

"Can you cocks hurry the hell up? I met two young ladies who would love to meet up at my place in another hour and I kind of have to get moving… not now, but right now…"

Finn ignored him and continued to look at Blaine, shaking his head after a moment. "I'll see you guys at home. I'm out of here."

Kurt dropped his head as Finn turned to walk off. "Finn… Finn! C'mon—"

"Where are you going, bro?" Malachi called out, walking to stand in between Kurt and Blaine. Blaine saw Thomas step out of the party next and gave him a look that explained to his frat mate that yep, Finn knew, and yep, he was pissed. Also yep, he was the worst friend ever. He then took a deep breath and ran after Finn, catching him by his elbow.

"Wait, Finn… listen—"

Finn turned back swinging angrily. His fist hit Blaine square in the jaw and the man stumbled back, almost falling to the ground. Kurt gasped as Blaine clutched his face and by Finn's reaction, one could tell that he honestly didn't mean it.

"Blaine!" Kurt ran over to him and Finn watched the scene, shaking his head and quickly running off. Thomas had watched the entire scene and his mouth dropped, all before he got it together and ran after the quarterback.

Blaine nodded when Kurt ran over, checking to see if he was ok. He stood there a little dazed, closing his eyes when Kurt cradled his face. "I'm fine…"

Malachi winced, and Sean just stood there for a moment, still very much confused with everything that was happening around him. He knew that his friends got a little crazy after drinking, it'd happened before, but this was much more… serious, he guessed was a good word. "Um?"

Kurt turned to look at Malachi before shaking his head and sighing. "I'll be right back… I'm going to go check on him, too. To apologize, at least and make sure he's all right. I'll be right back."

Blaine nodded, following after him. "I'll come with you—"

"That's unnecessary," Kurt said, not letting him finish. Blaine grabbed his hand with the one that wasn't still on his face so that Kurt wouldn't keep walking and the man stopped, turning back to face him. "He's not going to want to see both of us at the same time if he even wants to see either of us Blaine and I kind of feel like shit, so if you'd just let me go speak to him I can apologize..."

Blaine turned away from Kurt to see how far Finn had gotten. His friend was across the street, exchanging a few words with Thomas before the shorter man stopped trying altogether, watching Finn storm off down the block. Blaine still held onto Kurt's hand as the New Yorker turned around to see what Blaine was looking at. The scene made his chest hurt in the worst way possible, and Kurt shook his head because it was because of him.

Sean seemed a little annoyed as he approached Blaine and Kurt, not sure if he should jump to conclusion at the hand holding, but more concerned with the two girls inside that were waiting for him.

"Is anyone going to explain what's going on here? Where is Finn going? We need to get out of here like five minutes ago."

Malachi felt his cousin turn to look at him but didn't say a thing, instead scratching at the nape of his neck. "Finn had a rough night. C'mon, I'll help you load the van."

Sean scoffed as he faced Blaine. "We're not doing all the work. Blaine, let's go—"

"I'm coming. Give me a few minutes," Blaine let go of Kurt's hand and the blue-eyed man watched Thomas approaching, still feeling like complete and utter shit. "I just need to talk to Tommy for a second."

Malachi began to walk into the club, hoping Sean would follow him without pressing it. He knew this was his fault but he wasn't expecting the fallout that just happened. Kurt pulled out his cellphone and began to dial what Malachi assumed was Finn's number as Sean finally nodded, leaving it alone. "Fine. Five minutes, man, or I'll remember this the next time you want to take a guy home. If it isn't James, of course."

Blaine rolled his eyes as the cousins went away. His patience was already running thin.

Kurt ended the call after Finn didn't answer, not knowing what he was expecting really. He looked at Tommy who offered a small smile before stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"So. He knows."

Blaine nodded to Tommy. "Yes, he does."

"Did he say where he was going? I need to go find him."

Tommy ran a hand through his hair and let go of another breath. "I kind of messed up and said 'would you rather him mess around with some guy he can't trust or your best friend?' and then he realized that I too knew about the both of you, so he kind of cursed me out and kept walking…."

Blaine looked up at the sky. "Honestly, dude?"

"I was trying to help!" the shorter man turned to face Kurt, "And personally, I think you should just give him a bit of space. He loves the both of you but it's a bit to take in, don't you think?"

Kurt played at one of the buttons on his shirt as he nodded. "Yeah. I just don't want him alone right now I guess…"

All three men were quiet for the next few moments. Blaine had been staring in the direction his best friend went as if he'd come back; ignoring the pain in his jaw. Finn coming back? Yeah, that was a long shot. "Do me a favor, Thomas. I'll pay you."

Tommy and Kurt turned to Blaine but the fraternity mate already knew what he wanted. "I'll go help them. Are you leaving?"

Blaine nodded, reaching for his cellphone and motioning for Kurt to join him. "I want to be home when Finn gets there. We'll just get a taxi or something." He noticed his battery was dying and sighed. "I appreciate it though, man."

Thomas nodded, giving a small wave goodbye to Kurt. "Anytime. And don't worry about Finn, guys. He'll see you two are good for each other."

As he turned to walk away, Blaine and Kurt watched him go. There was no doubt both men heard what he said and were honestly entertaining the thought, but there was no "each other" with Kurt and Blaine, right? Whatever they had was pretty much over. Not that there was ever an "each other". They were never exclusive, really.

"Let's get back home," Blaine finally turned to face front and began to walk, nodding goodbye to a few people who congratulated him on the show. "I haven't eaten since breakfast this morning."

Kurt followed him tiredly as he tried to go numb. "This isn't how I expected vacation to go at all."

Blaine looked back at him as they walked to the main road.

"He's been so excited to see me and introduce me to everyone and then…this. I just feel like the absolute worst person."

"I wonder if there's food back at the house."

"Are you serious right now, Blaine?" Kurt shook his head when the running back took his hand, "Your best friend is pissed at you and all you can think about is food? I know this was just a casual fuck but—"

"You obviously don't know what you mean to me, Kurt." Blaine stopped at the curb and waited for a cab to drive up.

Kurt looked at the side of his profile. "Because we agreed on no feelings, didn't we? That's what I remember—"

"So you don't feel anything?" Blaine turned to look at Kurt and the younger man felt terrible when he saw the small swelling starting on his face. Kurt licked his lips and shook his head.

"Right now is probably the worst time to have this conversation. Let's not do it."

A cab pulled up and honked twice, and Blaine nodded, letting go of Kurt's hand. He walked to the back row of seats and opened the door as Kurt felt his heart drop at the emptiness he suddenly felt. His hand felt cold even in the warm weather of the Florida night. He sighed, following after the man and sliding next to Blaine in the back seat. The car pulled off a moment later.

….

What hurt Finn the most was knowing that neither of them were going to say anything.

Blaine. The same Blaine that he'd met three years ago at their University of Florida orientation. The same Blaine that he convinced not to try out for baseball in their freshman year, even though he was a better high school shortstop than he was running back. The same Blaine who listened to him go on and on about Rachel after they decided to call their long distance relationship quits, and the same Blaine that finally came out to him after being set up on one too many treacherous blind dates with girls by their frat buddies. This was the same Blaine that been through so much with him and there wasn't ever much they held back from one another.

Kurt. He knew Kurt wasn't the short, freckle-faced kid he met in sixth grade the year their math teacher had a nervous breakdown in front of the classroom. He understood that Kurt had grown so much from that boy who would switch seats if someone next to him committed what he told their eighth grade class was "fashion nevers". He also acknowledged the fact that Kurt had changed from that timid teen that would walk the halls of McKinley high school afraid that someone who push him into a locker or purposely trip him in the parking lot. Finn was there and together, the both of them had grown into young men. He understood that much.

But what he didn't understand was how two people he loved so much; two people he would do anything for… he didn't understand how they could lie to his face while sneaking behind his back. Blaine was his best friend, and though Kurt may not be related through blood, that didn't change the fact that he felt like the man was his older brother. These were two people he thought he could trust more than anything, but he knew if Malachi hadn't run his mouth, he'd still be in the dark.

He thought about everything as he crossed the dark road on the warm, spring night. It was well into Monday now, so maybe it was better to say the warm, spring morning. Finn decided to walk back to the frat house instead of ride home with the band—not sure if it was because he couldn't deal with Kurt and Blaine or if he didn't want to tolerate Malachi and Sean's commentary on everything. Tonight just wasn't the night. Finn even denied a ride home from Thomas because apparently, his roommate knew about Kurt and Blaine too.

And apparently, Kurt and Blaine had sex in the back of Tommy's pickup truck.

There were some things that Finn just couldn't wrap his head around. All of this was wrong. Wasn't family off limits? For one, they weren't only starters on the same football team, but they were in the same fraternity. There had to be some unspoken rule about doing your friend's or teammate's siblings. There had to. If Finn were to ever do Cooper, he'd make sure Blaine knew before hand, that's for sure. Secondly, he was sure Blaine would know that he wouldn't approve of this. Blaine was one of the biggest playboys he'd ever met, and every night before Finn went to sleep, he'd say a prayer thanking the heavens that Blaine wasn't straight. His best friend had to know he wouldn't be cool with him playing games with Kurt. And then… Kurt. Kurt's was so much more conscientious than Blaine. He definitely knew that the two of them sneaking around behind his back would hurt.

For a moment, Finn almost felt bad for what he did. It wasn't the first time he swung at Blaine, though. The other couple times he'd been drunk and Blaine had been trying to take his car keys or beer bottle away. This time, he was completely sober and not making an ass of himself. This time his fist had actually connected.

From Blaine:

I've apologized again and again and I mean it, Finn. Can I come pick you up so we can talk?

Finn pocketed his cell phone after reading the message.

Blaine stumbled a bit after the impact. Finn felt really bad after it. He didn't mean to do it, and when Kurt instinctively moved to check on Blaine; shouting at Finn something that he didn't quite remember now as he slowly walked in the direction of their campus, he didn't feel all that bad. The nod Blaine gave Finn as he held his jaw told him he knew he deserved it. Finn couldn't agree more.

….

"Will you please hold still?"

"Kurt," Blaine turned his face away, dodging the icepack as the taller man held it to his face, "I'm fine. It's fine." He pushed what was left of his barely eaten sandwich away and continued to fuss.

"It's swollen," Kurt looked at him and waited for the UF student to show some semblance of maturity, but Blaine only stared over at the magnets and menus on the refrigerator. "Blaine, please face left so I can ice your cheek."

Blaine turned his head but didn't look in the direction Kurt had asked. He instead stared down at his cell phone and waited for a reply to the four messages he sent, even though deep inside he knew that one wouldn't come.

Kurt looked down at the phone as well as Blaine leant back against the kitchen counter. He felt him sigh a bit and couldn't help but do the same, all before placing the icepack back to Blaine's cheek. This time, the man didn't flinch.

"It'll get better, Blaine. He won't stay mad at us forever."

Blaine gave a small smile and a chuckle of disbelief. Kurt couldn't fault him for that much. His stepbrother was pissed off with right, Kurt felt, but he knew Finn. They'd be alright.

"I was selfish… we bother were, and we hurt him. I shouldn't have ever put sex with some guy before my family and I knew what I was doing would hurt him. I just didn't want to admit it to myself because I knew that'd meant I would lose out."

Blaine listened as one of his hands found Kurt's belt loop. He agreed. He knew Finn wouldn't like it either but he also knew that he really wanted Kurt. Like badly. Like cut off every other guy and still keep in contact with you when you leave for New York badly.

"Question."

Kurt tilted Blaine's head a bit as he adjusted the icepack over the small bruise. "I'm listening."

Blaine dropped the hand to his side as he let Kurt fuss over the swelling. "Do you regret what we did?"

The question wasn't answered immediately. Blaine couldn't see Kurt's face as he thought about it because the man was holding him in place as he iced the swelling area of the bruise, but he knew that Kurt was thinking carefully. After a minute or so, he finally spoke.

"I wouldn't say I regret it." Kurt observed his work and swallowed as different thoughts raced through his mind. "I think if given the chance to do this weekend all over again, I wouldn't jump in bed with you, though."

Blaine turned to face him when Kurt took the ice from his face, handing it to the football player instead. "You can handle it from here I think."

"You don't regret it but you wouldn't do it again?" Blaine asked with confusion drawn across his face. Kurt sat down on top of the island across from him and watched the man hold the icepack to his jaw. "That sounds like regret to me."

"No," Kurt shook his head, "I know our little fling is over, but I am grateful for what we did have, whether it was special or not." Neither of them heard the front door close as Kurt continued. "You're a cocky little shit but you're also a great guy, Blaine. Finn's lucky to have someone like you as a best friend, and I do feel bad for interfering with that. And yeah, we messed this up from pretty much the first second, and my brother probably hates me, but I don't regret it. We learn and we move on."

Blaine nodded.

"And I say that I would do things differently next time because I definitely wouldn't want to put Finn through the hurt he felt tonight after he found out. He wouldn't have to be angry, you wouldn't have a swollen face, and I wouldn't feel like the world's worst guest… it'd be a win-win-win situation. And maybe I could get the chance to talk to him first before I ever got to a point of wanting more with you. That way he wouldn't feel so left out of the loop."

Blaine nodded again, taking it all in. He didn't care about his face for once. He didn't care about how great the performance went at the club. He didn't care about those idiots Sean and Malachi, or how they made a bad situation even worse. He just felt terrible for hurting his best friend by sleeping with his brother behind his back.

He didn't feel bad for liking Kurt though.

"I don't regret it either."

Kurt looked up and smiled softly, nodding at him.

They were quiet. The house was pretty much quiet. Most of the guys were out partying, others had left for break. Blaine wasn't sure but he felt that they were the only ones there. He held the icepack over his face, hoping the swelling was going down so that Kurt would get off his back about it.

Kurt's phone rang and he lazily reached around the counter top for it, finally finding it during the second ring. The name read Felix and he sighed, pressing ignore. Blaine watched him curiously.

"The ex-boyfriend." Kurt said blankly.

Blaine looked at him. "Oh."

Once again, not much was said. Kurt considered going to get in the shower before Finn got back so that after his brother guilt tripped him half to death, he could go straight to bed. Sort of like how it was when he caught his father taking cookies from the jar in the kitchen. Before he could hop off the island and tell Blaine, the dark haired man spoke.

"I know we discussed this earlier but I was drunk and we were so busy hating each other…"

Kurt lifted an eyebrow as he looked at him. "Go on…"

Blaine licked his lips and put the icepack down for a moment. "About our… about us basically. What are we now?"

The question caught Kurt off guard. He stared over at the prettiest hazel eyes for a moment before he shrugged slightly. "Friends, I guess? I would like to be friends…"

Blaine looked at him and smiled. "I'd like that too."

They both smiled at one another before Kurt hopped down, brushing off the back of his pants. "Then it's decided.

Finn listened to end of their conversation before sighing to himself, quietly going up to his room. Blaine wondered if he heard something but Kurt started speaking again as he went to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water.

"I'm going to head upstairs and shower." He turned back to Blaine, waving awkwardly, but what he hoped to appear friendly. They were friends now. "Have a goodnight. Maybe in a few hours when the alcohol is out of your system, you can take something to help with the pain," Kurt gestured to Blaine's jaw, and the curly-haired man nodded.

"Yeah," Blaine lowered the icepack and nodded, forcing a smile. "I definitely need it. Goodnight, Kurt."

Kurt smiled, walking away. "See you later. Sleep well."

"I'll try." Blaine put the icepack back on his face and looked down at his phone, still no reply from his best friend. He sighed and put it on sleep, running his free hand through his hair and trying not to stress too much about it tonight. The last thing he needed was even more stress.

But the thing Blaine kept telling himself was, it wasn't anyone's fault but his own. That much was true.

From the very first moment he laid eyes on Kurt, he knew what he wanted. Sure, at the time he didn't exactly know that Kurt was the little brother that Finn adored and spoke so highly of constantly, but even when he found out, he still pursued him. One could argue that Kurt could've done more to tell him no, but that didn't matter to Blaine. He was stubborn and he knew for a fact he would've charmed his way into Kurt's pants at one point or another. What really sucked was the fact that things could've been so different had Blaine thought with something other than his penis.

It just wasn't who he was though.

The longer Blaine sat there, the harder reality crashed down on him. Yes, Kurt was gorgeous, and yes the sex was incredibly fantastic. Everything between them was nothing short of amazing. But he really could not deny that he enjoyed spending time with Kurt when they weren't screwing each other's brains out, too. He was happy that they agreed to be friends, but it wouldn't be the same now. Not after what happened with Finn.

In the back of his mind, Blaine knew he'd messed up more than things between the two of them and Finn. He missed up things between him and Kurt, too.

An hour had passed, he realized, and he was still sitting at the kitchen island. The boy sighed and stood up, walking to the fridge to put the now cool icepack away and head up to his room.

….

Kurt was shocked when he walked into his brother's room and saw Finn lying in bed. He was under the impression that the quarterback was out at another bar getting wasted and trying to numb the pain. It wouldn't have been the first time. But, Kurt was more than grateful that the man had arrived back at the fraternity house safely.

He knew Finn was awake, even though the room was dimly lit. He saw the quarterback lying there on the full-sized mattress, still in his clothes and even boots that he'd worn for his gig that night. He was on his back, looking up at the ceiling, eyes unmoving. There wasn't even a flinch as reaction to Kurt entering the room, and it made the New Yorker hesitant to speak at all.

Still, he had to do the right thing for once since his visit.

"Finn…?"

He closed the door behind him and approached slowly. Kurt put his phone down on the dresser and sighed as he pulled his robe tighter around him, probably a result of his nervousness.

Finn took a deep breath; the first sign he gave since Kurt had walked in that he was awake. "Kurt."

The man leant against the dresser, not really knowing where to begin. "Uh… I can only imagine how upset you are right now, and I'd understand completely if you didn't want to talk. I just hope that you'll listen."

Finn didn't give a response. He moved a hand to put it between his head and the pillow, but that was it. Kurt licked his lips and continued.

"I messed up. I was being selfish, and I wasn't really thinking, for that I apologize." He heard something outside the door and figured Blaine had finally come upstairs for bed. He sighed. "If things were reversed and you'd done the same thing to me with a friend of mine, we both know I'd lay into you. Just know that I understand why you're hurting. I am sad that you hit Blaine because of it, but I know that you're hurting."

Finn nodded and Kurt was simply happy for some form of a reply.

"Listen, I figured you wouldn't want me rooming with Blaine anymore so I was wondering if I could stay in here with you… maybe Thomas could stay with Blaine for the week?"

Finn stayed quiet and Kurt waited patiently before his brother finally nodded. "Do you actually want to stay with me?"

The blue-eyed man's face dropped. "I came here for you, Finn. You know that."

Finn sat up on the bed. "I didn't mean to hit Blaine. I was really upset and it happened. I'm sorry about that."

Kurt slid a hand into the pocket of his robe and nodded. "I can understand that, Finn. I don't think either of us blames you."

"Come sit," Finn patted a spot next to him and his brother, thankful that he wasn't furious with him, quickly went and sat next to him.

"I really am sorry—"

"Listen, Kurt," Finn took a deep breath, running his hands down his face. "I know that Blaine is like a cool guy. One of the coolest people I've ever in my life met."

Kurt listened, giving Finn the opportunity to get the things he wanted to say off his chest. It was literally the least he could do.

"I also know that he's very smooth, and very charming," he said, "and that he's easy to fall for. I see guys fall for him constantly."

Kurt shook his head. "I know you don't want to hear this, but we were simply messing around—"

"How do you think it starts, Kurt?" Finn asked him. "I love my best friend. I love him, and I would never say anything bad about him. This is the truth, ok?"

Kurt knew he wouldn't like it, but he nodded.

"Blaine is a playboy. There's always a new guy. We have lots of parties at different places… on the road… at other schools… we travel a lot for football and I see it constantly."

Kurt listened.

"My concern is you, Kurt. My best friend, he's not the type to settle down and fall in love and you're into all of that romance… and there's nothing wrong with that—"

"I'm not the same freckled-face virgin from high school, Finn—"

"Ok, so you had sex." Finn sat back on the bed, turning a bit. "So that's it? You're a completely new guys now, and you don't care about that stuff, you're saying. Your feelings evaporated?"

Kurt shook his head no. "They didn't evaporate, but I can admit that I have control of them. You probably don't want to hear the details of what Blaine and I had planned—"

"I don't," Finn assured him.

Kurt tried to hide his smile, but he couldn't. "And I won't go into it, but we both knew the rules. Neither of us was looking to fall in love. We're both guys, Finn. We're 21 years old—"

"I know," Finn interrupted, "I thought about that. You're both adults and it shouldn't be my business—"

"That's not where I was going at all." Kurt told him. "I am incredibly sorry about how everything turned out. We both love you and we shouldn't have hid what we were doing from you, because… I hope that this never would've been the case, but if something happened between us, you'd be in the middle whether you like it or not. You're an important part of our lives."

Finn nodded after his brother went quiet and he could hear the shower turn on. He assumed it was Blaine. "Go ahead."

Kurt put his hand on his shoulders. "Where I was going was, we just wanted to have fun over spring break. Blaine and I… we did talk things through." He paused, licking his lips. "I want you to know that we didn't just hop in the sack together, but we discussed everything. He's a great guy, and you know deep down inside that he wouldn't have hurt me, right?"

Finn thought for a moment. He couldn't stop thinking about all of the guys that Blaine had done whatever with and left in the dust. It wasn't as if it were hundreds or anything, but there was enough for him to have a reputation. And no, Finn knew he wasn't perfect. He'd partied with a few girls, but he couldn't bring himself to treat them the way Blaine treated them. Well, besides James. Blaine entertained James for whatever reason. And that was reason enough for Finn to want to prevent him from getting in too deep with Kurt.

But then again, Finn had heard the conversation between his brother and Blaine. He'd seen how different Blaine was with Kurt back outside the club and even downstairs when he'd been eavesdropping. Even Tommy's words stuck with him. Kurt could be with anyone else, but he's with someone you trust. Something told him he didn't have anything to worry about, but he really didn't think that this would be a good idea. If Kurt did get hurt, he'd blame himself. Burt would probably blame him.

Finn sighed.

Kurt moved in close and wrapped his arms around him. "We don't have to talk about it anymore tonight."

Finn reciprocated the hug, pulling the smaller man into him. "I want to get some sleep."

"Ok," Kurt nodded and pulled back. "Please say we're still hanging out tomorrow. I want to make it up to you."

Finn smiled. Of course they were. "I've been looking forward to spending time with you since January, bro."

Kurt smiled. "Can you not call me 'bro'?"

"You owe me," Finn laughed. "Um, you probably don't want to bunk on Tommy's bed. He and his girlfriend have lots of long nights there—"

"Oh god—"

"So you can hang on mine. Everything is clean."

Kurt nodded, trusting that Finn was telling the truth. If he woke up and found a cheese wiz stain on the sheets, though, he'd pinch him hard. "We can share the bed. I promise not to sleep wild this time."

Finn stood up and shook his head. "Sure you do. I'm going to go downstairs to shower and stuff. Get some rest."

Kurt inched back on the bed and lay with his back to the wall, cuddling up with one of the huge pillows. It was the longest day ever. "Goodnight, Finn."

The boy scratched lazily at his head as he went to get ready for the shower. "Goodnight."

….

Blaine had woken up at 4pm.

Yes, that was 4:00 in the afternoon.

He blinked five or six times before rubbing his eyes, trying to understand if the time of the clock on his bedside table was accurate. It couldn't be 4, could it?

"You're finally up."

Blaine's eyes finally focused as he tried to match the voice with a face. He rolled over and on the other side of the room in the bed Kurt should've been in, Malachi was seated, Xbox controller in hand as he stared at the television. Blaine closed his eyes and buried his face in the pillow.

This was not happening. Malachi had to be literally the last person on earth he wanted to see after what happened the night before.

"Blaine…" Malachi pressed pause on his video game and frowned a bit, expecting that reaction. Or, you know, Blaine attacking him with a hacksaw or something.

The curly-haired man got up slowly, facing the opposite end of the room. He noticed his Singing in the Rain poster was a bit askew and made note to fix it as he rubbed his jaw, wondering if the bruise there had begun to fade at all.

Malachi watched him, sighing. "Bro, listen—"

"I literally have nothing to say to you, man." Blaine stood up now, feeling a slight headache, and walked over to get his phone off the charger. There were several text messages.

"I wanted to apologize and, I don't know," the brunette's fingers traced over the tattoo on his arm, "talk to you about things. Mainly to apologize, though."

From James:

Hey, Blaine. I landed in Greece. Just wanted to let you know in case you were wondering. I hope your gig went well. I miss you.

From Mom:

Don't forget to call grandma for her birthday, sweetie. Love you.

From Kurt:

Hey friend :) I came in to the room at around 2 and I think you were dead so. IDK. If you ever resurrect, I just wanted to let you know Finn and I are out. He's showing me the sights, and he's calmed down a lot. We spoke last night and even some this morning…but, I'm sure he'd love to hear from his best friend. I hope you two get on that. Have a good day, talk to you later.

Blaine rubbed at his jaw as Malachi continued. He wondered when he could speak to Finn and hoped it wouldn't result in him getting hit again.

"Well, I am sorry for the record." Malachi repeated.

He shook his head and typed out a reply to each of the three. "Out of all the idiotic things you've ever done that involved me, and there was… so much…" Blaine shook his head even more. "What happened last night had to hurt the most."

Malachi sighed. "Bro—"

Blaine turned to him. "Listen, man… I know you weren't thinking. I know all of the excuses you use. But Kurt… and Finn… I care about them both and I really fucked things up from the start and you didn't help at all—"

"Blaine," Malachi tossed the controller down and sighed. "I understand all of that. I'm sorry, B."

Blaine looked away from him and back down at the phone.

To James:

I'm happy to hear you landed. Enjoy yourself.

"I know that I really screwed things up not only between you and Finn, but you and his brother too. I mean… I've seen you get lucky after our shows a few times, but it isn't that often that I see you happy."

Blaine looked up, eyebrow raised. "What are you talking about, man?"

Malachi gave him an obvious face. "Ok, I was a creep and I saw what was going on between the two of you. But you gotta admit that you feel something for him, right? I saw how you two were last night after I opened my big mouth…"

Blaine put his phone down and crossed his arms over his chest, almost defensively. "What're you up to now?"

Malachi shook his head. "I'm not up to anything. But, I will say if you like him, don't let him get away."

Blaine rolled his eyes away and walked off towards the door. "I'm not discussing this with you of all people. And I'd like to be alone if you don't mind," he turned back and looked at his bandmate pointedly. "I really need to get my head on straight."

Malachi sighed but nodded his understanding. He took the hint and got up. "Alright, Blaine."

Blaine nodded and turned, heading out to the bathroom.

….

"Do I get tickets for your show at least?" Finn asked with a smile. "You clearly got the role. I want to be front and center."

Kurt smiled, shaking his head as they walked through the mall. He didn't think that his brother would be as loose as he was after the long night they'd had, but he was thankful that Finn had put the past behind them. Now, they were talking about different things with school and Kurt had mentioned the spring show at NYADA.

"I don't know. I still think my casting director… Professor Molin… I'm pretty sure he was trolling me. I heard the guy say I had a certain arrogance about me that 'turned him off'. I don't think he'd give me the role of Robert in Company."

Finn smirked. "You? Arrogant? I wouldn't say that. Determined and devoted, yes."

Kurt smiled, holding his smoothie to his lips. "You gotta be a little confident to survive NYADA, really. Everyone there is pretty much determined and devoted."

Finn looked at him and nodded. "I'm proud of you."

"And I'm proud of you, Mr. Football Star," Kurt smiled. "We're going to be college graduates in a year… it's crazy thinking about it."

Finn smiled. "I honestly didn't think I could get into a university, forget about graduate from one. But it's been amazing."

Kurt smiled, nudging him with his shoulder.

"So um… this is probably an awkward time to even bring this up in light of recent events," Finn cleared his throat a bit and Kurt looked at him, waiting to hear the rest. "And it was supposed to be a surprise, but Thomas is celebrating his birthday next month in New York and the guys were going to go up there one weekend. I was going to visit you and Rachel."

Kurt followed Finn into an Aeropostale clothing store. He smiled softly and wondered how great an idea that would be. His best friend had been seeing that Brody guy, even though she was still clearly in love with Finn, and the last thing he wanted was even more drama between them. "Are you sure you're ready to see her? As friends… or are you trying for more?"

Finn shook his head as he looked through the t-shirts. "I wasn't telling you because I was concerned about me and Rachel…" he glanced back at Kurt. "Blaine would've been joining us as well and—"

"Oh," Kurt smiled a bit but Finn could tell that it was forced. "You don't have to worry about Blaine and me, Finn. We're not going to be weird or anything. Like I said, he's a great guy and we intend on being friends."

Finn walked to the back of the store and Kurt wandered behind, looking at the beach wear. It reminded him that they were due to drive down to Miami at some point and he didn't know if he was ready for that. It reminded him that kinky beach sex was on their schedule.

"Earth to Kurt…"

Kurt looked up and smiled. "Huh? Oh, sorry… I was thinking."

Finn nodded. "I want to ask something serious and I hope you give me an honest answer."

Kurt wondered what the damage would be as he nodded. "What is it?"

"Well," Finn picked up a polo shirt and looked at him, "I just need to know if you like Blaine. I don't mean like as a friend but if you actually like him as… like if things were easier, you'd want him to be your boyfriend."

A girl walked around Kurt and he stepped aside to let her go by, licking his lips and then answering. "Like isn't really an option for us. We live far, far away from one another and we both don't really do relationships well."

Finn decided he'd buy the polo as he nodded. "I didn't ask whether or not it was an option, though. Do you like him?"

Kurt smiled. "What are you getting at? It doesn't matter anyway—"

"It does to me. I…" Finn shrugged. "I heard your conversation last night and I was thinking, maybe it's not my place to say what goes on between you two."

Kurt walked slowly with his brother to the line for the cashier. It was a pretty decent wait. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, even if you are making a mistake, maybe it isn't my place to prevent it from happening. You are nothing but supportive of Rachel and I, and you're in the position that I am with you and Blaine in that scenario, right?"

Kurt sighed. "I know what you mean, but you and Rachel have known each other for years. You didn't start off having sex behind my back or anything… everything is pretty much different about that situation."

Finn nodded. "Things are different, sure."

Kurt took another sip from his smoothie. It was almost done, now. He felt his phone vibrate and then the text tone sounded, and he reached into his back pocket for it.

From Blaine:

Hi. I woke up… not sure why I was so tired. But about what you were saying, I think it'd be good to talk to Finn. I still feel bad, you know? Hope you both are having a great time.

"That's him isn't it?"

Kurt looked up from the phone, not realizing that Blaine's name showing up on his phone alone was enough to make him smile. He was embarrassed. Finn knew that his feelings were more than he was letting on, and now he had to talk about it. He felt like he was in high school again, crushing on someone that he couldn't have. Again.

"It's ok if it is." Finn said. "I am going to stand by what I said, because you needed to hear all of it. But I did my part. I warned you. Now, you trust your gut. Who knows… you're amazing Kurt," Finn moved forward in line, "If there was anyone that could knock some sense into B, it's you."

Kurt remained quiet. He didn't know how he felt about that. Finn hating the idea was much more convenient because he had an excuse not to fall for Blaine. After all they'd done; the sex, the kissing, the dates at the lake and the talking about pretty much anything, Kurt knew how dangerous things were. Finn was what was keeping them from sealing the deal. Now, with him claiming to be on board… what now?

"Just remember what Burt says, ok. You're worth it."

Kurt smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I know."

….

So Blaine had nothing to do all day. He had tons of offers to go out. Many of the guys that were left had finally gone home or wherever for the break, but there were a few who were around and knew of parties. Blaine wasn't interested.

He sat on the sofa at around 8. According to a text from Kurt not long ago, the movie he'd gone to see with Finn had just ended, and they would stop for ice cream before heading back to the frat house. Blaine shoveled some Frosted Flakes into his mouth as he watched an Orlando Magic game. His jaw was feeling slightly better and the headache he had eventually simmered down. The only thing on his mind was Kurt's lips every once in a while, which was no doubt a problem, and making things right with Finn.

It wasn't long before the brothers were strolling through the front door. They were all smiles and that made Blaine feel a bit better about himself. He hadn't completely destroyed the wonderful relationship they had, and that felt good. But who could stay mad at Kurt? God, he was everything. I hope this means that there's hope for Finn and me, Blaine thought to himself.

"Hey," Kurt put bags down and smiled until he saw basketball on the television. "Ugh. I'll be upstairs."

Blaine smiled at him, trying hard not to focus on the tight clothing his… ex? was wearing. He looked fantastic. Kurt saw him staring and smiled, shaking his head as he jogged up the steps.

Kurt knew it was better if he disappeared so that the two could talk anyway. He was hoping the chat would result in the friends going back to normal, at least in some respect. It would be a start. But then again, he wouldn't be surprised if Finn wanted more time to be upset because that would be understandable. He'd been taking everything really well.

Finn watched his brother go upstairs and then looked at Blaine on the couch. His teammate was staring back at him, not really saying much beside a small head nod hello, he guessed. Finn felt bad. He wasn't used to seeing Blaine look so… out of it. He was usually the life of the party. He was usually out of his pajamas by 8oclock at night, too. He spoke, "What's up?"

Blaine shrugged and faced the television again, clearing his throat. "Just eating some cereal and watching the game. Bulls are up by four."

Finn walked over. "Oh, cool. Smith will be a free agent after this season, right?"

Blaine nodded. "Yeah… I—"

"I—"

They both stopped and Blaine looked over at his friend, smiling. "Sorry man, go ahead."

Finn nodded. "Just wanted to apologize for hitting you like that, bro."

Blaine played with the milk in his bowl, absently spinning the spoon around and shrugging. "I don't accept that apology because I deserved it."

"You deserved a best friend who would at least hear you out, man—"

"No," Blaine shook his head. "Don't feel bad for protecting Kurt. You did the right thing, and I should've approached you as soon as I started to feel something for him… Saturday night at the party, we were all pretty trashed and that's when this started. We flirted before then but…" Blaine looked at Finn, "I should've said something when we sobered up. But I didn't and I'm sorry, and you know the type of guy I am and you just wanted to protect him—"

"You're rambling, man."

"I'm just sorry." Blaine shook his head and looked down. "I didn't want things to turn to shit between the three of us, that's for sure."

Finn took a seat, crossing his arms and looking at a commercial playing. "If you two like each other, I was telling Kurt that it's between you two. I just don't want him hurt."

Blaine's jaw just about dropped. His heart sped up in a dizzying way and he shook his head a bit. "Uh… what?"

"I love you both like brothers, and the idea is scary as hell," Finn turned to him, "The thought that either of you could hurt the other, especially with this whole 'just sex' thing."

Blaine nodded. That scared him too. "To be honest, if he lived here I'd no doubt be exclusive with him. Or if I lived in New York. Wherever we'd be…" he took a breath to relax a bit, "Part of me knows that I'd try and get with him and hopefully succeed."

Finn smiled. "Kurt is pretty special."

"He's amazing," Blaine smiled. "I hate that you never told me about him."

"Dude!?" Finn pushed him and Blaine laughed, gripping his cereal bowl so it wouldn't fall over, "I talked about him constantly. All of you guys would tell me to shut up about him. It's not my fault."

Blaine looked up at the game. "We agreed to be friends, though. As amazing as it is that we have your permission, so to speak, but even before you'd found out we agreed the whole parking lot thing was the last—"

"Totally not classy, by the way."

Blaine smiled. "I know. We were saying that was our last time doing anything because he thought I was playing him anyway. After what Malachi and Sean said on the way to the club…"

Finn shook his head. "Those idiots."

"Yeah." Blaine sighed, "Kurt was upset, understandably. But he isn't one of my 'toys', regardless of what he thinks. And I don't believe I'm one of his."

"Is he really a player too?" Finn shook his head. "He just seems so innocent."

Blaine laughed, and Finn glared at him because he knew what he was imagining in his head. The shorter man quickly fixed his face and cleared his throat.

"Well, he's just not innocent. We'll say that."

Finn rubbed his head and nodded. "I want to talk to you both. Hold on."

Blaine looked up and Finn was quickly on his feet, bopping towards the staircase. He went about halfway up as Blaine wondered what he was up to, and the boy's bellowing voice called for his brother.

Kurt traipsed down the stairs a while later. He followed Finn over to the living room and smiled softly when Blaine's eyes found his. He then looked at his brother curiously. "So…"

"Take a seat," Finn told him. He walked over to the middle of the room, waiting and watching as Kurt took a seat next to Blaine on the couch. They both looked up at Finn.

"Thank you," he said. "I just wanted this to be said in front of the both of you. You guys are my best friends and brothers, and I love you loads." He looked at them each and then continued. "You're both adults, capable of making your own decisions. I'll do my best to support whatever you decide, ok? Just… treat each other good. Whatever the dynamic of your relationship," he smiled because he was using big words, "it doesn't matter to me. As long as you respect one another, I'm fine. I don't intend on picking sides."

Kurt looked at Blaine, and the man looked back at him. He wanted to laugh at the adorable Scooby-Doo pajama pants he wore but he couldn't. He was too busy trying to figure out if his brother was being serious.

Blaine just wanted to kiss Kurt. He wanted Finn to leave so that he could convince Kurt that "just friends" was stupid, and that it would be fine if they'd continue the week as planned. Not that they were strictly sex to him, but time was of the essence, and there was so much he wanted to do.

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked.

Finn nodded. "I'm sure. Just…leave me out of it," he smiled and gestured upstairs. "I'm going to bed just so you know."

Kurt watched Finn bop off, probably feeling proud of himself. He felt Blaine shift a little closer to him after his brother's footsteps disappeared upstairs and he once again turned to face him.

"So…"

Blaine stared at Kurt's lips before leaning in, kissing the bottom one softly. He cupped the boy's face and exhaled, feeling like he could breathe again. "I like you."

Kurt opened his eyes after the small kiss, and the words spun around in his head non-stop for a minute or so. "You… you like me?"

Blaine pulled back and licked his lips. "Listen, I really know the idea of this whole week was not to do anything stupid, well beside the whole having sex thing… but I really wouldn't mind getting to know you. The real Kurt Hummel… not just playboy Kurt Hummel. And I want you to know me too."

Kurt looked down at his hands. "What does that mean, exactly? I … I can't see myself in a relationship with someone in Florida…"

Blaine nodded. "But you still want to fuck around…"

"I think…" Kurt sighed. "I like you too, but I'm still on board with just fun. Strictly fun. I can't afford to leave Florida thinking about a boy, Blaine. I have so much going on back in New York with the musical and…"

"And you just want to fuck around." Blaine nodded, trying to hide the fact that he wanted so much more. "I understand."

"If that's not okay with you—"

"Don't be crazy," Blaine smiled, leaning in for another kiss. He heard Kurt moan against his lips a moment later and he laughed softly. "I'll take what I can get. We'll only have sex. I'll keep my feelings out of this, and that's a promise."

Kurt looked up into Blaine's eyes after the kiss and nodded at what he said. As much as it sucked, he knew that it would be best. Not only for them, but everyone involved. "Alright."

Blaine sat back and looked at the TV. He took Kurt's hand. "Can you move back into my room tonight? I'm not gonna lie, I'm very horny right now."

Kurt smiled, leaning his head on Blaine's shoulder. "Sure."

They had four days left together. They'd have to make it last.