As everyone stood, silent and awkward in the wake of Blaine and Sam's argument, Kurt slipped out of the choir room unnoticed.

Sam was the first to speak, "What the hell was that?"

"Dude's been that way all year," Finn muttered.

"That's not true," Tina interjected quietly.

"He's never been anything but nice to me before," Sam noted.

"Well, he's not now," Finn argued.

"Finn," Mr. Schuester warned, but it was Puck's scoff that got everyone's attention.

"What?" Sam asked warily, watching Puck glare at Finn.

"Kid's been nothing but nice," Puck said, keeping his eyes on Finn, "and you keep shutting him down." Finn opened his mouth to protest, but kept silent. Tina and Mike nodded.

"What do you mean?" Sam prodded, still curious.

"I don't normally pay attention, you know, when I'm not singing, but dude knows what he's doing," Puck elaborated.

"Puck's not wrong," Artie chimed in. "Did a lot of work with Brad on the arrangements for West Side Story."

"And helped me get the football players up to speed on the choreography," Mike supplied. Puck and Rory nodded their agreement. "We could all be nicer to him."

"What do you mean?" Sam inquired.

"Do you know he's always late to Algebra because the hockey players have lockers near our class?" Artie looked pointedly at Finn before adding, "Rory isn't the only one getting bullied."

"You've been kind of hard on him," Tina directed at Finn, sounding apologetic in her accusation.

"I should have said it sooner," Mr. Schuester said gently, placing a hand on Finn's shoulder, "but Tina's got a point." Finn looked around at the group, taking in everything that had been said. His expression turned regretful and Mr. Schuester squeezed his shoulder encouragingly. "Let's take a break from the choreography and see if we can't finalize our song list," the teacher suggested.

The teenagers slowly came back to life. Tina and Quinn moved to the piano to look over the piles of sheet music, while Sam took up his guitar and began strumming a melody. Mike and Rory started practicing a dance step that had been giving the younger boy difficulty. Puck sat down, still watching Finn.

"Finn," Mr. Schuester prodded the still silent teenager. "Why don't you go find Kurt, see if he's found Blaine? Make sure they're okay." Finn looked around the room then, realizing for the first time that his stepbrother was no longer in the room. He looked back at the teacher, who patted his shoulder. "Being a leader isn't about knowing everything, it's about taking the best of everybody and making something great," Mr. Schuester advised gently.

Finn nodded, expression guilty, and headed for the door.

...

Kurt's gaze shot to his stepbrother as soon as Finn stepped into the choir room. Finn offered a small smile before dropping onto a nearby chair.

"He's coming back," Finn stated with a sigh, sparing a glance around the room. Mr. Schuester nodded before turning back to the piles of sheet music on the piano. Everyone else continued to look at Finn and Kurt, whose expression still displayed his worry.

Before Kurt could ask, Puck spoke up, "So, how's the little guy's form?"

"What?" Finn asked, twisting toward the other teenager.

"Kurt says he was boxing," Puck prodded.

"I think he could kick my ass if he wanted to."

"That's cool." Puck smirked.

"Hey!" Finn said indignantly.

"Not kicking your ass, just, you know, that he could kick someone's ass."

"Yeah," Finn agreed.

"Makes me wonder why he hasn't gone all Mike Tyson on this school."

"Because he's far to civilized," Kurt interjected proudly. "You were nice to him, right?" Kurt shot at Finn.

"I apologized and everything," Finn answered. "We're cool."

"Good."

Silence hung over the group. Blaine's uncharacteristic outburst seemed to solidify the group's fractured nature, and the renewed enthusiasm brought on by Sam's return had quickly dissipated.

"Okay," Sam spoke up, trying to sound enthusiastic. "We have to focus. Let's figure out these songs."

"Sam's right," Mr. Schuester said, stacking the sheet music together.

"Yeah," Finn agreed, standing. "Let's head to the auditorium, change of scene."

The rest of the group silently agreed, retrieving their bags and the piles of sheet music before filtering out of the room.

"I'm going to check on Blaine," Kurt said as he followed Finn out the door.

"I'll come with you," Puck added from behind, having grabbed his guitar case. Finn and Puck exchanged looks before Finn headed toward the auditorium.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked suspiciously.

Puck shrugged and gestured down the hallway, saying, "After you."

Kurt sighed, resigning himself to the escort. He exited the room, Puck following by his side. When they reached the boys' locker room, Kurt faced Puck again.

"I'll wait out here," Puck said before Kurt could ask. Kurt's expression softened, remembering that the other boy had been the one to suggest forming a protection detail before he transferred to Dalton.

"Thanks, Puck."

"Go get your boy," Puck replied gruffly, leaning against the wall and surveying the hallway. With a smile, Kurt slipped into the locker room.

...

Blaine hesitated in the wings. He felt the familiar tension return as he heard Finn's voice over the various conversations filtering from the front of the stage. Despite Finn's apology, the other boy's animosity was still fresh on Blaine's mind.

Kurt stepped back, hand still wrapped around Blaine's, and offered an encouraging smile.

"It's okay," Kurt assured gently, rubbing his free hand down Blaine's arm. Blaine took a deep breath and squeezed Kurt's fingers briefly in thanks. Kurt tugged him onto the stage.

Sam was the first to see them, hopping up from the edge of the stage and slinging his guitar behind him. He met them in the middle of the stage. Kurt spared a glance at the rest of the group, who had halted their conversations and were looking at them expectantly.

"Hey," Sam prefaced awkwardly, smiling tentatively. Kurt returned his smile gratefully, the tight grip Blaine had on his fingers telling him that Blaine wanted him close.

"Sam, I am so sorry for what I said," Blaine said earnestly.

"No worries," Sam replied.

"I didn't mean it," Blaine persisted.

"I know," Sam affirmed. Before Blaine could speak again, Sam continued, "You know how I know? You didn't make me feel uncomfortable when I was delivering pizzas last spring. Or when I told you about my situation. You could have easily made me a joke in front of all your prep school friends."

"I would never," Blaine said, looking uneasy at the idea.

"And that's why I know you didn't mean it," the other boy concluded. Blaine stared at Sam for a moment, taking in the words. Kurt squeezed his fingers, watching the two.

"Thank you," Blaine finally said, his expression relieved and grateful. Sam nodded with a wide smile.

"Come on. We've narrowed down our songs and we want to try them out." Sam tilted his head toward the others as he spoke, and Kurt squeezed Blaine's fingers again. With a deep breath, Blaine smiled and the three boys headed downstage.

...

An hour later, New Directions had their songs arranged for Sectionals and much of the choreography planned.

"Okay, guys, let's call it a day," Mr. Schuester announced loudly. "We'll settle on the choreography tomorrow."

Blaine sat at the piano with his sheet music and a pencil while everyone else gathered their bags. Kurt perched next to him on the bench, setting both his and Blaine's school bags at his feet. The two exchanged a quick glance and smile before Blaine returned his attention to the music notes.

"Blaine, Kurt, go home. We still have a couple days to work everything out," Mr. Schuester ordered lightly.

"I just want to go over this one more time, make sure we have all the transitions right," Blaine said, only sparing the teacher a quick glance. Mike and Tina appeared behind the teacher, followed by the rest of the glee club.

"I'd really like to stay and finish up the choreography," Mike said.

"We've been at it for a while, guys," their teacher argued. "I need you to get some rest, and not neglect your schoolwork."

"We'll be okay, Mr. Schue," Finn spoke up. He nodded to Blaine, who had looked up at Finn's words. "I think we can get another hour in." Blaine smiled appreciatively at Finn. The teacher looked around, spying the rest of the group nodding eagerly.

"Okay," Mr. Schuester relented, setting his papers on top of the piano. "Artie, Kurt, help Blaine get the music down. Mike, let's get those moves figured out for ABC." Bags were set down and sheet music was pulled out as Artie wheeled his way around the piano and Mike danced downstage. "Finn," the teacher started, but was cut off by the teenager.

"We'll practice," Finn suggested, glancing at the rest of the group for confirmation. Mr. Schuester nodded and joined Mike, who was already trying out steps as Kurt and Blaine softly played the melody. "Tina, Sam, will you run through the parts we know? The rest of us," he waved his arm at Rory and Puck, "could use all the help we can get."

...

The next day's rehearsal was spent learning the entire routine. As they neared the end of the second hour of practice, Finn stepped back and surveyed the group. Mike ran through a series of steps with Rory and the enlisted band members. Kurt played the piano as Tina practiced her solo lines. Artie and Blaine ran through their lines, with Sam strumming the guitar as accompaniment. Mr. Schuester wandered between the singers, alternately pointing out an off-key note and offering platitudes. And at the corner of the stage, Quinn and Puck reviewed the complex choreography for the second number.

Blaine stepped up beside Finn, quietly observing the group with the other boy.

"We're doing good," Finn ventured a few moments later. Blaine nodded at the assessment.

"Still a lot of work to do," Blaine added realistically.

"What's next?" Finn asked, glancing at the other boy. Blaine's eyes found his, uncertainty and surprise painting his expression. Finn swallowed roughly, averting his gaze before speaking again. "It was more than just your talent. I thought you were going to come in and take over."

Blaine huffed, shaking his head. "I don't want that."

"You were lead for the Warblers, had guys and girls falling for you. You got the lead in West Side Story. How could you not want that?" Finn saw Blaine shrug in his periphery.

"I love performing, but not because I get to be the center of attention," Blaine revealed quietly. "I get to be other people when I perform."

"Instead of yourself?" Finn asked bluntly, finally turning his gaze back to the other boy. Blaine hesitated, but shrugged again.

"You want to know what I really want?" Blaine asked, a smile tugging at his lips. Finn nodded. "I want to make people happy, and I can do that by singing and dancing."

"Well," Finn said after a beat, "you're good at it." Blaine smiled genuinely then, and Finn noted how youthful it made the other boy look. "So, what's next?"

"That's your call."

"Maybe, but I'm still asking." Finn's words had Blaine assessing him for a long moment. Then, the younger boy turned his attention back to the rest of the group.

"I think we've got the vocals down. But," Blaine paused, and as if on cue, Mike caught Rory before he fell over, "we really need to run through the steps."

"Yeah," Finn agreed with a chuckle. "I'll talk to Mr. Schue."

"Thanks, Finn," Blaine said before the taller boy could make his way to the teacher. Finn flashed Blaine a lopsided grin and headed across the stage.

"That seemed to go okay," Kurt commented, coming up behind Blaine. He wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist, feeling the other boy's arms come to rest atop his.

"It did," Blaine confirmed, sighing and relaxing into the embrace.

"I'm glad," Kurt said.

Blaine tilted his head back to look at Kurt, at his honest and adoring expression. Blaine reached back and ran his fingers through the hair at Kurt's nape, causing the boy's eyelids to flutter shut. Blaine pressed his lips gently against Kurt's, sighing at the tingling sensation that traveled through his entire body at the intimate contact. Blaine ghosted his lips against Kurt's again and caressed the skin under his fingers, feeling the other boy's breath hitch. Kurt tightened his hold, his lips quirking into a smile as he blinked his eyes open.

"Who's being naughty now?" Kurt teased breathlessly. Blaine chuckled and leaned his head back onto Kurt's shoulder, smiling giddily.

"I love you," Blaine whispered sincerely.

Kurt looked down at the other boy, smile still firmly in place. "Thank you," he breathed out.

"For what?"

"For being you."