3: Just a Taste

When Blaine arrived at the beach house, his mother and her boyfriend's things were packed and ready to go. He looked at the luggage on the deck before dropping his bike near the entrance of the home. This happened pretty much every weekend; his mom and her boyfriend Victor would drive up to NapaValley where he and his friend owned a winery. Blaine would stay with his aunt and uncle, because the first time she trusted him alone in their beach home, the then 15 year old threw a wild party that resulted in the woman almost losing her lease. Blaine was grounded for most of the school year, but it was totally worth it in his opinion.

As he pulled out his house keys (with the Mickey Mouse key chain he may or may not have stolen from Kurt's key ring), Blaine's mother showed up to open the door. The boy got the same speech he got every Friday night and rolled his eyes, nodding along to her every word.

"You better be at Don's house first thing in the morning." Clarissa, Blaine's mom, told him. "If I even think you had a party, you will be in so much trouble, Blaine Alexander."

Blaine looked at the beautiful brunette with the equally deep hazel eyes and nodded. "I know."

She smiled, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "I love you. Be good."

Victor came out behind her, smiling at Blaine as well and giving the shorter boy a hello. Blaine returned a head nod before entering the home and walking past them. He wasn't a fan of his mother's boyfriend, and while his only reasoning for this was that the man would never be his dad, Blaine didn't care to try. He waved goodbye to them from the living room and tossed his back pack on the couch, moving into the kitchen. Eventually the front door closed and Blaine sighed, finally left alone.

The house seemed as quiet as it usually was. Right now, Blaine really appreciated it. Though the guys texted him when he was on his way home, curious if he'd come back to the beach, he had to decline. All that they would do is ask questions about why he left so suddenly, taking Kurt with him, and they would all be questions he couldn't exactly answer. In addition to that, Lacey would probably be there too, and he couldn't be bothered. He just needed a little time to think right now.

Blaine's mind had been doing too much on the ride home—racing between thoughts of what Peter had said earlier that day to the way he retaliated, and then to the day he spent with his friends, hanging out like usual. But it wasn't the usual day that Blaine was used to with the guys. This one involved waking up with Kurt in his arms and freaking out when Kurt talked to another guy. He liked being honest with himself, and the almost 17 year old could admit that having Kurt so close to him felt… good, for lack of a better word. There was probably a better word. He could also admit that he was really bothered when he realized the lifeguard dude (who was openly out) had been talking to his friend. The question, though, was why? Blaine had never ever reacted the way he did on the beach over anyone—not even a girl. Jealousy wasn't his thing. He never cared enough. But it couldn't have been jealousy, Blaine told himself as he walked towards the staircase. The brightly colored walls of the summer themed home seemed to be closing in on him.I'm just watching out for him, he thought, he doesn't know that guy at all.

When Blaine finally reached his room, he yawned tiredly, looking around at countless trophies and medals won over the years. He pulled at the hem of his jersey and pulled it off, walking to his iPhone charger and placing the phone down. His mind wouldn't let him relax right now. After a shower, maybe he could sleep peacefully.

….

Kurt's night was pretty typical. He wasn't all that tired because of the nap he had earlier. It was seriously the best sleep he had since coming to California, and while it was a mystery to him how he damn near ended up in Blaine's lap, he was thankful the curly haired boy didn't mind. Blaine was pretty comfy.

With a lack of tiredness came boredom, of course. It was a bit after midnight, almost one in the morning at this point. He'd showered, did his skin care regimen, shared a quick chat with Mercedes about the possibility of him being in New York when they performed at Nationals, to which the girl proceeded to flip her shit, and now he lay in bed with his Kindle Fire and some strawberry banana yogurt browsing a few blogs. Apparently the new Fendi trekking boots would be released on his birthday, and while he wouldn't have much need for them in California, the boy had already planned on pushing money into his savings for when they came out. It wasn't whether or not he needed them; it was that he wanted them.

Eventually, blogging got old as well. Kurt stretched tiredly and put his yogurt cup on the night table beside him, reaching for his phone. It was probably weird that he missed his new friend and they'd only been apart a couple hours at this point, but he did. And Blaine said that he could text him if he wanted to talk, so that's just what Kurt intended to do. Blaine probably wasn't asleep either.

After unlocking his BlackBerry, the boy went to his messaging and found Blaine's name. The last one was from when he was rushing Kurt to leave work and he rolled his eyes, smiling at the memory. He began to type, hoping Blaine was still up.

Please be awake. I'm bored :( -Kurt

He waited a couple minutes in silence, deciding that if Blaine didn't answer he'd actually try and sleep. Who knew what he'd go through tomorrow hanging out with the guys? A good eight hours of rest would probably come in handy. However, his phone began to ring as the sound of Pink's Blow Me began to play. The screen read Blaine's name and he smiled, just a little more happy than usual when he got phone calls.

"Are you calling to save me from my boredom?"

There was a laugh in his ear and Kurt smiled, getting more comfortable in his queen sized bed. "Of course. Blaine to the rescue. What are you doing?"

"Well nothing," Kurt answered obviously, "hence the needing to be saved from boredom. That's where you come in. Entertain me until I'm sleepy."

Blaine pulled on a pair of boxers, cradling the phone between his shoulder and ear. He smiled at his friend's words before looking at his hardly dressed body in the mirror. So hot, he told himself. "How do you suppose I go about this 'entertain-you-until-you're-sleepy' bit?" he asked, happy that Kurt wanted to talk. Earlier he'd been grateful for the quiet, but it had done nothing but let his mind run rapid. Most of those thoughts involved the kid he was on the phone with now, so talking to him ironically served as a great distraction. He heard Kurt humming as the boy thought about how to answer the question, he assumed, and pretty soon the words came.

"I'm not sure," Kurt's light voice told him, "just talk about something."

Blaine ran a towel through his wet locks before tossing it to the hamper. He threw himself on the bed and told Kurt to hold on as he plugged in his earpiece.

"Okay," the biker said, contemplating things to talk about. "What do you want to do at our sleepover later?"

Kurt smiled up at the ceiling from where he lay in bed. The dim lighting was casting a shadow and he made finger puppets as he spoke. "I don't know how on board my father will be about letting me spend the night with you… even if it is just next door."

Blaine smirked as he listened. Kurt's Dad was overprotective, he gathered. He got that vibe earlier when the man just sort of stood around after introducing himself. "Why wouldn't he be okay? Has he caught you and Cedric doing something at one point in time?"

"Oh my gosh, no," Kurt said, shaking his head at the thought. He ignored Blaine's chuckle and continued. "And it's Chandler, Blaine. Anyway, he was watching us outside before I came in, and I can tell he thinks there's something going on. I told him that we're just friends, but I know when my dad thinks I'm lying."

"Oh." his friend answered dumbly. Seriously, all he had to say was 'oh'? No, "your dad is crazy, Kurt. We're just friends"? Kurt shrugged and pressed his BlackBerry a little closer to his face.

"Yeah. I'll ask though." he resumed while his fingers made little ducks. "But what do guys do on sleepovers? Is that even a thing with guys? I'm used to my girls back in Ohio and I'm sure you wouldn't be into any of the things we did."

Blaine pulled the covers over himself when the AC really started to pick up. "You don't know that. I might be up for it." Kurt scoffed in his ear and the biker rolled his eyes with a smile. "What? If it helps make your transition here a little easier, then I'd do it."

Kurt smirked, rolling over to his stomach. "You'd talk about boys with me and let me paint your toenails?" Blaine started laughing into the phone and Kurt smiled. "I didn't think so."

"I never said no, Kurt."

"But the answer is no."

Blaine rolled his eyes once more. The answer was definitely no. "I think we can watch a couple movies like earlier and just chill out. Or you can 'kick my ass' in COD like you did earlier. How does that sound?"

He heard Kurt hum and realized he did kind of miss seeing him. He figured Kurt probably had that funny little smirk on his face right now. They were pretty close at this point and he could admit that to himself. "'Um, 'kay." Kurt answered quickly. "I'm all down for kicking your ass again."

"Oh," Blaine had just opened up a game on his iPhone as he spoke, "my little cousin tends to hang around so we totally can't do anything kinky, okay? So just keep it in your pants until he goes to sleep."

Kurt rolled his eyes and reached for his sketch pad. "I'll try, Blaine."

"I appreciate it."

The younger boy smiled. "So it's Mikey, right?"

"Yepp." Blaine was busy playing Bejeweled as he answered. He listened to the rustling on Kurt's end of the line and continued, "He'll be 5 in October. Super shy kid, but once he warms up to you, you've got a friend for life."

Kurt smiled at the thought, sharpening an HB pencil. "That's adorable. I hope he'll like me."

Blaine smiled and decided to change the conversation. It had been a full minute since he flirted with his friend and that was a bit too long. The boy lowered his voice seductively and spoke into the mouthpiece of his headset, a stupid grin on his face.

"So what're you wearing, baby?"

Kurt smirked, though he bit his lip at the tone of his flirtatious friend's voice. Ever the charmer, Blaine was. "Oh, y'know…" he began with an equally teasing tone, "a wool turtle neck, my dad's dingy old sweat pants from 1983, and my dentures. Sexy, I know."

Blaine snorted and Kurt laughed, though he continued on with the charade. "Don't act like you aren't turned on right now."

"You're making me so hot right now, Kurt."

"I know," the brown haired boy smiled, deciding to get underneath the covers and draw. "So was Lacey actually boring or were you just saying that so I wouldn't be upset?"

A text came in from Justin, but Blaine ignored it to continue playing his game. "She definitely wasn't interesting. She has nice legs; I'll give her that, but not so much going on in the brain power department." Blaine didn't expect Kurt to laugh so he smirked before continuing. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," his friend responded, and Blaine could hear the grin he was wearing, "I'm just glad to know you want someone that's intelligent. That's rare in teenage boys. A decent looking face and nice boobs usually suffice."

Blaine laughed now too, starting a new game of Bejeweled. "You said boobs."

"Wow. I was actually proud of you for a second and you ruined it."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "You're right, though. I'm not your average guy, Kurt."

That's a little obvious, Kurt thought, thinking about their relationship as a whole. "Yeah, yeah. What are you doing besides being my source of entertainment?"

"I should probably be packing my things for the weekend so I can sleep a little later but I'm lying down, playing Bejeweled." He swapped the yellow with a green before rushing to beat the timer, "Which doesn't come close to talking to you, by the way."

Kurt smiled. "Cornball." His pencil point broke as he touched the page, and he was too lazy to sharpen it again, so he tossed the pad and pencil away, laying his head on the pillow. He put the phone on speaker and spoke clearly so his friend could hear. "You know, I actually am really good at Bejeweled. Guarantee I'll destroy whatever high score you have."

Blaine made a loud 'ha' sound and Kurt smirked. "Want to bet on that, Hummel?"

"Name your stake."

He laughed. "Cocky. If you can't beat my high score, you have to let me record you riding on the ramps at the park."

Kurt smiled as he pushed a few brown strands away from his face. "Yeah, okay." Good thing he wasn't going to lose, because that wasn't happening. "But if I win, you have to buy me an 8 pack of Yoplait strawberry banana yogurt. I just ran out." Blaine laughed in his ear and Kurt licked his lips, his eyes closed as he lay down gently on his pillow. "I'm serious."

"That's not as drastic as I expected it to be." The boy answered, putting his phone down next to him once he was done with the game. He placed his hands behind his head and listened to his friend respond.

"I enjoy the simple things in life, you know."

He smirked and nodded. "I see."

The conversation grew quiet for a while, but consisted of both boys happily lying in their respective places, both enjoying each other's company, but neither really wanting to admit it. Even though Kurt knew at this point that the curly haired teen wouldn't react negatively to him saying something as honest as an 'I like talking to you' which was what he was thinking. But he couldn't let himself say it. Kurt didn't want the boy thinking they always had to talk or hang out together, which was pretty much happening since they met— or that he was Blaine's obligation just because he was the new guy and they were kind of close. Blaine had a life before Kurt showed up, and he wanted him to still have that.

"I like talking to you, you know that?"

Blaine's words caught Kurt off guard, and the boy opened his eyes, smiling softly in the dimly lit room. "I know." They laughed a little and Kurt shook his head, admitting the same. "I like talking to you too… I don't want to be cheesy, but thanks for being my friend, Blaine. I didn't expect to make any, at least until school started… if then even. So thanks."

Blaine listened to the rising and falling of Kurt's soft spoken words, his eyes blinking open and closed. "Thanks for letting me be your friend." It was silent for another few seconds, but Blaine could tell Kurt was smiling. He kind of wanted to see it. "And remember, friends let other friends look at their butts."

"Moment ruined, Blaine."

Kurt heard a little laughter and rolled his eyes, settling further into his bed. He looked at the time and saw it was getting even later. "I don't want to keep you up."

"I'm fine. Let me know when you're tired, ok?"

Kurt nodded as he answered. "K." He rolled onto his back and pulled his blanket up higher. Blaine's next question caught him off guard.

"What was your mom like? …If you don't mind me asking, that is."

There was a soft silence that Kurt spoke up to break after a moment of thought. Initially, he couldn't help but focus on the shift of conversation. He knew they were friends—well yeah, they were friends, but they were friends who hit it off right rather quickly because of how easy it was to just be around each other, right from the jump in that stupid sports shop he worked at. The two had their moments during the day; sharing little glimpses of their back stories without getting too much into it. Otherwise their relationship had been mostly loose where they'd joke around and be goofballs. Needless to say, Kurt didn't expect Blaine to want to go deeper than that; than the easy, typical friendship of a couple people who just met, but he didn't deny him the chance to get more if that's what he wanted. Maybe they'd be legit best friends after all.

"I don't mind," he finally answered softly. The mood changed a bit from the topics earlier but Kurt didn't mind. "Her name was Elizabeth, and I loved her more than my young mind could comprehend."

Blaine closed his eyes and listened to the musical sound of his friend's voice. "Elizabeth. I like that name."

Kurt smiled. "Yeah. She was my best friend. I didn't have many friends growing up… I was different. At least that's what I was told every day. But mom, she'd always hug me, and read to me every night… and sometimes my dad would forget, being exhausted from working twelve hour days… but every single day my mother told me she loved me."

Kurt stopped for a moment, hearing Blaine breathing softly. He hoped he wasn't going down a depressing route, because after years of crying, he actually got to a place where thoughts of his mother brought nothing but a smile to his face. His friend quickly reassured him it was fine.

"I bet you looked like her," Blaine said softly. All the teasing that Kurt was used to was gone, and a voice filled with sincerity entered his ear. "Same blue eyes and everything, huh?"

"Aww," Kurt cooed playfully, "you know the color of my eyes!"

Blaine smiled, his eyes still closed. He knew the exact color of Kurt's eyes. "They're almost as nice as purple."

"Screw you," Kurt replied, making him laugh again. Soon, they both grew quiet, and Kurt smiled as he thought about his late mother. "I did look a little like her though; mostly the eyes and our noses. Oh, the pale skin, too. But you know what I miss the most?"

Blaine opened his eyes, looking at the BMX poster on the wall across from him. "What's that?"

"Whenever I had had a bad day or I was in one of those moods, she'd sing to me. I can't remember the words of the song but I know the melody…" he trailed off as he thought about it, "Anyway, every single time she sang this song, it calmed me down. Most of the time I'd fall right to sleep in her arms."

Blaine closed his eyes once more, taking it all in. He tried to picture his friend's face as he told the story. Hopefully bringing this up wouldn't upset Kurt, but he seemed to be doing well if his voice was any indication. Himself, on the other hand, hated talking about losing his little sister and his father. It hurt so much. Kurt must've noticed he wasn't going to say anything because he resumed.

"She died in a car accident when I was 8. That was literally the worst thing I'd ever been through, and over the years I've had my share of trials," though he said it with a little laugh, Blaine knew whatever it was Kurt was referring to wasn't funny at all. "I can remember a while afterwards asking my dad to sing the song to me. I really thought maybe I'd feel better if I could hear it again. But he didn't sing it right at all," the boy laughed. Blaine broke into a soft smile, too. "At first he didn't want to sing it because he'd get so choked up, and then I realized it just wasn't work coming from dad."

Blaine nodded. "I can understand that. You say you remember the melody?" he asked. "Can you sing it for me?"

Kurt tried to rack his brain, making sure he knew the notes and where they went. He cleared his throat and started to hum. A smile was on his face as he did so, and thoughts of his mother holding him and singing made the teen feel a bit warmer. He missed his mother so much.

Blaine listened to the melody and sighed. Kurt sounded really nice. He sounded beautiful to be completely honest. "That sounds like a slowed down version of Love of the Loved."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"It's an old Beatles song," Blaine explained with a smile, "It wasn't ever released though. But the melody is the same, so your mom probably just slowed it down a bit when she sang it to you."

Kurt looked up at the ceiling. "Are you serious?"

Blaine smirked, confused a little. "Um, yes?" He laughed when he heard rustling on the other line. "You okay?"

Kurt dragged the phone closer to him after sitting up. "Love of the Loved," he repeated, looking down at the screen, "we had that vinyl record when I was little. My dad had a garage sale and got rid of it… he asked me if I wanted it but I didn't know that was the song she sang…"

Blaine smiled. "I doubt the record was anything like your mom's version, anyway."

"True, but I could've had it all this time." He shrugged and got up, taking his phone out the room and down into the kitchen as he spoke. "You never know. It could've helped."

"But it wouldn't be special," Blaine added. He sat up and grabbed his laptop, "Your mom's version was special. It was specifically for you. The Beatles version was something listened to by anyone." He pulled up a link on YouTube and pressed play. "Here, listen."

Kurt took the phone off speaker and held it to his ear as he went through the refrigerator. He pulled out a bottle of water as the song started to play, walking over to a stool by the kitchen island. The drumming was upbeat and the song's rhythm was quick. When the words began to sing, Kurt smiled because yes, those were the ones Elizabeth sang to him, but it wasn't the same. Blaine was right. Again.

"It's not special."

Blaine smiled. "I know." He closed the computer and put it back on the dresser. "What calms you down now, though?"

Kurt took a sip and shrugged. "It depends on what happened. Sometimes time is the only thing that can help heal." He could tell his friend was going to try and decipher the words, so he continued before that could happen, "but for the most part, I'll just hum the tune to that song, sit to myself, and try not to focus on the negativity."

"Hm," Blaine said, nodding. It sounded like Kurt was leaving out a huge chunk of the story. Before he could ask anything more, his phone beeped and he pulled back to check who it was. "Hold on," he told him.

Kurt nodded. "Ok."

Justin was on the other line and Blaine switched over. "Hey."

"Hey bro," the blonde said quickly, "listen, I need Kurt's number. You have it right?"

Blaine raised an eyebrow, holding the headset's mouth piece to his lips. "Yes. Why?"

"Oh, you know," Justin began, "I just wanted to schedule a make out session. I missed the opportunity to earlier—why do you think, Blaine? I need to talk to him."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Hold on. He's on the other line."

Justin didn't respond right away and Blaine thought they got cut off. "Oh is he?"

"Yeah." Blaine switched lines again and spoke. "Kurt?"

"Hm?" the blue eyed boy answered, now looking at the ugly painting of a fruitless tree on the living room wall.

"Justin wants your number for whatever reason. Is it okay to give it to him?"

Kurt smirked. "Nice. Maybe he wants to schedule a make out session."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Kurt."

"Sure. You don't have to ask. He's my friend, too."

The teen hummed as an answer and switched over to Justin's call. "I'll text you it, okay?"

"Thanks. See you later," Justin said before hanging up. Blaine wondered what the hell that was about, but didn't get to ask because the boy had quickly ended the call. He shook his head and switched back to Kurt.

"Kurt."

"I'm here," the boy said. "What's up?"

Blaine began to text Kurt's contact information over to his buddy as he spoke. "Nothing much. Hungry. Do you want to go to the diner?"

Kurt finished swallowing his water as he lay on the couch. "Now?"

Blaine smiled obviously. "Yes, Kurt. Now. I have a 4-wheeler. I can pick you up in like five minutes. I mean after I put pants on and what not."

Kurt smiled, shaking his head. Putting pants on might help. "So I explained earlier to you that my dad is suspicious of my relationship with you, and you think it's a good idea to come pick me up on your ATV so we can sneak out?"

Blaine got out the bed and went to his closet, a silly smile on his face. "Yes. I know you want to ride it, Kurt." The seductive voice came back full-fledged and Kurt put his hand over his face.

"Oh my god—"

"So I'll be over in a few," Blaine said, trying not to laugh as he pulled out a pair of pants. He laughed rather hard, though. "Be ready, okay?"

Kurt shook his head. He couldn't believe the things he got himself into with this kid. "Whatever."

Blaine smiled. "See you soon."

Kurt smiled too, hanging up his phone. He quietly went up the stairs in hopes that his father would stay sound asleep for the next few hours or so, and went into his room. It was half past one at this point anyway. Burt wouldn't exactly be checking in on him during the night.

As he decided on a simple dark blue pair of jeans and a black V-neck, Kurt heard his phone vibrate and went over to it.

Kurt bb this is Jus. Lifeguard guy is sad that you had to leave and he wants your number. Is it okay if I maybe give it to him :) –J

Kurt smiled, looking down at the phone. He carefully pulled his shirt over his head before replying.

Sure. I'm still going to hurt you though. All of you. –Kurt

Jeffy said you love us too much to hurt us. –J

Kurt rolled his eyes at the message with a smile. He pocketed his phone and grabbed his wallet. After sliding into a dark pair of Brazil flip flops, he heard obnoxious, annoying honking coming from in front of his house. The boy looked out the window and saw Blaine's 4 wheeler parked in the street, the shirtless teen pressing his horn repeatedly in a way that was sure to wake up the whole block. Kurt cursed and turned off his lamp, quickly running down the stairs. When he opened his front door and glared at Blaine, the boy smiled and stopped what he was doing.

"Hi. I didn't wake up dad, right?"

Kurt closed and locked the door behind himself before walking over to where Blaine was parked. "You play way too much. He'd ground me all summer for this."

Blaine smiled. "I think you're being overdramatic. C'mere, hop on." He winked, patting the space behind him. Kurt's eyes left Blaine's golden ones and traveled down over his body. He was pretty muscular, and he had on a black pair of Adidas track pants like Coach Sylvester liked to wear. Blaine wore them a lot better, to be honest.

"You could've put a shirt on."

Blaine scooted forward on the navy blue ATV, revving the engine. "I could've. Hurry up, I want food."

Kurt sighed walking closer and climbing onto the ATV. He put his hands loosely at Blaine's waist and the boy smirked, reaching down and pulling his friend closer. His hands took Kurt's and wrapped them around his abdomen, muscles contracting at the soft touch. They both tensed up, but Blaine relaxed a bit, holding the new kid's hands against him.

Kurt licked his lips and tried not to overthink this. Friends did this stuff all time. Blaine, however, looked down at Kurt's fingers laced around his body a few seconds longer. He cleared his throat and looked up, reaching behind him and dragging Kurt closer by the thighs. When they were pretty much flush together, both laughed a little nervously, and Blaine unstrapped his helmet from the handle bars, turning back slightly to place it on Kurt's head. The boy gave him a look and Blaine smiled, facing front once more.

"Ready to ride?"

Kurt moved a little closer and nodded against Blaine's shoulder. The elder lifted his foot off the brakes and released the lever, taking off down the block. Kurt seriously hoped the noise wouldn't wake up his father as they sped through the neighborhood.

….

"And you're sure he's not dating Blaine?" Jose asked again. He looked from Nick who was staring at Jeff who was staring at Justin, who gave him a look he couldn't quite understand. Jose looked down at his green trunks and shook his head. "Is that a no?"

Justin pulled out his cell phone and shrugged at Nick. "I mean… Blaine's straight. He digs chicks."

Jose nodded. "I thought so too."

"You don't think so now?" Jeff asked curiously, glancing over at the Latino across from him. The boy shrugged.

"He definitely was jealous when he came over here earlier. I know by the way that he looked at me that he didn't want me talking to Kurt."

Nick stayed quiet, watching as the beach pretty much emptied out. There was only one group left beside the one he was with.

"He's kind of protective over him," Justin added. "They're close, you know? And besides," he looked down at his cell phone and pulled up the message, "Kurt wouldn't give me permission to give you his number if he was with Blaine." he smiled when Jose's eyes widened.

"He did?"

Justin nodded.

Nick stood up and stretched, patting himself free of sand. He looked down at Jose taking Kurt's number down and then to Jeff who was smirking at what Justin said next.

"If Kurt does live up to trying to hurt us, I'm pushing you guys forward first."

"I better get home before my mom freaks out," Nick told them. He glanced at his watch and saw it was almost 2 in the morning. "And we need to be up early for practice."

Jeff nodded, slapping five with Jose before getting up. "Yeah. We should get going. It was nice meeting you, dude."

Jose smiled and put his phone away. "Thanks for the help. I probably wouldn't have had the balls to talk to him on my own."

Justin smiled, folding up his beach towel. "You owe us one."

As the handsome Dominican smiled, waving and walking off, the boys gave him a head nod goodbye. Nick walked off first; his hands in the pockets of his cargos as Jeff followed behind skateboard in hand. Justin mussed his blond locks, yawning loudly.

"Do you really think Kurt will hurt us?" he asked. Jeff nodded his head yes as a response, and Justin accepted the inevitable. Nick's mind was elsewhere, however. He pulled out his Android phone and answered it, explaining to his girlfriend that he'd call her as soon as he got in.

The group walked a bit further in silence until they reached the boardwalk. Jeff dropped his board and got on top of it, wheeling slowly next to his friends.

"So I hear there'll be killer waves tomorrow," Justin said, just trying to make conversation. "I haven't been surfing in way too long."

Nick nodded. "Me either."

Jeff shared a look with the taller teen next to him. Justin shrugged. "Nick?" Jeff asked.

The boy turned back to look at them. "Huh?"

"You okay, bro?"

Nick nodded absently. "Yeah. I was just thinking about what lifeguard guy said earlier. I know he likes Ohio and all… but I don't know."

Justin gave his friend a curious look. "What don't you know?"

"What did he say that you're thinking about?" Jeff asked in addition.

Nick rubbed at the nape of his neck. "The 'Blaine being jealous' part. I know when my best friend likes someone. We've known each other since we were eight."

Jeff raised his eyebrow curiously. "Well yeah, Blaine likes him. Ohio's cool… but Blaine isn't gay…"

Justin stayed quiet, in favor of listening to where Nick was going with this.

"I'm not labeling him. I'm just saying I know when my friend likes someone. I watched them on the towel earlier, and I saw how Blaine looked at him. That's all I'm saying."

Justin walked down the boardwalk steps after Nick. "I caught them cuddled up earlier. Well, they were asleep, but they were pretty… comfortable."

Nick turned to look at him and shrugged. "I could be looking too far into it."

Jeff picked up his skateboard and walked along with them. "Let's say that Blaine did in fact like Kurt, and he came to you and told you." Nick looked down at the ground as he listened, "What would you say?" the skateboarder asked. The brunette shook his head.

"That's unlikely a hypothetical. Blaine doesn't really tell people things. He shows them."

"I'd support him." Justin said quickly. Jeff looked over at him. "I'd be confused, but I'd support him."

"I would too," Nick added. "And if that's what Kurt wanted, I'd be happy for both of them. We're probably getting too far ahead of ourselves, though." He turned onto his block and stopped so his friends could go their separate ways. "I may be looking too far into it like I said."

Justin shrugged, playing with the striped towel in his hand. "I don't know. You know your boy pretty well." Jeff nodded his agreement. Nick smiled, and gestured towards his place.

"I'll see you guys in the morning."

"Later dude."

"Later."

Jeff skated off with Justin close by, and Nick retreated to his home. He didn't want to stir up anything that wasn't true, but the boy honestly knew what he was feeling. He wouldn't be surprised if the two were together right now.

….

"What should I get?"

Blaine skimmed over the menu. "Try the spinach omelet; total orgasm of the tongue."

"At 2 in the morning?" Kurt asked with a smile. Blaine smiled as well with a shrug. Kurt had just taken off his helmet and he thought the boy looked adorable with his messy hair as they sat in their corner table at Layla's Diner. Usually, he and the guys would get the large table near the back, but right now it was just the two of them. He looked down at the menu and spoke.

"It's never the wrong time for breakfast food. Try the chocolate chip pancakes, too."

Kurt looked down as well and shook his head. "That's an odd combination."

"You haven't tried it yet." Blaine told him, smiling over at his friend. Their legs touched beneath the table and Kurt rested his foot on top of Blaine's sneaker, not even thinking twice about it. "What do you usually get?"

The biker shrugged. "I don't have a usual, to be honest, but you can never go wrong with the turkey club."

Kurt nodded, closing his menu. "I'll get whatever you get."

Blaine smiled. "That'll work. Promise you'll love it."

The waitress came a couple minutes later. Blaine ordered two lemonades and two orders of bacon and cheddar stuffed cheeseburgers, drizzled in ranch and barbecue sauce with a side of curly fries. He ignored the look Kurt was giving him and smiled at the waitress, though he did ignore how she lingered a little longer than she needed to. Turning back to Kurt, he put his iPhone on the table and folded his hands.

"How does raspberry cheesecake sound for dessert?"

Kurt finally closed his mouth and shook his head. "I doubt I can finish dinner, Blaine. Where do you put it all? You're so little."

"Am not."

Kurt stuck his tongue out as the waitress came back, placing their drinks down. She smiled at Blaine before skirting off, and Kurt watched her go with a smile.

"Well she couldn't be any more obvious."

Blaine shrugged. "She's not important. Want to drive back?"

Kurt took a sip, smiling at the thought. "You'd let me?"

His friend nodded.

Kurt's phone went off and he reached for it in his pocket. He saw an unknown number and pressed select to view the message.

It's late and you're probably asleep, but I just wanted to say it was nice meeting you, Kurt. I wish we could've spoken more, but maybe I can see you later. Have a good night. –Jose

Blaine watched Kurt smile down at his phone as he sat back against the diner seats. The boy started to type out a response. "Is that Cameron?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and glanced up at Blaine. "It's not Chandler, no. It's Jose."

The smirk vanished from the biker's face completely. Kurt noticed as they locked eyes.

"I didn't know you gave him your number."

Kurt held off on replying for now as the waitress walked back over with a pitcher of lemonade no one ordered. She smiled at Blaine and placed it down, slowly walking off once more. "I didn't."

Blaine nodded, their eyes still glued on one another's. "That's weird. How'd he get it?"

"Justin gave it to him." He was the first to break eye contact as he reached down to grab his phone. "He says he wished we could've talked a little longer and he wants to hang out later. What should I say?"

Blaine looked away from Kurt and down at his glass. "It's up to you."

His friend nodded, and Blaine took a sip, adding a little sugar to his drink. He looked up and saw Kurt typing and then put his phone down. It grew quiet and Blaine slouched a little lower, tapping his fingers along the table. Kurt smiled at him, tickling his leg with his foot underneath the table.

"Stop it."

Blaine looked around the small diner and shrugged. "Stop what?"

"Being upset."

"I'm not upset."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Okay."

Blaine looked over at him and Kurt held the straw to his lips, smirking at the boy as he sipped. A couple people walked over to the counter as the two glanced at each other. "What did you say?"

"I said that if we stop by the beach that I'd say hello." He smiled when Blaine looked down at the table. "If that's okay with my inexplicably upset friend who said he'd we could go to the beach anyway…"

"I told you I didn't like him. That's all."

Kurt smiled and reached across the table, playing at the teen's beaded bracelet. "Well we're just talking, we're not getting hitched."

The waitress came back with their food and placed the plates down in front of each boy. Kurt smiled and said thank you, staring down at the large meal in front of him. The burger took up most of the plate. "Jesus."

Blaine picked up the burger and took a bite with no hesitation. Cheese oozed out and Kurt watched him in awe. Seriously, where did he put it all?

"What're you 'aitin forr?" the curly haired teen mumbled with a mouth full of burger. "Eat up."

Kurt shook his head and held a curly fry to his lips. He took a bite, steadily watching his friend. They ate quietly, and Kurt did manage to stomach some of the massively huge burger on his plate before the check arrived. He didn't have much of an appetite anyway; he just came to tag along with the uncharacteristically quiet Blaine sitting across from him. The boy took out a few bills and placed it on the table before standing up. He pulled at the waistband of his pants so that they were more appropriately placed on his hips, and held his hand out.

"Let's get out of here."

Kurt slid out the seat and took Blaine's hand in his own, allowing the boy to lead the way out to the ATV. They stood outside and Blaine sat down, looking up at his friend.

"You're not going to cancel our plans, right?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "No. I'm not."

Blaine nodded. "I'm gonna stop by my house to get some things for the weekend. Do you mind?"

"No," Kurt strapped the helmet on and waited for Blaine to climb on the 4 wheeler correctly. "Let's go."

Blaine started it up and relaxed when Kurt wrapped his arms around him. He revved the engine a few times and pulled off.

…..

"But the guys in my division are always pretty bad ass," Jeff skated ahead of the group down through the quiet neighborhood as he spoke, "do you remember that kid from Orange County? He's a killer."

"Killer or not, you still kicked his ass." Justin said nonchalantly. He turned to Blaine who was riding behind them quietly; that far off look on his face that he had been wearing pretty much since they picked Nick up from his house that morning—eyes as glossy as ever. Justin looked from his disinterested curly haired friend to Nick, and the latter gave him a knowing nod. Jeff was ahead of them, casually doing tricks as he thought about preliminaries coming up. He popped the board with his back foot and flipped it 180 degrees, finished with the perfect landing, and turned back to face his friends.

"I did decent… Blaine, you okay bro?" he asked after noticing the usually obnoxious, but lovable boy had been quiet the past ten minutes. Blaine shook his head out of whatever funk he was in and looked up.

"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah I'm cool. Sorry… tired."

Nick pedaled at Blaine's pace so that they were side by side. "How can you be tired? You and Kurt left the beach hours before all of us last night."

Blaine licked his lips absently at the thought of Kurt. Thoughts of Kurt… that was partly the reason he had such a shitty night of sleep. His mind kept traveling back to his new friend and the time they spent together after stopping at the diner. They stopped at the beach house and he packed a few things to take to his aunt and uncle's, and then they hung out on his couch for a while, casually talking about little things. That turned into talking until they fell asleep, which turned into Kurt hitting him for letting them fall asleep to begin with. He got the whole 'if my dad finds out I snuck out' speech. They both got to Alden and Canady by the time the sun was about to rise, and Blaine parked the ATV in his uncle's backyard. He smiled when Kurt hugged him and watched the boy tiredly retreat to his home. When he snuck into Don's, he quietly tip toed up the steps and into the guest room. Of course, his mind wouldn't let him rest; right back to racing now that he was alone. And then there was Mikey jumping on his bed, the curly haired blond boy trying to wrestle when his older cousin finally did get some sleep. So it had been one hell of a day.

"I didn't get much sleep though," he said. "Just one of those nights."

The guys nodded, not before sharing a glance. They pulled up in front of Kurt's place a minute or two later and found both Blaine's uncle and a guy with a bent brim baseball cap out front, looking under the hood of an old Cadillac. The men looked up. Don with a smile and hello to the knuckle heads he grew to love over the years; and Burt with a confused look. He recognized Blaine, but he couldn't say the same for the rest.

Justin propped his bike up against the Hummel residence's fence. Blaine and Nick followed suit, while Jeff held onto his board. They smiled and Blaine entered the yard gesturing to Burt.

"This is Kurt's dad, guys. Burt Hummel." Burt looked from Blaine to the kids standing in front of his yard. "Mr. Hummel, these are my friends Nick, Jeff, and Justin." He pointed to each one and they provided a friendly wave. The man nodded, as he wiped his greasy hands on a small rag.

"Is Ohio up?" Jeff asked, moving closer to Blaine. Burt raised an eyebrow, as did Don, and Nick smirked as he entered the space as well.

"Kurt, he means."

Burt nodded and gestured to the house. "He's up in his room."

Blaine noticed the man's eyes on him as his friends said thank you and walked inside. He gave a small smile and followed behind them, in the house and up the stairs.

Don smiled and looked back down under the hood. "God bless your son for having the tolerance to put up with my nephew and his friends."

Burt looked at the dark haired man next to him as Don pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "How are they? Kurt didn't exactly run with a group like that back east."

"Oh, they're good kids." Don told him. He smiled at Burt's unconvinced look. "They're really good. Just a wild bunch. Kurt will keep them in check, I'm sure."

Burt smiled, tossing his rag over his shoulder.

….

"I hope you weren't joking about being able to come, Kurt Hummel." Rachel said into the webcam. She, Mercedes, and Tina were all in pajamas as they did their sleepover at Rachel's place, and all three were so excited to talk to their former glee club member and friend. "After Mercedes told us, we told everyone! You have to be there."

Kurt smiled tiredly, nodding his head at the girl's words.

"She's not playing, Kurt. We will find you, and hurt you if you miss Nationals."

Kurt rolled his eyes as he rubbed at the nape of his neck. It was too early and he was way too tired to get threatened like this. "I'll be there. A couple friends and I are taking a trip to New York next weekend just to see you guys perform. I wouldn't joke about that, Rachel. I freaking miss you guys—"

"What friends?" Tina asked curiously. Mercedes got the 'spill everything' look and Rachel looked a bit confused.

Kurt sighed and began to explain. "My friend Blaine is the one that suggested we go, and Jeff said he'd love to tag along. He goes to the school I'm hoping to get into—"

"Boys?" Mercedes gushed. She looked from the computer screen to those present in the room with her, and Rachel and Tina returned giddy smiles.

"Girls?" Justin asked as the four of them entered the room, staring at the laptop screen Kurt was holding his web chat at. Nick smirked when Kurt whipped his head around to see who came in, and gave that exasperated sigh he was sure the boy would give every time he saw them. This was only day 2. Without warning, Justin, Nick, and Jeff were over at the computer table, and Jeff pretty much knocked the blue eyed teen out his seat. The three then smiled into the webcam, not so shyly waving at the girls on to opposite end of the chat.

Kurt stood up and let Jeff who was damn near in his lap take the seat. "Rachel, Tina, Mercedes," he looked at the smiling faces of the fools in his room, and then at the confused but curious ones of those on his screen, "meet Jeff, Nick, and Justin. This one," he put a hand on Jeff's shoulder, "will be coming to New York with me."

"Hello ladies," Jeff said, wiggling his eyebrows. Rachel immediately went into a game of 20 questions, and Justin started off by answering that he was the only one single, though no one asked that at all. Kurt noticed Blaine hadn't entered with the group, but when he turned away from the computer, he saw that he was wrong. Blaine was standing at the dresser with a soft smile, a lavender patterned scarf that belonged to Kurt draped around his shoulders. The Ohio native smiled and walked away from the group, around the bed, and over to the curly haired teen.

"So you found a shirt."

Blaine smiled. "I did. Sorry to disappoint, babe." When Kurt scoffed and moved a little closer, he rested his head on the boy's shoulder. "I am exhausted, though."

Kurt nodded. "You and I both. No more phone calls and road trips after midnight."

Blaine smiled, picking his head up and looking Kurt in the eyes. "You're taking this a little too far, don't you think?"

"Not at all," Kurt turned his body so that he leant against the dresser with Blaine. They both looked over at Justin working his magic with the girls and shook their heads. "You have a long day ahead of you and you should've been well rested. We can't risk another fall, now can we?"

Blaine smiled, glad to know Kurt cared. "I'll be fine. We're going to the diner before hitting the skate park. Nick's treat," Nick scoffed from where he knelt in front of Kurt's computer desk and Kurt laughed.

"I'm still full from earlier."

"You hardly ate," Blaine said with a smile.

"You ate enough for the both of us," Kurt teased, resting his head against Blaine's shoulder. The bike rider ruffled his brown hair with a smirk and Kurt threatened everything he loved.

"Whatever. You up to tag along or do you wanna sleep some more?"

Kurt stretched his arms forward and rolled his neck. Blaine looked at the skin that became exposed above his waist line when Kurt bent down to get his shoes. "I'll probably be no fun because of my incessant yawning, but I might as well tag along. Sleep is for the weak," he simpered and plopped down on his bed. Blaine watched the boy put on a pair of Vans that matched the coral polo he wore. The shorts he had on had little embroideries of whales, and Blaine smirked when Kurt reached for his sun-tan lotion and began to lather up.

"Need help?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and continued to rub the lotion into his shins.

"You like surfer dudes?" Justin asked, smiling at the giggling girls – the giggling girls who all had boyfriends. Kurt shook his head and stood up, walking over to the mirror where Blaine stood. He looked into it and started to style his hair. Blaine looked down and Kurt bit his lip into a smirk.

"I can tell you're staring at my ass."

Blaine smirked and looked up. "Kill-joy." He walked away and over to his friends leaning down so that he could see the girls on the screen. The Asian one stopped talking when he came into their line of view, and they all said hello.

"I'm Blaine," he said, playing with the scarf in his hands. "I guess I'll properly meet you all next weekend?"

"That's the plan," the same girl said with a smile. Blaine smiled and patted Nick and Jeff on the shoulder. "We need to get going. You can harass Kurt's friends later."

"Promise?" Justin asked with a wink to the camera. The girls smiled.

"Promise," he answered. They all waved goodbye and shouted for Kurt to text them, and the boy coiffing his hair promised that he would. With that, Jeff stood up and stretched turning around to face his friends.

"I'm bringing Victoria with us next weekend."

They all cooed and Jeff rolled his eyes. Kurt smiled, spraying his hair a bit and about facing.

"I'm guessing Victoria is your girlfriend?"

Jeff smiled with a nod. "You can meet her later. She's coming to the beach."

With mention of the beach, Blaine remembered Jose would be around and rolled his eyes. He seriously didn't like that guy. "Let's get out of here before the park gets crowded."

"For sure, dude," Justin put his shirt back on and Kurt did a good job of hiding his disappointment before they all exited the room. Blaine rolled his eyes at that and his friend giggled into his ear after putting on his satchel.

When they stepped outside, Kurt said hello to his boss and stopped to look under the car with the two men. His friends walked off to get their bikes and put their back packs on as Kurt turned to his father.

"You'll be around today, right?"

The man nodded. "Where you heading?"

"We're going to be at the park and around the beach and what not. Don't forget the cable technician is coming around 12."

Burt nodded. "Keep your phone on, okay?"

Kurt nodded. "See you dad. Later, Don."

"Have fun, Kurt." He smiled at the boy walking off and remembered he had something to tell his nephew, "Oh, Blaine."

The teen was laughing at something Jeff said when he turned around, his red and black striped shirt somewhat reminiscent of Freddy Krueger's. "Yeah, unc?"

"I'm bringing Michael to the park at 2ish. Pam and I have errands to run."

Blaine sighed, but nodded. Now he'd have to watch a 4 year old and try to practice. Sweet.

Burt looked at the group as Kurt laughed with the boys. He took Blaine's helmet from where it was attached to the handle bars and put it on, smirking at something the teen said. Burt watched them closely, but Blaine started pedaling off before he could get a good read. Kurt then stood on the pegs of Nick's bike and the boy followed off behind the rest of them. He didn't turn back to Donald until the boys were completely out of sight.

Don gave his old friend a warm smile. "Kurt's fine, Burt. They're really good kids."

Burt nodded. "Can I ask you something?"

The man returned his focus to underneath the hood where he resumed a little polishing. "Of course."

"Your nephew, Blaine… is he gay?"

Don glanced up with a curious expression. "No... I mean, if he is, I definitely don't know. He's had girlfriends over a few times and from what I caught him doing, I can honestly say I doubt he is." Burt smirked; happy he didn't ever have to go through that with Kurt. "Why do you ask?"

Burt shook his head at Don, thinking back to last night. "I just find his relationship with my son… different. Different than it is with the other boys he showed up with just now." Don nodded and waited for the man to resume. "Kurt tells me he's straight but after that hug I saw them embrace in last night, I don't know how quick I am to believe it."

Don only looked at his friend in response. He saw a look of genuine concern on Burt's face that was in no doubt focused towards his son, but while Blaine was a lot of things, he wasn't ill willed towards anyone. "I don't want to tell you that what you saw was nothing to worry about, because I didn't see it, but Blaine is a good kid. Kurt is fine."

"I don't want him getting his heart broken, Donnie. He's dealt with so much—"

"I know for a fact that that's not the type of boy my nephew is." Don promised. He waved at a neighbor that was walking by before facing Burt again. "He stays with me this weekend, so I'll have a talk with him. But I can assure you he wouldn't intentionally hurt your boy—"

"I'm not saying it would happen intentionally," Burt told him. He stopped and pulled at the hem of his t-shirt. "I can tell he's a good kid, Don, and trust me I'm happy that Kurt's found friends this fast. We moved and I had to rip him away from people he loved… I don't want him to be hurt all over again."

Don took off his glasses as he nodded his understanding, cleaning at the lenses. He could understand the man's concern. He imagined he'd be protective over his boy when he started dating too, no matter who he chose. "I'll talk to him, Burt."

….

"Look what the cat dragged in." David teased. He was the waiter at Layla's during the day shift and he saw his friend's nearly every morning. Jeff turned to look at him when he approached their table and smirked.

"It's about time, Thompson. Feed us."

David pulled his pencil from behind his ear as he scribbled down what he knew the group would order. "You'll never guess—oh, hi," he smiled and held out his hand to Kurt. Blaine, who sat across from him, introduced the two.

"David, this is our new buddy Kurt. He's from Lima, Ohio. Kurt, our friend David. He used to be cool but now he works all the time."

Kurt smiled. "Nice to meet you, David."

"Nice to meet you," the boy said with a smile, "and I still am cool, I just have tuition to pay for come August. Is that McQueen you're wearing?"

Kurt's eyes went wide, and then they got really thin. "Yes, vintage from 1992's spring line. How did you know?"

Justin face palmed. "There are two of them." Blaine and Nick laughed when David slapped the blond with his notepad, and Jeff pouted; only interested in food at this point.

"Just because I work here doesn't mean I can't get fly." He smiled and pulled out his cell phone, looking around to make sure his manager was in the back. "Look what I just found online."

Kurt took the phone and his mouth literally dropped at the image. "Are those the Jimmy Choo's from—?"

"Yupp," David didn't even need him to finish, a wide smile on his face. "I've been look for those bad boys since I was 16."

"I gave up looking for them," Kurt said, still staring at the screen.

"I hope you give up looking for tips, David, because you won't be getting one if I don't have breakfast in five minutes." Jeff pounded his fist on the table and the group laughed. Blaine smiled, watching Kurt hand the cell phone back over.

"You should probably feed him."

David nodded, "I'll be back. What can I get you, though?"

"Oh," Kurt shrugged and looked down at his menu again. "I'll try the spinach omelet Blaine told me about." He smiled and Blaine looked at him with a nod of approval.

"Cool," David wrote it down and went off. "Be back in a few."

"So have I've been replaced as bestie?" Blaine asked with a smile. Kurt nodded and the boy frowned before dramatically collapsing his head onto the table. Nick smiled at them before pulling out his cell phone. "He's joking, Blaine. You're irreplaceable, like Beyoncé."

Kurt absently started carding his fingers through Blaine's hair where the boy rested it on the table. "Exactly, what Nick said. So… while I have you guys here, can we talk about this trip to L.A. Wednesday? Will there be time to sight see after competitions?"

Justin looked at Blaine who seemed to be enjoying what Kurt was doing. "Sure. Whatever you want to do, bro."

"I think we should do something that puts us on TMZ." Jeff said thoughtfully.

Nick smiled. "Where is it that you want to see, Ohio?"

"Pretty much everywhere," he answered, "but definitely the walk of fame." He looked down at what he was doing and stopped for a second, but Blaine's displeased groan let him know that wasn't appreciated, so he continued with a smile. "But strolling Hollywood Boulevard would probably cover everywhere I want to be."

David walked by from another table and smiled at Kurt and Blaine's apparent fluffiness. He was about to ask when Nick shook his head no, so he didn't. Jeff missed it completely and brought up his food.

"It's coming, relax." The boy told him. Kurt smiled when he noticed his new awesome friend with the impeccable fashion taste was back.

"How much are those Choo's running for?" he questioned. His father would complain about him buying another pair of shoes but what did parents know, anyway?

"More than I should be spending when I'm supposed to be saving for school," he joked. "About $500. But," he pulled his cell phone out again, double checking for his boss, "The Salvatore Ferragamo's are a bit more affordable."

Kurt pouted, stopping his massage of Blaine's scalp and reaching up for the phone. "That would be settling. They're not classics and you didn't spend years looking for them." Blaine reached up and grabbed one of the boy's hands, dragging it back over to his head. Kurt rolled his eyes, but resumed running his fingers through the curly locks. Jeff raised an eyebrow and Nick elbowed him before he said something ridiculous. "You don't want to settle, David."

He nodded. "I know, I know. My need for a degree is definitely messing with my need for designer clothing."

Justin smirked. "That's why I'm not going to college."

"You're not going to college because you're stupid." Blaine mumbled. He yelped when his friend kicked him rather hard underneath the table.

"You know," Jeff began, "we lost Peter. If a certain someone was to come back to a certain sport and win some money with us, he'd be able to buy all the shoes he wanted to."

David smiled. "I don't have the time with work… but I was wondering why I saw Peter come in here with Shane earlier."

The boys looked over at him; Blaine lifting his head from the table top. Kurt noticed the tension as Blaine spoke.

"Peter was with Shane?"

David nodded. "I should've said that earlier, I guess."

Nick nodded as well. "That would've been nice." He turned to his best friend and Blaine gave Nick a knowing look. "He's a fucking traitor, not that I'm surprised."

Blaine shook his head and looked back at David. "You should totally come back and help us kick their asses. I'm sure you could earn a lot more money with us than here."

David smirked, shaking his head no. "That's if I win. I haven't raced since I was in 10th grade, really."

"Just be good enough by the time preliminaries start and we're good," Nick told him. Kurt listened, watching the group closely. All of this was confusing. Did they need another member to enter the competitions if they all competed individually? How did it work?

The cook tapped the bell signaling that an order was up. David looked back and announced he'd be back shortly. "That's you guys. Hold up."

As he walked off, Blaine relaxed a bit and slouched down. "I hope I don't see Petey. If I do, I'm kicking his backstabbing ass. You do realize he's probably spilling our entire routines to Shane, right?"

Justin scratched tiredly at his head. "You already gave him a swollen cheek yesterday, Blaine. Everything else we can handle on the bike ramps."

Kurt turned from Justin to Blaine. "You hit him yesterday?"

Blaine licked his lips and looked away. "I need some air. I'll be out front."

Jeff glanced between the two of them and nodded, as did Nick. They all watched Blaine get up and walk around the table until he reached the diner's exit. He stood out front and took a deep breath, fighting off the anger he was feeling. The guys were taking this too lightly. Shane was a snake.

"You okay, Mr. BMX?" Farrah asked, walking by with the same group of girls she was basically always with. Blaine looked up and smiled at them before facing the black haired girl. Her shorts got even shorter with the days that passed. He nodded as an answer before his eyesleft her thighs and ended up back on her eyes.

"Don't worry about me."

Farrah smiled and her friends said goodbye, walking towards the beach. She waved before turning back to Blaine who leant against the brick wall to his right. "If I don't worry about you, who will?" she asked.

Blaine shrugged, looking away. "Since when do you care?"

"I always cared; I just didn't want to deal with the drama that came along with Blaine Anderson."

The boy smirked, putting his hand in the pockets of his light blue denim shorts with the rips in him his mother dreaded to see. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "What drama is this?"

"You screwed most of my friends."

Blaine laughed, standing up. "No I didn't, Farrah." The tanned girl scoffed and he shrugged. "Fine. Don't believe me."

She peeked past him into the restaurant and saw Kurt hanging out with the rest of the guys. Her smile automatically fell, and Blaine noticed.

"What's wrong with you?"

….

Nick grabbed for the strawberry syrup and shook his head at what he saw outside. "I really do not like Farrah."

Kurt raised an eyebrow as he and Justin turned around to see. They found Blaine talking to the girl and turned back to face their friends. Kurt grabbed his fork and shook his head.

"She really does not like me."

Jeff gave him a curious face. "What's there not to like. Your ass is out of this world."

"Dude," Justin spoke next, "you noticed that too?"

Kurt rolled his eyes but could stop the smile from forming. He was definitely the straightest, no question about it. "I don't know guys. She's never been nice to me since the very first day."

Nick shook his head again. "Doesn't matter. She's one of those people you're better off without."

Kurt nodded his head, finally taking a bite into his omelet. Tongue orgasm was pretty accurate a description.

…

Farrah looked back at Blaine and shook her head. "I guess I didn't know just how close you and Kurt had gotten."

Blaine smiled at the name. "Oh. Yeah, he's a great guy." He turned back around and saw everyone was eating. "I better get back inside. Long day ahead."

Farrah nodded. "How does your night look?" she smiled at the way Blaine stopped short, a small smirk taking over his lips.

"Why?"

"Curious." She responded.

Blaine ruffled his hair. "I might have a couple hours to kill. You?"

She reached for her wavy hair and brought it out over her shoulder, the action sending her tiny tank top up over her midriff. Blaine looked rather blatantly and smiled.

"I get off work at about 5, and then I'm free."

"Oh." Blaine said, staring the girl in the eyes. Someone walked past and entered the diner and he stepped aside so another could exit. "You should come to the beach later on then. Maybe we can go somewhere and get a bite to eat."

"Or," she stepped forward with a smile, "you could come over. I have a free crib tonight. Parents are at my grandparents place."

Blaine stared at her lips. "Really?"

"And we could spend a little time alone instead of with all of Long Beach."

Blaine nodded. "That sounds cool." the girl smiled and took his hand, holding it tightly.

"I think so too. See you later." She waved as she stepped back slowly, swaying her hips in the process. Blaine watched her walk to the direction of Odyssey and shook his head. That was a drastic change from the other day.

He entered the diner and went all the way to the back, sliding in across from Kurt. The guys were laughing about something and Kurt had been smiling at someone across the restaurant, all until Justin wrapped his arm around the coiffed teen.

"Stop being a cockblock," Kurt whispered, trying to slide away. Nick laughed and Jeff chastised their friend.

"You know Jose is somewhere pining over you, and you're flirting with other guys."

"I'm hardly flirting," Kurt said, finally succeeding in pushing Justin's arm away. "I'm just being friendly."

Blaine looked down at his food and started to eat, ignoring the feeling in his chest saying that he should be jealous. He seriously needed to stop getting so upset. Kurt was allowed to make other friends, and he knew the kid smiling at him. He was nice a guy.

"Being friendly," Justin said with a scoff. "You're too much for me right now."

"What happened with Farrah?" Jeff asked. Kurt looked up and smiled, reaching for his coffee.

Blaine laced his foot around Kurt's under the table. "She wants me to come over tonight." Nick looked over at him. "But she's been going on and on about how she wants a guy that'll treat her right since I met her, not a 'player' like me," he air quoted, "so that didn't make a lot of sense to me."

Justin rolled his eyes. "I'm the only one without a date tonight."

Kurt put his cup down. "I don't have a date."

Jeff gave him a look. "Yes you do."

"It's not a date," Kurt told them. He then turned to Blaine and smiled at his hazel eyed friend. "And you can go over to someone's place and still treat them right, can't you? Maybe just watch a movie or something."

Blaine shrugged. "She wasn't giving off the 'let's watch a movie' vibe, Kurt. She wants this."

Kurt rolled his eyes and Blaine smirked, looking down at his food. "I actually liked her, you know. I wanted to do the whole dating thing."

Nick nodded. "There will be someone else who wants to do that, too."

Blaine yawned loudly and Kurt smirked, all until said yawn was contagious. All present at the table smiled and Jeff stole a piece of bacon from Nick's plate when he wasn't looking.

"Why are you two so sleepy? You're making me tired."

Blaine smiled and picked up his sandwich, "I made Kurt's bed rock last night." Kurt didn't even bother responding, reaching over for a sip of orange juice this time. "And then we made my bed rock twice."

Justin smirked, bumping fists with his curly haired friend.

Nick shook his head. "I'm not touching that one." He noticed one of his bacon strips were gone and glared at Jeff who smiled innocently.

"What?"

David walked back over with a smile, tucking his pen back behind his ear. "Boss man said I can take off a bit of time and come back when competitions are over. I'll do it."

The group looked at each other and then at David. Blaine spoke first. "You better not be bullshitting us."

David grinned, shaking his head no. "After I finish this shift I'm pretty much good. I hear you work at Odyssey, Kurt. Want to recommend a bike?"

Blaine laughed when Kurt said no. "Don't worry about that." he told his new teammate. "We got that under control."

….

It was close to 3 o'clock and Blaine was busy on the bike ramp doing his thing. He was sleepy as hell and failed at pulling off a couple tricks, but it wasn't as bad as it could've been. He was still doing pretty good, but intended to leave out a little early for a nap. No one wanted an exhausted person showing up for their date.

Kurt was on a bench with Blaine's incredibly quiet little cousin, switching between watching the boy color and watching his friends practice. He'd seen Peter ride by a couple times and didn't miss the look he got from the lanky boy, but instead of worrying about him, he focused on more important things— like Justin riding around with no shirt and sweat shorts, and how hot Blaine looked when he did stunts on the ramp. He would never admit it out loud but Blaine was a tad bit sexy.

Jeff skated by and sat next to Mikey, reaching for his water bottle. "It is way too hot out today." he complained, "My coach is trying to kill me."

Kurt smiled. "Stay hydrated. You'll be fine." His friend nodded and took another long gulp.

Another half hour later and Blaine had finally pulled off the spinning kick thingy he was trying to do earlier. Justin cheered before starting on his rounds. Blaine turned to Kurt and gave the boy two thumbs up, which was returned by the laughing blue eyed teen.

"Kurt," Mikey said, scooting closer. Kurt smiled and locked down at the little boy. He was adorable with curly blond locks and strong hazel eyes, reminiscent to someone else he knew.

"What's up, Mikey?"

The boy showed Kurt what he had been coloring and it was a picture of Iron Man. Kurt smiled and pulled out his BlackBerry, asking to take a picture. "This is so awesome! I want to show my friends."

Mikey smiled. "You can have it."

"Really?"

He nodded.

Kurt held it to his chest and Mikey laughed, climbing back onto the bench. Kurt went to put the drawing in his bag and pulled out his sketchbook afterwards.

"Do you want to see some of my drawings?" he asked, opening it up. Mikey slid closer and looked down. "I mostly sketch a few things here or there, cars and clothes mostly." The boy made an 'o' shape with his mouth at an outfit Kurt had drew, and the teen laughed.

Blaine looked over at the two and smiled, pressing the brake levers on his bike. He undid the strap of his helmet and walked over, dodging a few kids before plopping down on the bench beside his little cousin. "What 'cha guys doing?"

Kurt smiled over at him. "We're looking at some of my sketches. Mikey likes my fall line designs." He boasted proudly.

Mikey turned to Blaine with a smile. "Kurt can draw."

Blaine nodded, ruffling the boy's hair. "Somebody warmed up to you fast."

Kurt smirked. "Because I'm awesome, Blaine."

"Didn't we make a bet, anyway?" the teen asked, pulling out his cell phone. "I think I want to watch you do some bike riding."

Kurt laughed, shaking his head. Mikey stopped on a picture of an old school convertible in the sketch book and the looked up at Kurt. The teen smiled down at him and looked at the page.

"How about I let you have this picture to color? I have to win a bet with your big cousin."

Blaine smirked going to the Bejeweled app for Kurt. His cousin smiled, accepting the picture and moving over to his crayons. Blaine handed over the iPhone and walked over to Kurt's other side, sitting down and sliding an arm around him.

"Your high score is 207,050? How pathetic." Kurt teased, starting a new game. He began playing and Blaine moved closer, watching his friend's fingers work at the screen and his cousin using a purple crayon on the picture of the car. Smart kid.

"My score isn't pathetic."

"Mhm," Kurt said, ignoring his as he focused on the game. Blaine smiled and looked around the park. "Remember, I want Yoplait strawberry banana yogurt. It has to be Yoplait."

Blaine scoffed. "You sound so sure you're going to win."

"Maybe it's because I'm still on level one and I've reached 100,000 points already." He smirked, turning to Blaine and sticking his tongue out. Blaine's eyes darted down to the action as Kurt turned back around, focusing on the game. "You didn't have a chance, to be honest."

A few minutes later and Kurt had reached 300,000, steadily talking shit. Blaine smirked, admitting defeat as he reached for his wallet. "I guess I'll ride over to the store, then."

Kurt grinned, handing the phone back over. "I guess you will."

"Are you two boyfriends?" Mikey asked, now coloring with two crayons at once. He stopped and turned back to Blaine who licked his lips and looked at Kurt.

"He wishes," his friend mumbled.

Blaine watched Kurt smile and licked his lips. "Kurt has a stupid boyfriend name Jose."

"Don't say stupid and that isn't my boyfriend."

Blaine rolled his eyes and stood back up, pulling his biking gloves back on. "You want to come with me Mikey?"

"No," He said, "I want to stay with Kurt."

"Burn," the blue eyed boy whispered, and Blaine laughed, ready to walk off. "Forget both of you. I'll be back."

He grabbed his bike and mounted it. Justin was busy flirting with someone and she was literally all over him, so he didn't bother asking if he wanted something. He rode off after another glance at Kurt who was talking to Mikey and Nick now. Kurt was really great with him.

….

The line at the convenience store was long. Blaine had to keep glancing outside to make sure no one would steal his bike. The store only had two of Kurt's specific yogurt cups left, so he grabbed both, dropping them on the counter when it was his turn and handing over a five dollar bill.

The clerk gave him his change and the boy took a couple spoons, tossing them in the paper bag he had and exiting the store. Outside, Peter walked by with Shane and some other of his trolls, the dark haired teen waving in a mock friendly matter. Blaine gave him the middle finger before climbing back on his bike and heading to the park again.

When he got back, Nick was still with Kurt, but Mikey was off with Jeff, trying to ride his skateboard. Blaine walked over after dropping his bike and handed the paper bag over to Kurt.

"This was all they had. I'll stop by the grocery store later tonight." He sat next to Kurt so that the boy was in the middle, and Nick smiled when Kurt pulled out a yogurt cup.

"I guess you lost, Blaine?"

"Shut up."

Kurt smirked and looked over to Mikey who was running over. He gave the kid a smile and pulled out a spoon.

"Do you like strawberry banana yogurt?"

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Mikey eats everything."

Kurt laughed at the phrase and opened some for the little boy. Nick stood up with a yawn. "Let me do a few more laps before I leave. See you guys."

"Later," Kurt said, helping Mikey into the seat.

"Later, bro." Blaine added. He watched as his little cousin dug his spoon in and started getting more on his face than in his mouth, and smiled when Kurt laughed at him. The teen then pulled out the second cup and second spoon.

"Do I get some?" Blaine asked, draping his arm around Kurt again. The response he got was a shake of the head no.

"I don't share."

Blaine frowned. "You just shared with Mikey."

"I like Mikey."

"Oh," Blaine smiled, "so you don't like me?"

"Nope," Kurt said quickly, licking yogurt off the top. Blaine bit his lip as he watched and Kurt rolled his eyes away. "That's why I don't like you. You're such a tease."

"You're the one performing fellatio on a yogurt top and I'm the tease?"

Kurt burst out laughing and Mikey smiled at them. Blaine inched closer as the younger teen chastised him. "Don't say that around the child."

"He doesn't know what I'm saying."

Kurt rolled his eyes, slowly scooping out a bit of yogurt and holding it to his lips. He parted them and sucked the pink yogurt off the spoon, trying to ignore the 'god damn' Blaine was whispering in his ear. Both failed to keep a straight face and started cracking up; a yogurt faced Mikey laughing too.

"Don't you have something to do right now?" Kurt asked. His cheeks were red from the laughing and his eyes a little wet. Blaine smirked when the boy took another bite, his eyes locked on Kurt's lips. For a second he could've sworn his cock twitched in his shorts.

"C'mon. Let me taste."

Kurt shook his head no. "Ask Mikey for some."

Blaine smiled, glancing over at his cousin. The boy's cup was pretty much empty. "That's not really a possibility right now."

"Oh well." Kurt teased, lifting another spoonful to his lips. "It tastes sooo good, too."

Blaine nodded, watching the bob of Kurt's Adam's apple as he swallowed. "I bet."

"I'll save you some." he said.

Blaine scoffed. "You're lying."

"Fine." Kurt scooped out another bit and put it to his lips. "I'm lying."

They smiled at each other for a few seconds before Mikey tapped Kurt on the thigh. "I'm done."

Blaine looked down at him and gestured over to the trash can. "Go throw it out and I'll wipe your face when you get back."

"M'kay." The boy went off and Kurt watched him carefully, making sure he steered clear of the riders. Blaine shook his head, turning away from where Justin was openly making out with the chick from earlier, to the teen beside him.

"Please?"

Kurt smiled, turning back to face his flirty friend. "Only because you asked so nicely." He put half a spoonful up to Blaine's lips and the boy looked down at it.

"You are so stingy, Hummel."

"Take it or leave it."

Mikey walked back over and took the napkins off his cousin's lap, wiping at his face. Blaine locked eyes with Kurt and opened his mouth, waiting patiently for Kurt to give him a taste. The younger teen moved the spoon forward a little, gulping as Blaine closed his mouth around it.

Yepp, that was a boner.

Blaine pulled away and swallowed, slowly licking his lips afterwards. He nodded his head, glancing back up at Kurt's blue eyes. "That does taste pretty good."

Kurt cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah, I know." He looked back down at his yogurt and awkwardly put the spoon back down, averting his eyes elsewhere. Mikey was throwing out the napkins and turned to walk back over, his clear face a lot less messy now.

Blaine licked his lips again and poked Kurt in the shoulder. "Can I have some more?"

Kurt shook his head, a smile slowly forming on his face again. "I only have one spoonful left."

"Please?"

Kurt laughed, "Go do your tricks. This is mine."

Blaine pouted and Kurt rolled his eyes again. "No."

"Just a taste."

Kurt smirked, scooping it up and plopping it all in his mouth. He gave a goofy smile and Blaine watched the boy run over to the garbage can.

"You know what, Hummel?" he stood up and went to go run after him. When Kurt realized he was being chased, he took off through the park with a loud laugh, dodging Nick's bike as the boy rode around the park and cutting behind one of the ramps. Blaine darted between the ramps as well and laughed, grabbing Kurt and pressing him back against one of the masses of wood.

"Let me go," Kurt laughed, too busy giggling to try and work himself free. Blaine laughed and shook his head no.

"Not happening." He held Kurt's arms by the wrist on either side of his body.

"Please," Kurt said softly, still trying to regain his composure. He smiled at Blaine and cocked his head to the side, their eyes locked together. Blaine smiled too as he looked at him.

"When I get a taste, you can go." Their fingers ended up lacing together somehow, as well as their chests being flush with one another's. Kurt bit his lip playfully, far too used to his flirty friend at this point.

"How would that work when I swallowed it already?"

Blaine shrugged. That teasing glint that was often in his eyes was definitely present now. "You tell me."

Kurt laughed before licking his lips. He made sure Blaine's eyes were locked on his tongue before he spoke again. "I still taste like it. Too bad I don't like you. I might've let you kiss me."

Blaine quirked an eyebrow, eyes still on his friend's lips. "I bet if I kissed you, you'd forget all about Chauncey and whatever the other guy's name is."

"You're not so good at bets, Blaine," the boy teased back, finally pushing his friend away. Blaine bit his lip as he stumbled into the other ramp. "Besides," Kurt continued, "if I kissed you, you'd want nothing to do with Lacey or Farrah."

Blaine reached out and pulled Kurt forward by the waist until they were flush together again. He smirked at the shock looked on Kurt's face. "Prove it."

Kurt smiled. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Blaine rolled his eyes and flipped their positioning so that Kurt was against the wall of the ramp again. He closed the distance between their faces until their noses were touching. "You'd like it, too."

Before Kurt knew what was happening, his lips were against Blaine's. His eyes widened at the shock before the feeling set in. Blaine's lips were soft and moist as they moved against his own. He felt the older teen stop for a moment, and that's when Kurt pulled back. Blaine did too, and their eyes met straight away.

They looked at one another intensely for the next few seconds, and Kurt expected Blaine to pull away and laugh, or say something incredibly cheeky. He didn't think his friend would move back in, and that their lips would be this close again this soon. The elder's eyes left Kurt's and went down to the boy's lips again, closing the distance once more and taking a shaky breath. He exhaled before taking Kurt's lower lip between his own, and that's when Kurt let his eyes close slowly, little sparks of pleasure igniting his body.

The 'date' Kurt had later with… that guy… was the last thing on his mind. What Blaine was doing with his mouth was most definitely the first. He relaxed his body against the wall and strong arms held him up as their lips moved methodically.

Blaine cupped Kurt's face with his right hand. Something kept telling him to stop, maybe it was the fact that he had a date with a girl in a couple hours, but something about the way Kurt's hand was clutching in his shirt, and the way the boy was just letting Blaine's tongue explore his mouth, something about it felt so fucking correct. It scared him that he was enjoying this; that his heart sped up a few beats than its normal pace, but not enough to make him stop.

Blaine was going to come up for air when someone cleared their throat from his right side. Kurt, frightened, bit his tongue because of the noise, and Blaine pulled away with a yelp.

Nick stood at the entrance of where the two boys were hidden between two ramps. He looked at Kurt standing up straight and adjusting his shirt, and Blaine wipe his mouth and look in the opposite direction.

"I just wanted to let you know I was leaving," the boy said. "Mikey is with Jeff."

Kurt flushed the darkest red he had ever been before looking over at Blaine. The teen stared at the ground and nodded. "Thanks Nick."

The brunette looked at the both of them again and nodded. "Yeah." He walked away a second later and Kurt stood there, as confused as he'd ever been. Blaine had yet to look at him since Nick came over. He cleared his throat and looked down at his hands.

"I, um… I'm gonna go."

Blaine nodded. "I need to take Mikey home anyway."

Kurt nodded as well. "Ok."

They stood there a while longer and Blaine finally looked up at him. "I'm sorry about that."

Kurt looked up as well, locking eyes for the first time since before they kissed. He licked his lips and nodded. "Me too."

Blaine nodded. "So you're going to the beach?"

Kurt shrugged. He didn't really want to now. "Should I?"

"It's not up to me."

"Well, are you going to Farrah's?"

Blaine rolled his eyes and looked away. "Don't do that."

"What am I doing?"

They looked at each other again and Blaine shook his head. "You're giving me all the power and I don't think that's fair."

"If you want to go, goBlaine." Kurt told him tiredly. "We were playing around as usual and things got out of hand. I don't think that should put a damper on things with a girl you've liked for a long time."

Blaine looked at the teen across from him a few seconds longer, trying his best to read him. Kurt's expression remained blank, not letting much go. "Just say you want to see Jose if that's what this is."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "That's not what it is."

"Then don't go." Blaine told him, stepping closer again. "Don't go. Leave with me instead."