From Kurt [2:19PM]:

Hey babe. I think your exam should be through with by now.

From Kurt [2:25PM]:

If not, ignore me! But I just got home. About to shower and get a bite to eat. Call me when you get the chance.

From Kurt [3:14PM]:

Call your mom, too. She called me checking on you.

From Kurt [4:02PM]:

Jeff asked if you could bring him some nachos, by the way.

From Kurt [4:38PM]:

I don't want to seem clingy but it's been hours and I haven't heard from you. :(

From Kurt [5:15PM]:

Ok. I'm starting to get worried. I know the test was over hours ago and Mikey and I are waiting. You're not answering your phone…

Blaine scrolled through all of his messages after he parked. It was about to start raining if the forecast on his phone was correct. He should've been home hours ago, but after his little meeting with Eric outside of Pace, he felt the need to drive around a bit. It sometimes helped calm him down, but now, nothing seemed to help.

Blaine dialed his boyfriend's number and held the phone to his ear; eyes closed as he tried to get his emotions reigned in. He looked across the road at Burt's shop and let out a long breath. A vehicle was pulling out and after yielding for the light traffic. It turned left and went down the road. Blaine knew he was doing the right thing coming here, though he knew what he would enjoy more than anything was hurting Milton the way he wanted to see him hurt. That wouldn't make things any easier.

The phone continued to ring and Blaine thought it would go to voicemail, but Kurt quickly answered sounding a little bit out of breath before that happened. "Hello? Blaine?"

And as always, Blaine felt twenty times better after hearing the beautiful voice. "Hey baby. I'm sor—"

"Where are you? I'm sorry but I was freaking out a little bit. Didn't the exam end at 2?"

Blaine slouched down in his seat as he looked at the paper he angrily crumbled all those hours ago. "It did end a long time ago, yeah. And I think I did well, baby."

His boyfriend didn't answer for a few seconds and then there was a confused voice streaming through the line. "Oh? Well I'm very glad to hear that. You worked hard and I knew you could do it."

"Thanks," Blaine looked across the street again and the shop appeared to be much quieter now.

"Yeah," Kurt told him, and Mikey could be heard singing in the background. "But why did you disappear? I know I spammed you a bit and I hope it wasn't annoying if you needed some time alone…"

Blaine sighed. "You could never annoy me, beautiful. Especially not by making sure I'm alive," he forced a laugh but Kurt was silent on the other end, "I—There was just a need for me to clear my mind. Think about things and… I drove around a bit."

The only thing Blaine heard was the sound of a car driving by outside and Mikey's voice still going strong in the background. After a moment, Kurt did respond with a simple "Okay," that sounded like it was a little doubtful. Blaine began to toy at the locket around his neck.

"Can I ask you something, Kurt?"

"Anything," the boy answered without hesitation. Blaine closed his eyes a bit, trying to remain calm. It was hard not to just let the floodgates open and tell Kurt every one of his fears and the things he'd been thinking about doing and just crying, but he didn't. He bit the inside of his cheek and asked the question.

"If I wanted to stop riding completely and focus on school, how would you feel?"

A few drops of rain began to fall very slowly. Blaine let out a deep breath as his boyfriend's voice filled his ear. "I'm guessing you mean for Pace?"

Blaine nodded before replying vocally. "Yes. We both want to get into good schools in NY and maybe it'll look better if I'm putting my all into Pace instead of the whole BMX thing. I definitely need to get my grades up and all…"

"Well we're going to be applying for colleges soon, babe. The schools will be focusing on junior year of high school primarily and the fact that you're an accomplished BMX professional may actually help. I think a school would accept you for that reason, right? Having Blaine Anderson may draw some attraction—"

"My junior year grades are shit," Blaine said flatly. "I'm not even that famous, so I doubt it. Around here maybe, but on the east coast they won't care." he paused and got back to the point, "My junior year was nothing but partying and girls..."

"You passed," Kurt told him. "And you can't just walk away, can you? I mean what about your contracts with the companies you signed and you're only 17. This is just the beginning for you, you do know that?"

Blaine looked up at the ceiling of his vehicle. "Let's say I didn't care about riding anymore."

Kurt went into a quiet room now, Blaine could tell. "Riding is your life, Blaine."

"You're my life," Blaine corrected. "I'd leave it all behind for you."

His statement had a bite to it that left his boyfriend at a loss for words, for sure. Kurt hadn't answered after quite some time and Blaine sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. It began to drizzle a bit quicker now as he spoke. "I just… yeah, I love the sport and all. But I've gotten enough from it. Maybe I want to do something else with my life and being on the road all the time… leaving you in NY while we're in school to compete and being separated— maybe I don't want that for myself."

He waited for a reply and almost gave up on getting one, but then Kurt answered. "This is totally out of absolutely nowhere, Blaine. I know how you feel about competing and I've seen the joy that it brings you. I don't want you to do something you'll end up regretting and personally I think it's foolish—"

"Me wanting to give up something for you is foolish?"

"Yes, it is," Kurt replied with just as much bite that Blaine had asked. Blaine felt bad for the snap to begin with. "I think giving up something that you love to be a part of—something that not only brings you joy but can benefit you so much in the future," he stopped for a moment and sighed, "I think that it'd be ridiculous to throw that away. I'm not saying that wanting to focus on school is a bad thing but I am saying that you could do both, and I know you can baby."

Blaine was quiet.

"If I ever asked you to give it up for me, I'd be a shitty boyfriend. The same thing goes if you asked me to give up something I was passionate about for you for absolutely no reason…"

"What if I don't want to ride anymore, Kurt? Would you be disappointed in me?"

"What's the reason?" his boyfriend asked skeptically. "If you give me a legitimate reason then I would try to be understanding but as of right now, I really don't get it."

Blaine glanced at his dashboard and then over to the paper from Milton. Kurt sighed and spoke again.

"I think I would be the type of boyfriend that's supportive of your decisions and stand by your side for years to come."

"And vice versa," Blaine said softly. Kurt hummed acknowledgment a bit before replying.

"But, I cannot stand by something like this without us at least talking it through. I don't want you to do something you regret, especially if it's because of me—"

"It's not," Blaine lied. It was because of Kurt. It was because he wanted to give Kurt the world and that started with his boyfriend getting the chance to go to the school he had his eye on before he and Burt even arrived in Long Beach. Before Kurt knew there was a Blaine, or a Legacy, he knew about Pace. He submitted his transcript and planned to transfer there as soon as he got news of the move. There was no way that Blaine would be the reason that Kurt didn't get the dream he'd been pursuing. If that meant placing his dreams on the backburner, then so be it. He'd gotten to go on tour and meet people and compete, and he got to experience something amazing. Kurt was just getting started.

"It isn't because of you. It's me. I don't care about that stuff anymore. I just want you."

"What is 'that stuff'?" Kurt questioned him softly. Blaine switched his phone over to the right hand and took a quick breath.

"Everything. My so called fame, this sport, all of the money they're shoving at me, commercials, magazines." Blaine opened his eyes to the sound of the pelting rain against his car, "I don't care about it."

Kurt was quiet and Blaine took his key out of the ignition, resuming from earlier. "So what is it, you only want me if I'm uber famous and a sexy athlete?"

"Don't even joke like that."

Blaine smiled sadly. "Tell me you love me."

"I love you without question, honey," Kurt told him as Blaine stuffed the paper from Milton into the pocket of his jeans. "And it's because I love you that I don't want you to make any ridiculous decisions without thinking it through first."

"I have," Blaine said.

"So if I ask you to maybe compromise with me, would you?"

Blaine tiredly scratched at his jaw as he stared at the steering wheel. "I'll consider it babe. But you have to understand I'm not just behaving irrationally, I have a reason for everything I do."

Kurt answered after a moment. "I don't know if I'm inclined to believe that when all you do is behave irrationally, but we'll talk about it." Blaine slammed the car door behind him and sprinted across the street, trying not to get too wet. "Is there a reason you still aren't home yet? Mikey was really excited about going out and now it's too late."

Blaine stepped into Burt's tire shop and nodded at the kid working at reception. He said hello back. "I have to handle something, beautiful. We'll reschedule with him, I promise."

Kurt groaned and Blaine knew that his little cousin would be disappointed. "I don't want to have to tell him that, honey—"

"He'll stay over tonight and we'll watch Disney movies and this weekend when we have some down time, we'll take him. I promise, Kurt."

One of Burt's employees pointed out the fact that Blaine was there and the man looked up, immediately making eye contact with the teen. Burt could tell something was wrong from the red rimmed eyes alone, not to mention the fact that he showed up here without Kurt being around. Blaine slowly approached as Kurt spoke to him.

"Where are you, Blaine?"

Blaine licked his lips and leant against the wall. "I don't want you to worry about me, Kurt. I'll be home in an hour, ok?"

Kurt didn't answer for a while, but eventually a disappointed "See you soon," came through on the line. Blaine hated how he felt and how he knew Kurt must've felt right now, but he knew it had to happen.

"Bye Kurt."

They disconnected their calls just as Burt motioned over to his office. Blaine looked around at the guys and they said hello as he went past, following Kurt's dad into the back.

He wondered if Burt knew automatically that something was wrong. It seemed that way since he wasted no time asking the teen to step into the back.

"Close the door behind yourself, bud."

Blaine nodded his understanding as he looked around the room. He hadn't expected the office to be so cozy or to feel this much like a home away from home, but there were pictures of the man's family around and even some awards Kurt had gotten when he was in elementary school. He looked at photos of Burt and Elizabeth, and of Kurt in his football uniform, even one of Kurt on his tricycle when he was younger, and Blaine smiled when he saw them. Burt didn't say anything until Blaine stumbled upon a picture of him with Amber, Blaze and Kurt.

"So did you come to help me out?" Burt asked as he watched the boy looking around. Something was out of the ordinary here, for sure, but Blaine didn't seem in a rush to start talking. "It's a pretty quiet night…"

Blaine smiled at the picture before placing it back down. "I guess I should probably start hanging out with Blaze again since Kurt's going to have a stepbrother and all…"

Burt looked up from his paperwork and saw Blaine smiling at him. "Well we aren't that serious just yet, but you should come over for dinner next week. Blaze and Amber will be over."

Blaine nodded. "That sounds good. She's an amazing woman and after everything, she deserves to be happy. I put her through a lot of crap."

"Come take a seat, Blaine."

The teen listened, walking over to Burt's desk and sitting across from him. He got comfortable in the leather seat as Burt's strong voice filled the room again.

"You know she's forgiven you," Burt told him. "And I know you've changed from that hurt kid who made so many stupid decisions back then. When I lost my dad, I lashed out at people too. I was quite a bit older than you were, too."

Blaine looked into the man's green eyes as he spoke.

"All that matters is that you make smarter decisions going forward. And you've been doing great, don't you think? You mom is so proud of you, kid."

Blaine gave a small smile. He didn't know how true any of that was after the thoughts he had towards people today, but he smiled and nodded at the words anyway. As Burt started to make note of something on a document in front of him, Blaine glanced up at an Ohio state license plate on the wall that said 'Hummel' on it. There was some other memorabilia from Lima it seemed, but his attention was pulled from that as Burt spoke again. "So like I asked, what brings you here? Did Kurt tell you the condom story?"

Blaine smirked and looked away. "He did, and that is not what I came here to talk about."

Burt smiled. "I bet."

"But I do need to talk, and it may take a while if you have a lot to get done," Blaine dug in his pocket to pull out the once crumbled sheet of paper. "I um, I thought about doing something really bad since I think I'm going to lose everything anyway, but I decided to act like a grown up for once. That's why I came to you for advice."

Burt seemed to be confused and Blaine couldn't fault him. The teen placed the paper on the table and slid it over to Burt. He had signed it a few hours ago after deciding that he wasn't going to put his career before his boyfriend's aspirations, and what scared him the most was that he didn't even feel bad about it. Yeah he loved performing for his fans, and he really wanted to kick Shane's ass, but this wasn't more important to him than Kurt and him being happy.

Burt read over the letter after pressing out of the wrinkles. His face screwed up a bit in confusion and Blaine took a deep breath. "What is this, son?"

And Burt calling him son really gave his chest a weird feeling. "It's some stupid confession. You remember Eric Milton, right?"

Burt nodded. "The jackass that showed up at our BBQ in the park? Looked down at my son like he was so much better than him? Yeah, I remember."

Blaine nodded. "He asked me to sign that—"

"Did you actually gamble or did I miss something?" Burt looked up at him from the paper and Blaine felt like he was in the principal's office for a moment.

"I have to go back to the beginning. This is where it becomes a long story…"

Burt simply stared. Blaine took that as a cue to begin and did so.

"Kurt and I have told you the story about how we met after you guys moved here. I went to my uncle's shop and we talked a bit. We found each other again later that night, pretty much took it from there."

Burt nodded. "I recall the story."

Blaine resumed. "You've met all of the guys that are our real friends. Nick, Jeff, Jus and David… they're like our inner circle here." Burt nodded, waiting for the rest, "But when Kurt and I had first started hanging out, there was a kid in Legacy named Peter. I think you mentioned meeting him at some point."

"He came in for a summer job a few weeks back." Burt explained. "He wasn't really experienced though and I don't want to have to train someone when I'm so busy."

Blaine shook his head because he was sure that Peter came here knowing who Burt was. "It's good you didn't hire him. When Peter and I first met we got along ok. We both liked BMX and everything. Then time went on and I got to know him."

A couple knocks on the door and the kid at reception stuck his head in. "I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Hummel. Ms. Lawrence wants to know if she can come in for her car tonight before closing."

Burt looked away from Blaine and nodded. "We're ready for her now. Just print a copy of the report for me, Solomon."

The kid nodded and exited, closing the door behind him. Burt looked back at Blaine. "Does this have something to do with Kurt?"

Blaine nodded. "It has something to do with the both of us. Time went on, Peter joined Legacy. None of the other guys liked him much but we needed a fifth person for group competitions when we competed. David had a bad injury so he was out of it."

Burt gave Blaine his complete attention.

"After he joined we all hung out constantly. He was the one friend who said things that shouldn't be said and upset people. We've been in fights before because he disrespected my friends or was too rough with Mikey and my little sister. He just never knew when enough was enough. But nothing was as bad as when he said something I didn't like to Kurt."

"What did he say?"

Blaine shook his head. "He was jealous of Kurt from the moment he saw him. He had this fear of being replaced and I guess he was intimidated." They both were quiet for a moment, "This was the day after Kurt and I met. The night that you saw the two of us hug…" Burt nodded to him, "Earlier that day, it had stormed pretty badly. I asked Kurt to hang out with us before it started to rain, and he agreed. He got off work and met all of us at the skate park, I introduced him to the guys, and all loved him except for Petey. He seemed to be homophobic all of the sudden and I don't ever remember him being like that. And that's pretty much when everything started to go downhill."

"I would love to know how all of this ties to the paper you signed, Blaine."

"I'm getting to it, I promise," Blaine licked his lips, suddenly feeling parched. "The memory just gets me a little upset."

Burt waited patiently. He didn't mean to rush the kid and it was clear how aggravated Blaine was because of whatever was going on. He just wanted to know if someone was messing with his son. Deciding to calm down a bit, Burt took off his cap and placed it on the desk, leaning back in his chair. "I'm sorry. Take your time, bud."

Blaine nodded. "Ok. We were all riding to my uncle's place. Nick and Jeff go to Pace where Kurt and I are trying to get in to, and while we were going to Don's, we talked about the school. Petey got annoyed because he has no talent and couldn't participate. He went on to say that he didn't want to talk about some 'faggy' school, knowing that Kurt was openly gay and that it would no doubt be offensive."

Burt's eyes got a little darker.

"Kurt wasn't as offended as I was," Blaine explained, "He told me later that he was used to things like that being said. I didn't care how used to it he was, it wasn't going to happen around me." Burt continued to listen as Blaine recounted the story. "I get that Peter was referring to Nick and Jeff as 'faggy' too because they're heavily involved in the arts as well, and because they take pride in going to that school, but I knew that the only reason Peter said that word was because Kurt was there. I know it."

"What did Kurt do?" Burt asked. The man knew a glimpse of what his son had to deal with in Ohio and did not want a repeat of that. He would not stand for it.

Blaine shifted in his seat a bit. "Kurt went inside even though I asked him to stay. He didn't want to be around someone who had a problem with him and I didn't blame him. Long story short, I told Peter that he wasn't going to disrespect my friends and get away with it, and he took my anger at what he said to mean that Kurt was… performing sexual acts for me." Burt's eyes darkened even more and Blaine felt bad for having to say all of this. "I hit him, and I hit him hard, and that's where all my problems began."

"You and Kurt weren't anything at this point, you say?"

Blaine shook his head no. "We had just met the day before. I liked him and he needed friends around here so I asked him to hang out with us. I wasn't expecting Peter to be such a jerk."

Burt took a deep breath. "So you kicked him out of Legacy. Go on."

Blaine looked away from a picture of Elizabeth and Kurt. "So after a while Kurt and I had become closer. We got together and people knew it. I wasn't ashamed," Burt nodded, "Peter didn't like that. We found out he was talking a lot of crap about me to all our peers and I met him in the park that morning. That's when the bet happened."

Burt scratched at his bald head. "What was the bet?"

"A grand that I'd beat him at the competition." Blaine explained. "Whoever won would get the money. Peter fell. I won. But I never, ever collected the money. It wasn't as if the guy had it anyway. I just bet to embarrass him like he'd been trying to do to me."

Burt looked at him. "But you signed this paper saying you'd quit…"

Blaine looked down at the paper and rubbed at the nape of his neck. "Somehow the Board found out about the bet. They just didn't know that Peter and I were the participants." The teen paused for a moment and cleared his throat, and Burt could tell it was because he was trying to get his thoughts in order. "At first, the only people that knew were my friends because they were standing there, and a bunch of kids in my school. Then I told Kurt and he was disappointed in me, but I told him I'd never take the money. I didn't."

"Again," Burt repeated, "you signed this paper, Blaine. This paper says that you did in fact gamble and that you're willing to return all of your winnings, trophies, etc., while losing any endorsements you may've earned." Burt stared at him but Blaine never gave him eye contact. "Is there a reason you lied? And is that reason Kurt?"

"I," Blaine shook his head, "Milton was really close with my uncle growing up. But he was never as good as my uncle and that pulled them apart. He's been bitter and jealous since they were 18 and now…" Blaine shook his head, "now that he can't vicariously live through his son who has a disability, he wants to see to it that I'm not as great as I know I can be."

"So he made you sign this, is what you're saying?"

Blaine nodded. "He blackmailed me."

Burt looked down at the paper. "How?"

"I think even if I never took the money I could still get in trouble. He has witnesses in Peter and the kids that were there that day—"

"What does this have to do with Kurt, Blaine?" the man asked. Blaine stopped speaking for a moment and looked down.

"He told me that if I were to show up and compete on Saturday, that he would make sure that Kurt didn't get an audition at Pace."

Burt stared at him and Blaine shook his head. "There's no way that I'm letting him ruin Kurt's dreams. I will die before I let him touch anything that has to do with Kurt—"

Burt ripped up the paper before Blaine could even finish speaking. The teen's heart stopped as he watched him tossing the shreds in the trash bin. "You're not throwing away the things you love because someone who is supposed to be a role model to you and your friends can't get over his inability to be as great as he'd hoped to be 20 years ago, Blaine."

Blaine stood up and looked in the bin. "Burt… I can't have him screw with Kurt over this!"

"He's not going to screw with either of you. You have my word." Burt stood up from his seat as well and Blaine looked up at him, "Go home. Tomorrow, you get your ass up and practice or do whatever the hell you have to do. Saturday, you win first place and make your family as proud as you always do."

"He's a judge anyway," Blaine shrugged. "He'll give me a low score, and I don't give a damn as long as Kurt has a chance to get into the school he's been wanting to since before he got here."

"Nobody messes with my family, Blaine." Burt put his cap back on and stepped around the desk. "Now like I said, go home kid. Do what you need to do. Don't worry about this Peter kid or Eric Milton… stay out of trouble. I'll handle it."

Blaine had a hard time agreeing, but he did. "Alright."

"Trust me, Blaine."

Blaine sighed. "I do. Thank you."

Burt gave him one last look before exiting the office. He left Blaine standing there with a large lump in his throat and a little bit of uncertainty in his mind. Trusting other people that weren't Kurt wasn't so easy for him, but for some reason he knew he could rely on his boyfriend's father.

He didn't have much of a choice, anyway.

….

Mikey had cried a little after Kurt explained that they weren't going on their date that night. He said something along the lines of being stood up and how much it hurt. Kurt felt guilty for letting down the little drama king, but he refused to tell him that it was because of Blaine. He took all the blame himself. He promised that over the weekend they'd go wherever he wanted and have all the fun in the world. That didn't seem to help much.

All of Legacy was over. Except for Blaine of course, who wouldn't say where he was or what he was doing. Kurt tried not to think about it. He told Blaine he trusted him and he did, but things like this made him worry.

Nick was on the couch trying to cheer up Mikey. David was engrossed in the movie they put on for Mikey. Jus was on the phone with Quinn, Kurt assumed. He was smiling the 'talking to Quinn' smile he always wore. Jeff had just finished his box of pizza since it was evident he wasn't getting any nachos tonight. Kurt leant back in the La-Z-Boy and read a message from Karofsky, glancing up at the time and trying not to frown.

From Dave Karofsky:

So you're sure? He pretty much came on Facebook and told me not to speak to you again or he'd "deal with me" when he's in Ohio. He sounds like a dick and if you're going to have trouble with him, I'll be fine.

"Seriously, where's your idiot boyfriend?" Jeff laid back and rubbed his belly. "You're starting to stress me out with that pout, Ohio."

Kurt smiled softly. "He'll be here soon. He said an hour forty minutes ago so soon."

To Dave Karofsky:

I didn't know Blaine messaged you, but he knows about what happened with us so he was pissed that I'd speak to you after that. We talked about it though, and he understands, I think.

From Dave Karofsky:

You told him about me? The guy hates me, Kurt! What if he outs me?

"You know what cheers Mikey up?" David asked once the movie ended. "It's time for a sing along!"

Mikey shook his head no, though the twinkle in his eye at the possibility of a sing along totally gave him away. Kurt smiled after sending another message to Dave.

To Dave Karofsky:

If you think I'd date a guy who would out someone, then you're sorely mistaken. Blaine isn't like that.

"Let me grab a guitar," he stood up and got Blaine's old one, the one that Ariel and Mikey had colored on, and sat back down on the chair. Justin smirked, knowing that Kurt wasn't nearly as good on the guitar as he pretended to be.

"Here we go."

"Shut up," Kurt said with a smile. "What are we going to sing?"

David looked at Nick who was holding Mikey in his arms while glancing over to Jeff. Jeff seemed to be waiting for a song and hadn't noticed. "Do you know how to play 'Realize' by Colbie Caillat?"

Kurt's blank look told David that no, he didn't. But he said yes anyway. "Of course."

Justin stood up and took his conversation in another room, mumbling a "Kurt has a guitar again" to Quinn as he went. He missed the scowl he received.

He started to strum a few chords and Mikey watched him softly. David folded his legs where he sat on the floor and nodded along to the rhythm. "You actually play better than Justin sings."

"I heard that!"

Jeff grinned. "C'mon, Ohio. Hand it over."

Kurt frowned as he looked up at the blonde. "Am I that bad? Really?" he removed the strap from over his head and Jeff lifted the guitar, shaking his head no.

"I thought it was beautiful," Mikey told him. Even though he was still mad at him. Nick smiled and pulled the toddler closer. "Me too, Kurt."

"Blaine's giving you lessons so you're further ahead than you should be, really." Jeff put the guitar around him and went back to his seat, strumming a lot more effortlessly and precisely than Kurt did. At the sound of the music, Justin walked back in, now with no phone to his ear. He didn't dodge the pillow Kurt threw at him and laughed when it hit him in the guy. "Ouch!"

"Shh," Mikey said, waiting for David to begin. The surfer apologized and sat down beside Nick, throwing the pillow back at a smiling Kurt who caught it.

From Karofsky:

You're right. I'm happy you're happy. You deserve him. You deserve a lot of happiness.

Take time to realize,
That your warmth is crashing down on in.
Take time to realize,
That I am on your side.
Didn't I, didn't I tell you?

But I can't spell it out for you.
No, it's never gonna be that simple.
No, I can't spell it out for you.

Kurt listened carefully to the lyrics and looked up to find Nick doing the exact same. Jeff's hair hung down over his face as he bobbed along to the strumming of his guitar playing, not paying much attention to the words being said; the words that Kurt knew David was singing because their best friends needed to hear them. Justin sat back on the sofa and turned his attention to Jeff as well.

If you just realize what I just realized,
Then we'd be perfect for each other,
And we'll never find another.
Just realize what I just realized.
We'd never have to wonder if
We missed out on each other now.

Jeff looked up now after singing the chorus with David. His eyes immediately found Nick's, and the brunette looked away and down at Mikey. Jeff continued to play as David sang the second verse.

Take time to realize.
Oh-oh, I'm on your side.
Didn't I, didn't I tell you?
Take time to realize
This all can pass you by.
Didn't I tell you?

But I can't spell it out for you.
No, it's never gonna be that simple.
No, I can't spell it out for you.

Kurt only smiled when he saw Nick look back up and find Jeff. The blonde sang along with David again, never moving his eyes. Mikey looked between the two of them, and then to Justin who only nodded confirmation to the little boy.

If you just realize what I just realized
Then we'd be perfect for each other,
And we'll never find another.
Just realize what I just realized.
We'd never have to wonder if
We missed out on each other but...

To Dave Karofksy:

Thank you. You do too, whether you believe it or not.

David faced Kurt and winked, making the blue eyed teen smile. That was something to add to the resume. David Thompson: BMX racer, fashion guru, and modern day gay-cupid. Jeff stopped singing and looked down at his fingers on the string, allowing David to continue on his own.

It's not the same,
No, it's never the same
If you don't feel it too.

Nick turned from Jeff over to David now, pretending not to have any reaction. Of course all of his friends knew better, and he knew they knew better and hell if Mikey knew anything about this he'd probably tell all of his friends at school, but he wouldn't let it show. They didn't have to know that he knew they knew…

If you meet me halfway,
If you would meet me halfway,
It could be the same for you.

David blatantly stared at Nick as he sang the words.

So they knew he knew.

Jeff didn't join in with the chorus this time. He seemed distant; his guitar playing a bit lazy and far off. Kurt glanced at Justin who smiled and rolled his eyes at the situation. Kurt looked down at his phone.

From Karofsky:

It's hard to believe. Remember I told you about Sebastian? I think we see 'relationships' in two different lights. His is much more…physical than I'm ready for.

If you just realize what I just realized
Then we'd be perfect for each other,
And we'll never find another.
Just realize what I just realized.
We'd never have to wonder.
Just realize what I just realized—

To Dave Karofsky:

You know better than to let anyone rush you. You're still figuring things out. Please move at your own speed.

"I need some air," Nick stood up and pulled his shirt down over the back of his jeans. Mikey crawled over to David and climbed on him as Jeff stopped playing, watching the racer walk towards the door.

"Are you ok?" he asked. Nick opened the door to the beach house and nodded a response.

"I'm good. Just need some air."

The door closed and Jeff stared at the spot he previously stood. Justin laid down on the free couch; his freeloader senses kicking in. "Can Mikey go to sleep now so we can watch something rated higher than 'G'?"

Mikey stuck his tongue out.

"You should go check on him," Kurt said softly. David nodded obviously as he handed over a couple racecars to the little boy. Jeff looked at both of them and put the guitar on the floor beside him.

"I think he wants to be alone right now."

Justin rolled his eyes.

"Jeffrey," Kurt looked at him seriously to get the point across. "Go talk to him. You both need to talk much sooner than later."

"I agree," Justin said shortly, scrolling through kiddy shows they had to choose from.

"And kiss him." Mikey told him.

Jeff smirked and stood up, ignoring his friends' laughter. "I'll be back, guys."

When he stepped outside, Nick was sitting on the steps; his toes in the sand. Jeff nervously played with his tongue ring as he approached (he could do so without Kurt punching him out here) before sitting next to his friend.

"What's on your mind, short stuff?"

Nick smiled as he looked down the beach. The sunset looked amazing. He was happy it stopped raining and had been just a light shower. "You know. Life."

Jeff smiled. "Yeah. Life."

They both looked at the sand and Jeff reached down to tie his sneakers. Nick watched him as he did so before speaking. "How are things with you and Victoria?"

Jeff made a loop with the laces and sat back up, focusing on his folded hands. "We had a fight a couple days ago and it hurt pretty badly." Nick turned to face him though Jeff wouldn't do the same. "I haven't told anyone but Justin and he isn't the right one to tell. Not so great at advice giving, that one."

"What would you need advice for?" Nick asked curiously. "And why even fight to begin with? I swear if it was because of me—"

"It was because of you—"

"But why?" Nick's voice rose slightly and he winced, turning away again. "This is what I didn't want to happen, Jeff. I didn't want anyone hurt and I didn't want our relationships to be ruined!"

"I know," Jeff bit his lip and shrugged as he played nervously at the Rolex on his wrist. "I know. But Naomi told her what happened with the two of you and your break, and she came to me wondering what the hell was going on with us. She was under the impression that it was a fling while we were drunk and I hadn't told her about it constantly happening, and then you needed a break to think things over and she was pissed that I was just going to let my relationship with her continue without trying to see how I felt about you. She said "At least Nick gave Nay the common courtesy to explain everything and say he needed time- that this was more than nothing." I felt bad, I yelled back because I was blindsided… it was bad."

Nick shook his head. "Just because I need time to figure things out doesn't mean you don't know what you want, Jeff. You should've explained that—"

"And if I do know what I want but I'm too scared to go after it?" Jeff quipped back. For the first time he looked at Nick and as usual, that sarcastic little smile was on. "Let's say I knew what I wanted for a long time but I couldn't have it because it was someone else's, and one night we were a little wasted and he started to kiss me and I started to kiss him back. Let's say I pretended not to remember anything the next day, proving to be a shitty friend and boyfriend to my then girlfriend. Because that's pretty much who I am."

"Your 'then' girlfriend?" Nick questioned.

Jeff nodded. "My ex."

Nick shook his head and looked back down at his toes in the sand. "Wow. So you remembered that far back."

Jeff looked up at the pretty blues and oranges in the sky as the sunset. "I don't remember all of the times. But I remember some things. And I'm sorry—"

"How do you feel about me now?" Nick asked, turning to face him. Jeff looked into his eyes and sighed. "Have you always felt something?"

"Not always."

"But now?" Nick asked.

Jeff pushed his hair away from his face as he nodded. "It's something. I don't know what, but it's something."

"Platonic?"

"More," he pretended to pick lint off of his Hollister shorts, "Like… just more. A lot more." He mumbled the latter.

Nick nodded his head and turned away again. They both watched people down the beach; a few surfers—that one guy from Australia who asked Justin how Kurt was doing and got Justin to give him a nice death glare, a few chicks that David had been dating on and off, pretty much switching between them, then Shane, Hunter and Jose who were standing in a circle talking about whatever. The beach looked lively. Jeff was about to ask him if he wanted to take a walk when Nick turned to face him again.

"Are you two still together?"

Jeff sighed and shrugged. "We haven't talked about it after… that. But seeing as she refuses to speak to me, I think it's a no."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

They looked away again.

"I hope you get her back. She's a great girl."

Jeff listened but didn't reply. Nick pulled at his Batman pajama top again out of nervousness. They were silent until Jeff cleared his throat and answered.

"She's amazing. But I think I'd rather her with someone who could love her like I think I could love you one day."

Nick turned to face Jeff so quickly that he was shocked his didn't pull a muscle. Jeff's blush was a light pink as he smiled, inching over on the steps until his side was touching his friends.

"You should stop me."

Nick watched his lips as he slowly began to move forward. "From saying corny things like that? Because yeah, I should…"

Jeff smiled, staring down at Nick's now. "From kissing you."

The brunette slowly shook his head as Jeff's lips moved just a centimeter away from his. "Oh. Then no."

The distance was closed.

The waves had been noisy, but everything was quieted now. Nick took in a sharp breath as Jeff's lips pressed against his; not knowing that he would so desperately need it. It was like the wind was knocked out of him all at once, and all that he could feel was the sudden need for more.

Jeff raised his hand to cup Nick's face and hold him in place as their lips moved against one another's. It was soft and sweet, and everything he wanted their first real kiss to be… and the fact that Jeff never knew he wanted them to have a first real kiss to begin with was enough to make him want to hit himself. Life would be so much easier if his subconscious would be a little more… conscious.

When Nick's hand came up to hold Jeff's face, and his thumb began to brush his cheek, he felt his heart beating inside his chest. He heard the blonde sigh happily against his lips before requesting to deepen it, and he heard someone clear their throat a matter of seconds later.

"How ironic it is to find you here, Nicholas." Blaine smiled as he slid his hands into his pockets. "I remember not too long ago you found me with my tongue down a boy's throat, too."

Jeff jumped back and turned to look at the pool on the deck, not as nonchalant as he probably intended to be. Nick wiped his mouth and looked up at his best friend.

"Hi, Blaine."

"Yo." Blaine smiled.

"I'm going to go inside—"

"No, no," Blaine stepped between them after cutting off Jeff. "Please, don't let me interrupt. I'll go. I didn't see a thing, either."

Nick smiled as Jeff faced him again, trying not call Blaine out on his bullshit lie. They all knew where Mikey gets his tattle-tale nature from. "So how was the exam, B? Kurt had us worried when you wouldn't get back to him."

Blaine sighed at the memory of seeing Milton but fought back the anger so that his best friend wouldn't notice. "It went well. I got caught up afterwards, but the proctor said he was impressed. I just had a long day so you all are welcome to stay, but I'm probably going to hit the hay."

Jeff looked away from Nick to Blaine. "Get some rest."

Blaine nodded. "And you two just get some." He smiled and winked at his best friend. Nick rolled his eyes away and gestured to the beach.

"Can we go for a walk?"

Jeff smiled and stood up. "Sure."

Blaine smiled at the two of them, shaking his head and walking into the beach house. He could honestly say he didn't see that coming. But he could also say he was happy for them.

He turned the door knob and stepped inside. Justin was singing to Mikey and Kurt had his fingers in his ears as he laughed. David was totally engrossed in another kiddy movie—it appeared to be something Nick Jr. related, and when he closed the door they all turned to face him.

Mikey's smile fell. He looked enraged. Blaine took that to mean that he knew they weren't going out tonight. The look on Kurt's face confirmed that as his boyfriend nodded.

Justin smiled widely though and waved to his friend. "Blaine! You're just in time to hear me sing Mirrors by another not-as-cute-as-I-am Justin!"

David laughed as he said hey to his friend as well. "What's up man, how'd it go?"

Blaine stepped out of his sneakers and put his backpack on the ground. "It went better than I thought it would." He walked around the sofa and over to Kurt, leaning down and kissing him softly. Kurt smiled at the action and kissed back a few times.

"Are you going to explain what the hell happened today?" he whispered against his lips. Blaine nodded surely and kissed him again.

"Can you wait for me upstairs? I have to apologize to Mikey first."

Kurt nodded and left his cell phone there to charge. "Alright, honey."

Blaine slapped five with Justin first, and then did secret fist-bump thing with David. He looked down at Mikey who was on the floor and leant down to pick him up, frowning when his cousin shook his head no.

"Come on, man. I'm sorry. I had a bad day."

Mikey shook his head no some more. "I did too."

Blaine frowned. "If I tell you I saw Nick and Jeff kissing outside would you feel better?"

David looked at Justin and smirked. "Remind me not to tell Anderson secrets, will ya? He apparently feeds them to Mikey when he's upset."

Blaine smiled as he held up an unfriendly finger so that only David could see it. "Mikey. We're going to go somewhere after I win finals, okay? Better than Chuck E. Cheese's."

His cousin looked up at him skeptically. "What if you don't keep this promise neither?"

"I promise I will," Blaine sat down next to him. "What if you and me and Kurt go to Disneyland? What if all of us from Legacy go?"

Mikey tried to hide his smile. "Do I get to hold Kurtie's hand all day and meet Mickey Mouse?"

Blaine smiled. "You get to meet Mickey."

"I want to hold Kurt's hand and kiss him on the cheek too."

Blaine smiled and shook his head. "Mikey, you're doing too much—"

"If you're not willing to compamise then I won't forgive you."

Justin grinned. "If you say yes, every time I'm mad at you I'm kissing Kurt too."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "On the cheek, Mikey. And yeah, you can hold his hand. I don't mind. But do you forgive me?"

Mikey smiled. "We're really gonna go to Disneyland?"

Blaine grinned and nodded. "We are."

The hug he got made David and Jus awww in unison. Blaine grinned and squeezed the little blonde tightly. "Thank you, Mikey. I'm really sorry, ok?"

The boy nodded. "I know. I love you, Blainey."

"And I love you munchkin. Now I have to go say sorry to Kurt, ok?"

Mikey nodded with a smile.

"We'll be back down in like an hour," Blaine stood to his feet and looked at David, motioning towards the steps. "I'll pay for food if you guys want… sorry I'm so late—"

"Yeah, yeah," David paused the movie and turned to his friend, "just try not to be too loud because I don't want to have to explain why you two keep screaming 'yes' to your little cousin."

Blaine shook his head and started to walk away, ignoring Justin's laugh as he did so. "I need new friends."

….

What Kurt didn't understand was how he went from being pretty pissed off at Blaine to being blown by Blaine in a matter of minutes.

He had every intention of going upstairs and having his boyfriend come into the bedroom and say he did something stupid, to which he would (depending on the level of stupidity) then decide how to deal with. But Blaine came up to the bedroom, pulled his t-shirt over his head, and forced Kurt to lie back on the mattress.

And now his fingers were pulling at Blaine's curls as his boyfriend sucked his cock.

Part of him wondered if this was all some distraction. If it was, Kurt would be disappointed. He was not that stupid and Blaine should know better. But he couldn't focus on the thought long enough to stop from whining for more, and he hated that it was a whine, but with their friends downstairs he couldn't exactly be as vocal as he usually would.

"Oh my god," Kurt slowly smiled as Blaine stuck two fingers inside him; his mouth still sinking over his cock. "Shit… I'm not gonna last, B— oh just like that, daddy."

Blaine's eyes went wide as he pulled off with a pop. His fingers moved deeper and curved until Kurt arched his back and he bit his lip into a smile. "Daddy?"

Kurt looked down at him and grabbed his hair, forcing him back to where he was. "I swear I will throw something if you move again-ah! Blaine…"

Blaine closed his eyes and sucked harder, relaxing his throat and sinking even lower. Kurt's cock was longer than his and it was a struggle to fit half of it in his mouth. He relaxed though, bobbing his head up and down and letting his tongue pay special attention to the underside of his cock and that spot under the head that made Kurt go crazy when he sucked it. As his fingers started to rub his boyfriend's prostate, Kurt's grip in his hair got tighter.

"Fuck!"

Blaine moaned and started to grind against the bed as he blew Kurt. He could feel his boyfriend getting closer; he was shaking and starting to fuck Blaine's mouth and his eyes had darkened to the point that they were a solid grey. It only took feeling the back of his throat once more for Kurt to cum, and he turned his face to moan into the bed sheets as Blaine continued to suck him through it.

"Holy… wow. Wow."

Blaine pulled off with a smile, gently sliding his fingers out. He watched Kurt continue to babble. "That was nice."

"I want you to ride me, now." Blaine pulled his boxers down past his ass and grabbed his cock, slowly starting to stroke himself. He checked to make sure the door was locked once more for good measure just in case Mikey got away from his friends. "But slow…"

Kurt bit his lip as he focused on getting his heart not to race. "I can do that."

Blaine leant down and kissed him, eager to share the taste of his cum with him. Kurt parted his lips and closed his eyes; moaning dirtily when Blaine's tongue entered his mouth and sucking softly as it moved around. He felt Blaine press down into his thigh and pulled away with a smile.

"Come on. Lay down."

….

"I know this isn't exactly how you imagined spending your first evening back to Long Beach but thanks for tagging along." Burt said, looking out the window at the quiet road. Cooper nodded beside him.

"Anything for Kurt and Blaine, boss. And I really want to kick this guy's ass."

"You and me both."

Cooper sighed, drumming his fingers along his thigh.

"Is that him?" Burt asked.

The blue eyed man looked out the passenger side window and nodded to Burt. "Looks like him."

Burt watched as Milton stopped at the corner, just where Cooper said he'd meet him. "Alright. Stick to the plan, please."

That must've been Burt for 'don't' do something crazy like your little brother would'.

Cooper smiled and exited the vehicle. As soon as the door was closed, he saw Milton turn to face him, and a smile spread across the man's face.

"Well if it isn't little Cooper, the second. You're looking so much like your mother, kiddo."

Cooper casually walked over with his hands in the pockets of his pants. "It's nice to see you again, sir."

"Of course," Eric clasped his hands together and leant against a pole. "So I'm guessing your little brother is finally confessing to his faults? I know everyone messes up, CJ, don't get me wrong," the elder faux sighed when Cooper was in front of him, "but there are more deserving guys in the league who are honest."

"I understand," he said. "And Blaine understands, which is why he signed it," Cooper handed a sealed envelope over to him and looked the man in the eyes. "He didn't want to come because he was disappointed in himself, I guess. But he is very sorry and is willing to accept the consequences."

Eric tried not to grin too widely as he accepted the letter. "He's a smart kid. He'll do anything for love… for the love of the sport, of course," the man smiled, "and I'm very happy that he made the right choice."

Cooper nodded to him. "I'll be there on Saturday to cheer on the rest of his friends, since he's dropped out of competitions. I'll see you there, sir."

Eric Milton extended his hand and nodded. "I'll be there, son. Tell Blaine I said that I'm very proud of him, you hear?"

Cooper nodded, doing his best not to haul off and hit this jackass in the face. "Will do, sir."

Eric stuffed the envelope into his pocket with a proud smile before walking off. Cooper never moved until the man got into his navy blue vehicle and pulled away. He shook his head and took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves a bit. Burt pulled up beside him and honked the horn.

"Let's get out of here, Coop."

Cooper took another few seconds before turning to the car and climbing in. He glanced back to the backseat and smiled at Peter, slapping the lanky teen on the thigh.

"You did the right thing, Sutton. You did the right thing."

Burt was quiet, but looked up at Peter through the rearview mirror. Peter tensed at the man's eyes and looked outside.

"I really am sorry, though."

"Save it," Burt stopped at a red light and turned back to face the kid. "You wouldn't have done anything if we never found you. You would've ruined two people's lives and for what, Peter? You can't honestly tell me you don't think you're better than that."

"I'm not," Peter shook his head. "I'm a loser. Blaine tells me it all the time—"

"Stop behaving like one," Burt faced forward again. "Now I'm proud of what you did here tonight. All you have to do going forward is focus on being smarter for yourself. If this bike riding doesn't work for you, there are tons of other options. Finish school. Get a job."

"I tried to but you wouldn't hire me…"

Cooper smirked at the kid's comeback. Peter always had that going for him.

"If I would've hired you, you'd let me down by trying to hurt my son. Then I'd have to kill you."

Peter gulped before taking a deep breath. "Believe it or not, sir, I really wanted to stay out of trouble."

"Bullshit," Cooper said.

"I'll do you a favor," Burt turned left and looked up through his rearview again. "You can have a job working part-time after school and you can stay out of trouble, if and only if…"

Peter nodded. "I'm listening."

"You bring me a report card after your first semester with only Bs and higher."

Peter shook his head. "If I were smart that'd be possible but I'd rather be called a loser for the rest of my life."

"You'd rather be called a loser than try to do well at something?" Cooper shook his head. "I just got a good job. I'd been auditioning for things in Hollywood for years and I've been called a loser by everyone. Including Blaine." Peter smiled a bit, "But that didn't kill my drive. Now I've shot three commercials for Fios and while it isn't a major film, I'm proud of myself."

Burt nodded. "Take it or leave it, kid. You make the decision. All I know is that I find out you're bothering my son again—"

"You won't find that out, I swear." Peter wasn't going to sit through another Cooper-Burt shake down. "I know I messed up and I won't do that again. I won't."

Burt looked at Cooper as he pulled up in front of the teen's place. "I really hope you're trustworthy, Peter."

The boy took a deep breath. "People change."

Burt smiled and thought of Blaine and even Kurt. "I know."

They all got quiet before Peter nodded. "Tell Kurt I'm sorry again. I told him a week back but I wasn't genuine. Tell him I'm really sorry, and good luck at Pace."

Cooper smiled as Burt nodded. "I'll do that."

Peter took off his seatbelt and got out of the car. They didn't say anything until he was safely inside. Then, Burt started Cooper's car up again and pulled off.

"So there was a condom on Kurt's floor? What were they thinking?"

….

Blaine bit his lip at the feeling of Kurt scratching down his chest. He lay back and kept his eyes on his boyfriend; Kurt's eyes were half closed and his mouth parted as he lowered himself onto Blaine's cock. He slowly moved up again, clenching around Blaine so that the drag would make the boy insane, and digging his nails into tanned skin as he slammed back down.

The hour they said they'd be gone had morphed into an hour and a half. Blaine knew that they both were close, and he could tell that Kurt wouldn't be in the mood to hang out with the guys after this; not after he spent close to forty minutes riding Blaine's cock, but in a way that was good, too.

"Let me see you touch yourself, Kurt." Blaine held onto the duvet as he thrust up, hitting a spot that made Kurt throw his head back in pleasure. "Just a little bit."

Kurt felt Blaine's hands hold onto his hip as the boy thrust up again. He held his tongue and dropped his head forward, taking quick breaths. "A little bit is all it's going to take for me to cum…"

Blaine smiled, about to respond when Kurt grinded; rubbing his ass slowly over Blaine's groin. He fell back against the bed and moaned, working his hips up as Kurt's nails started to scratch up to his chest. "Sh-Shit," and then Kurt bounced up and down twice and his toes curled, "oh fuck, ride me baby..."

Kurt felt his stomach tighten for the umpteenth time and doubted he could hold it off this time. He leant forward and kissed Blaine's lips, sucking the bottom one into his mouth as he worked his hips a little quicker. The way he grinded on top of Blaine was nothing but sinful, and Blaine let him control the kiss as he roughly palmed his ass, forcing himself deeper inside with a thrust up.

The sex turned from slow to feverish. The bed was hitting the wall. The springs in the mattress made the creaking noise that would no doubt give them away. Blaine would moan "ah" every time he moved his cock deeper inside of Kurt, and Kurt would moan into his mouth until a chorus of "ah" "fuck" "yes" "please" "god" "harder" was sang between the two of them. And then Kurt leant up until he was in sitting position again; his legs cramping and fully exerted at this point, but he didn't care. He bit his lip and looked down right into Blaine's lust-blown eyes, bouncing up and down until the sound of their bodies smacking together overpowered the sound of the bed rocking. Blaine accepted the challenge and stared back, chanting a little something that sounded like "ride it" as he snapped up into each and every movement. Blaine heard his name being shouted at the same time Kurt came and the sights and sounds and feelings of how tight he was had Blaine right there with him.

"Why are all of you standing outside the door?" Cooper turned the knob and stormed in right as Blaine had finished, and the only thing the curly haired teen remembered as he pulled the covers over both of them was the his older brother's 'O_O' face and Nick, Jeff, David and Justin making a run for it down the stairs.

Oh, and Kurt's 'why the fuck did you think you locked the motherfucking door WHEN IT ISN'T FUCKING LOCKED?!' look.

"CJ," Blaine closed his eyes as Kurt tried to get Blaine to pull out of him as subtle as he possibly could. "Please get out of my room."

Cooper smiled at Kurt and nodded. "I'm sorry. The guys were just standing outside and I thought they couldn't—"

"Get out. Of. My room." Blaine repeated. Kurt looked up at the ceiling. His whole body had turned the shade of a tomato.

Cooper nodded and took a few steps back. "Nice tattoo, bro." he winked and then closed the door, and the sound of him galloping down the stairs followed next. Blaine sat up and threw a pillow over his face, screaming into it for about eight seconds straight.

Kurt slowly started to smile, and then laugh. Blaine took the pillow off his face and glared at him. "I don't understand how in the hell you could find that funny, Kurt. Honestly."

Kurt turned over so that he was on his belly. "I'm sorry but that was just me realizing that all of our friends are absolute freaks. And your brother has no home training."

Blaine looked down at the scratches on his chest and the cum on his abs and shook his head. "This really isn't one of my happy moments, you know."

"I know," Kurt grinned into his pillow and shrugged. "But it was a little funny. Not Farrah walking in on us funny, but funny."

Blaine rolled his eyes and laid back down, pulling Kurt closer to him. The boy turned and grabbed a few tissues, cleaning Blaine's abdomen and tossing the condom into the trash can. He then laid his head on his chest and kissed it softly.

"Thank you."

"Uh huh," Kurt yawned and then traced the outline of his name on Blaine's chest. "So now, we talk."

Blaine's eyes opened and Kurt could feel the teen's heart rate increasing. "Don't you want to sleep?"

"If you want to put me to sleep, you have to fuck me on all fours. Or maybe let me fuck you…"

Blaine licked his lips and stared at the ceiling. "You can fuck me right now if you want."

"I want to talk about where the hell you've been all day."

Blaine sighed. "You think I'm going to be a boring bottom, is that what it is?"

Kurt smiled. "I know from fingering and eating you that you're noisy as hell. That's not a good idea right now, is it?"

Blaine bit his lip. "I saw Milton today, after my exam."

Kurt lifted his head and looked at him. "Where?"

"Waiting for me outside the building. He tried to blackmail me but I spoke to your father and he said he'd handle it."

"Blackmail you how, honey?"

Blaine shook his head no. "Can we please, please not talk about it right now? Let's just go get in the shower and get some rest."

"I promised Mikey I'd watch a Disney film with him, you know," Kurt sat up slowly, easing into sitting position. "And I don't know why you just won't tell me."

"Can you trust that everything is okay?" Blaine sat up too and turned to face him. "And that I love you? And that I trust your dad when he said he'd handle it."

"I don't want to be kept in the dark. If you really are thinking of stepping away from something you love because that asshole, and if you can talk to my dad about it—"

"I'm not stepping away. I was going to, but I know you'd be disappointed and everyone would. And I don't want to let him win." Blaine stopped and moved closer to Kurt, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you and I'm not keeping you in the dark. I just don't want you to worry about it because it's nothing to worry about."

Kurt shook his head and looked away. "If this backfires, you tell me everything."

"I promise." Blaine kissed him again. "Even if it doesn't I will, but not until it's done with."

Kurt looked down at his lips until Blaine got the point and kissed him again. "I love you, honey."

Blaine smiled. "More than life?"

"More than life." Kurt kissed him this time. "Thank you for going to someone… for whatever it was."

Blaine nodded.

"Now, shower?"

"And then family," Blaine smiled.

….

Eric Milton walked into the corporate office of the league Blaine played for early on Thursday morning. He had the sealed envelope with him, and had set up a meeting with the commissioner and many of his colleagues. He called Don that morning to gloat, and Don said congratulations and hung up the phone. Of course he'd known what was really in that envelope, and he didn't have time to deal with the man when he could instead be making baby number two with his wife.

Milton was invited into the conference room after no more than a five minute wait. The important people at the office were busy getting ready for Semis and Finals the next day, and were putting all of the final pieces of the puzzle together. Milton smirked as he looked around the building. There were posters of Blaine with Shane and posters with Jeff and Ian. Blaine's ad for Adidas was playing on the television screen as he glanced up. It was so cute, but soon, all of it would be tumbling down.

The vice president asked Milton what had brought him in today after they all shook hands with the man. He smiled and placed an envelope in the center of the table before returning to his seat.

"Remember that little bet that took place before Preliminaries?

The gentleman nodded, putting his glasses onto his face. "I remember of it. They were wiped away as rumors, though."

"Not exactly." Milton said with a smile.

The VP picked up the envelope and began to open it.

"That's a signed confession from none other than nephew of Donald Kinsella, Blaine Anderson. He agreed to bet one thousand dollars with another player and collected promptly after he had attained first place in the competition."

The men in the room looked at each other; whispers filling the air. The vice president however only looked at a photo that was in the envelope and read the letter included. It was then that Eric noticed whatever it was that his higher up was reading, it wasn't the letter he typed up. This letter wasn't on his letterhead.

"Wait, that must be a mistake—"

"Silence."

Milton's face blanched white as the photo was dropped to the table. The man began to read what was in front of him.

"To whom it may concern:

My name is Peter Sutton. I am a member of the Motocross League in the Southern California Division.

I've been in competition after competition since I was 14 years of age. I am now 18 and entering my final year of high school.

I used to be good friends with Blaine Anderson, one of my classmates. We haven't been on the same page as of late and pretty much everyone knows that, including Mr. Eric Milton.

More than a week ago, Mr. Eric Milton came to me at the skate park. He promised that he would make me into an elite athlete if I were to help him get rid of Blaine Anderson.

Of course, I agreed. I went from being in Blaine's inner circle to being pushed aside. I was bitter and I wanted revenge. I didn't need to know Mr. Milton's reasons. I was in.

We met in Layla's Diner on Main Street in Long Beach, California. I have attached a photo provided to me by management from the surveillance system. There, we discussed how to get Blaine kicked out of the competition. Eric Milton's first idea was the bet that some guys had spread rumors about at the start of June.

Eric's face was red as the man continued to read.

I agreed to go along with it, but I felt terrible. I know how hard Blaine had worked, and I couldn't let my foolish jealousy prevent him from being who his family and friends believe he could be.

Eric Milton told me of his plan to blackmail Blaine by making him agree to sign a letter which would state that he did indeed place a bet on the outcome of the competition at Preliminaries. I told Eric Milton that I would lie and serve as a witness to this, but now I am doing the right thing. Blaine Anderson did not participate in any gambling.

Eric Milton also told me that if Blaine didn't agree to sign the letter, he would make sure that someone close to Blaine wouldn't get into a school of his choice, because he had 'connections' and could make it happen.

"Give me that nonsense right now!" Eric stood up and tried to reach across the table, failing to grab the piece of paper. "Give me it, Johnson!"

"I'm not even going to read the rest," the VP folded the paper back to its original form and placed it in the envelope. "Gentlemen, one of you will be replacing Mr. Milton as judge at tomorrow's competition." He turned to face Eric and glared daggers at him. "Your services for this league are no longer wanted or needed, Mr. Milton. Thank you for your time. I'll have security escort you out—"

"You believe that? You believe a failure like Sutton?"

The VP sighed as security walked in. "Goodbye, Mr. Milton."

….

Blaine smiled over into the crowd as Kurt held Mikey on his shoulders. They screamed for him and he winked over, placing the helmet securely over his head.

It was time.