Kurt’s face bled of colour. Even his sapphire eyes seemed to dim, surrounded by white as they bugged out of his head. No one in the room was talking; their chanting and catcalling had ceased as they sat with rapt attention waiting for the drama to unfold.

Untangling his fingers from his curls, Kurt fumbled away from Blaine, struggling to get on his feet. He swayed on the spot and Sebastian caught him with one hand. “Well you’ve obviously been drinking darlin’,” he said laughing as he looked pityingly towards Blaine. Everyone took his cue and laughed along with him, breaking the thick tension that had settled over the room. Sebastian’s cool demeanour and smile might have misled Kurt and the circle of teens but Blaine was acutely aware of the malice behind the look he’d shot him.

“I-I thought you were in New York,” Kurt stammered as Sebastian slipped a hand into the small of his back. “Told you I had a surprise babe. Didn’t realise you’d surprise me with a floor show… thanks for warming him up Blake,” he said, constricting his arm like a snake until Kurt was pressed securely against him. Blaine cringed at the gesture, ignoring the pathetic jab.

“Got a couple more surprises too, here-” he said sliding a thin black box into Kurt’s hand. Kurt Bit his lip as he lifted the lid off the box, gingerly pulling out a sheer sheet of fabric. “No. Way. Are you serious? McQueen?” Kurt exclaimed. Sebastian laughed as he unthreaded the scarf already adorning his neck and draping it over the door handle, “Only the best for my guy.” Blaine didn’t miss the way his eyes flickered to him when he uttered the word my, as he tied the scarf possessively around Kurt’s throat.

“There, perfect,” he proclaimed, pulling on the knot of the scarf until he caught Kurt’s lips again his own. Blaine averted his eyes, pulling at the black bracelets around his wrists and trying in vain to ignore the scene. Kurt broke off first; his face tinged pink with an awkward smile. A couple of the girls got up from the circle, shuffling over excitedly to see the scarf, forcing Kurt to twirl on the spot. Mercedes stayed on the floor watching Blaine as he came close to snapping the thick material of the bracelets.

“Let’s grab a drink,” Sebastian commanded Kurt, wrapping his arm back around him and gripping his elbow. As he led them both to the door the small crowd still circled on the floor hopped up to follow their host and his popular boyfriend, knocking the abandoned scarf off the handle as they stampeded out the door.

Before they exited the room Kurt ran an index finger over the surface of his lip turning to look at Blaine over his shoulder. Blaine failed to notice, his eyes were still cast down concentrating on the bracelets as if they were handcuffs he was trying in vain to break free from. As a firm hand guided him away Kurt turned back to Sebastian feigning laughter at a joke he hadn’t heard.

At the tinkling of Kurt’s laughter Blaine looked up, watching with wide sad eyes as the figure of the boy retreated out of sight wrapped in the arms of his boyfriend. He rose on shaky legs, the aftershocks of the kiss still reverberating through his skin that had left his bones liquid. Noticing the pool of fabric he crouched to retrieve the discarded scarf. Holding the delicate fabric in his hands he briefly brought it to his nose and inhaled the scent of Kurt.

Turning around with the scarf still under his nose he jerked at the sight of Mercedes perched on the edge of the bed watching him. His face flushed scarlet as he walked to the wardrobe, opening the door to put away the scarf and hide his embarrassed expression. “That, was positively the most intense round of spin the bottle I have ever witnessed,” Mercedes pealed, leaning back on her wrists, “and that includes the time he made out with your sister.”

“Well I guess now he’s had the entire Anderberry set,” Blaine replied flippantly, flicking slowly through the hanging fabrics. Avoiding her gaze he searched through the collection, trying locating the right place for the scarf. Kurt catalogued his clothes with the same care Blaine afforded to the books on his shelves, divided by season, colour and designer.

The weight of the bed shifted as Mercedes hopped up, swaying on the spot as she drunkenly made her way towards Blaine, “Seriously though, I’m this close to asking Santana for a cigar after that little show, it was that hot.” Strutting in his direction Blaine fought for a reply, “…Well you cheerio’s know how to put on a good show don’t you.”

“Didn’t really seem like a show though did it Blaine?” she inferred now standing next to him. After hanging the scarf and closing the door carefully, he turned to look at her, eyes blank and suddenly wishing he had his glasses to hide behind. “It was spin the bottle Mercedes, I really wouldn’t read that much into it.”

Mercedes slipped her fingers under the collar of Blaine’s shirt, straightening the fabric ruffled by Kurt’s assault, she smiled secretively as she spoke, “Well you’re a smart guy, I’m sure you’re right.” She walked away making to leave, but as she stood in the doorway she turned back to Blaine who was leaning against the closet door. “But then again if it was just a ‘spin the bottle kiss’…” she asked, tapping her fingers on the door frame, “Why did he kiss you twice?”

Closing the door as she left Blaine felt the words linger in the air, settling on his skin like an intoxicating perfume. For a moment he wondered himself, replaying that soft kiss he’d left on his lips before pulling away. But then he’d remember the first time; that he’d not wanted him, that he’d asked for someone else. Burying his face in his hands he slid slowly down the wood until he settled on the floor.

……….

Down in the kitchen Jeremiah had reappeared at the makeshift bar mixing more cocktails, having popped outside earlier to answer a phone call. He was pouring two spirits simultaneously into one glass as Sebastian sauntered in, an arm still coiled around Kurt’s waist. “Wow you hired a barman. Classy Kurt,” Sebastian’s entitled voice echoed against the walls, “I’ll have a beer and my boyfriend will have a Purple Rain - if you think you can handle it.” Jeremiah arched an eyebrow at the brazen youth wondering if he was for real.

When he didn’t respond Sebastian said more slowly, “Oh I’m sorry, do you even speak English? BEER-” he yelled before Kurt him off. “He’s not a barman Seb, that’s Blaine’s… friend,” Jeremiah smiled crookedly at the jealous inflection in Kurt’s voice.

“Well well well! So Blaine does have other friends apart from you and the ditzy blonde,” Sebastian quipped pointing at Brittany who sat cross-legged on the counter across the room drinking from a glass of milk. “Her name is Brittany,” Kurt replied irritably, “You’ve met her several times. I remember your friends names.” Brittany looked up over her glass at the sound of her name, but they didn’t seem to notice. It was the first time Kurt had snapped at Sebastian.

“While Blaine’s Friend is my formal name, feel free to call me Jeremiah,” he interjected passing Sebastian a bottle off the counter with a smirk. Selecting a bottle filled with blue liquid from the back row of bottles he flipped it over an empty glass. “And I might not be Kurt’s bar man, I am a barman. Think I’ve seen you before at The Olive Stone,” he said referencing the restaurant he tended bar at in Westerville. “Perhaps… I’ve been known to stop by,” Sebastian drawled as he attempted to paw at Kurt. The lithe cheerleader still perturbed dodged his greedy hands, eliciting a frown from his boyfriend, the irises darkening.

Brittany watched the boys exchange as she gulped her milk. She’d been sat here for a while watching as Jeremiah had made all the brightly coloured drinks - Red Orange Yellow Green Blue and now Purple, she saw as she added grenadine to the blue drink. Must be a gay super power to be able to make drinks all the colours of the rainbow, she assumed.

She liked Jeremiah. He’d given her an entire bag full of little cocktail umbrellas, which she’d used to adorn the buns she had just tied in her hair. Smiling broadly he’d complemented her decorations and handed her a glass of milk. They’d talked about Blaine and he’d told him how upset he’d been to have hurt her feelings. However she’d put his mind at ease, letting him know how they’d made up and he’d really seemed genuinely pleased.

In all honestly if Blaine hadn’t already found his penguin she’d definitely consider telling him to ask Blaine out on a gay date, see a Zac Efron movie maybe do some hand modelling (that’s what a handjob was right?) But she hadn’t given up on Kurt and Blaine. Well not yet anyway.

The purple drink was presented to Kurt and he accepted it with a tight smile. Although she couldn’t quite make out everything they were saying she did see when Sebastian pointed at the window. She was about to look herself when she noticed his hand reach into his pocket and pull something out. Casting a short furtive glance around he dropped something quickly into Kurt’s glass.

When the boys looked back confused he held up his glass in a toast clinking his glass against Kurt’s. Sebastian took a long swig of his drink eyeing Kurt over the bottle until he followed his lead. They stayed chatting to Jeremiah until their drinks were empty and Sebastian lead them to the living room, patting Jeremiah on the arm as they left.

Jeremiah chuckled to himself as he walked over to Brittany and she was about to ask what Sebastian had put in Kurt’s drink when he asked, “Say Brittany, I’m pretty good at finding cookies, my mum was never able to hide them from me. Fancy some to go with your milk?” The thought of cookies pushed the question right out of her head.

…….

True to his word Jeremiah had found half a packet of Oreos hidden in a box of wheat flakes in the pantry. After consuming the whole thing she’d buzzed with sugar, bouncing on the counter in her green hot pants covered ass. As a new song began Santana strolled in eyes alighting when they found Brittany. “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“Did you check the moon?” Brittany asked putting the empty packet of cookies down on the counter and lithely hopping off the counter. “It was gonna be my next stop,” she said without missing a beat, holding out her pinkie finger for her to take as they made their way through the kitchen. With Brittany’s free hand she waved her fingers and said, “Bye Jeremiah.”

“Wait wait wait, you know Goldie Locks? Who is he? I thought we’d covered every guy at McKinley between us. I’ve ticked everyone off in the year book,” Santana said thoughtfully as she spied a familiar dark curly haired boy at the end of the hallway. Her brow furrowed, “you know with the obvious exceptions.”

“He’s Blaine friend. He’s the one who dressed him up. I guess that makes him his fairy godmother,” she replied one statement at a time, the monotone never wavering. Santana laughed raucously, “Oh my bad, I didn’t realised he was a fairy godmother, guess that makes him Goldie Cocks!”

“Oh, there’s Blaine now!” Brittany chimed happily as he came to stand in front of them, more rumpled than he’d been when he’d seen her earlier in the night. “Hey Britt… Santana,” he tacked on her name begrudgingly. Despite his make up with Brittany he still felt his presence in her life an unwanted one, in fact if he wasn’t mistaken he thought he could actually see her thinking about stepping on and grinding a bowtie-wearing cockroach under her heel. Although Rachel deemed herself a ‘little psychic’ in this instance it was the curly haired Anderberry who was.

“We’re going to go dance Blaine. You should come dance with us!” She gazed at Blaine with eyes like a child asking for ice cream, like having Blaine dance with her was the best idea in the world. Santana on the other hand had the expression of a child chewing a mouthful of broccoli, “I- er, um Britt…” Blaine began looking for some excuse, but between those hopeful eyes and the guilt of his recent behaviour he found himself saying, “Ok, Lead on.”

Releasing her pinkie from Santana’s she grabbed for Blaine’s hand and pulled him in excitedly, spinning him through the doorway like the ballerina in her jewellery box. Santana felt her skin burn, as a familiar dangerous voice echoed in her ears; a voice that only she could hear Blaine debe morir Snix hissed. She willed the phantom voice into silence but she knew she couldn’t hold her back forever.

Inside the living room everyone was jumping on the spot yelling T G I F even Artie who was currently in the arms of Puck, being bounced up and down as if he were weightless. Brittany caught Blaine’s other hand and encouraged him to jump with her, umbrellas falling out of her hair as they melted into the crowd and followed the rhythm.

When the chorus came back Brittany wrapped an arm around Blaine’s waist and led him in a fusion between waltzing jitterbugging and tangoing. At her mercy he followed her lead, surprised to find he was smiling as she bent him backwards. For a fleeting moment his world was turned upside down and he spied Kurt, dancing like a loon on the coffee table. There was something not quite right about the image but then he was whipped back up and into Brittany’s dance tornado and the thought blew away.

They danced this way through a couple of songs Blaine catching the odd sight of Kurt in the gaps between gyrating bodies as he danced manically. “Does Kurt seem… weird to you?” he asked indicating the boy who’d just fallen against a laughing Puck, having abandoned his bro to chat to a swaying Cheerio. Brittany looked at him and frowned, then turned to see Sebastian watching him in the background. A spark of a memory came back to her and she responded, “Yeah. But he’s dancing better. I’ve got to ask Sebastian something.”

Walking in his direction Blaine stood awkwardly watching as she weaved through the crowd. For a moment he debated in his mind whether to go and talk to Kurt, see if he was ok, but one look of Sebastian’s possessive glare told him it wasn’t a good idea. Turning on his heel he walked in the direction of the kitchen to find Jeremiah.

……..

Brittany approached Sebastian, leaning against a wall and sipping at a bottle of beer, watching as Blaine crossed the room and out the door. “Did you put that thing in his drink to make him dance better?” Brittany asked innocently. Sebastian froze, looking briefly horrified.

As he wiped a hand over his mouth his features rearranged into something more calculated as he tilted towards Brittany, “…Yeah, thought I’d test it out before the cheerleading tournament. It’s just a little…” he thought quickly on the spot, “Herbal thing. Gives you energy.”

“Like a potion?” she asked cocking her head with genuine curiosity. Perfect he thought, “Yeah exactly, got it off the uh leprechaun at your school.” The answer seemed to mollify for a moment until her nose wrinkled as she asked another question, “Then why’d you make him look away when you put it in his drink?”

“Well…” he searched for an excuse, although he had trouble remembering her name he hadn’t forgotten how simple she was, she’d believe just about anything he told her he was certain. Even so he couldn’t afford to leave any loose ties. When the answer came to him he tried not to smile, “…If he knew it was there it wouldn’t work. So uh, make sure you don’t mention it – to anyone.” When she didn’t appear convinced his brow began to sweat, he knew he needed to lay it on a little thicker, “I mean if I blabbed and the Cheerio’s lost, I don’t think I’d be able to forgive myself…”

For a moment Brittany looked aghast, picturing the disappointment of her friends if they lost. Sebastian gleefully acknowledged this and held out a long pinkie finger, “so - our little secret?”. She stared at the digit for a while before hesitantly wrapping her own around his and shook. “Good girl,” he couldn’t help snidely adding. As he drew his hand away he noticed a little milk was still clinging to the top of her lip, the trace of a moustache she’d wiped away. Extending a finger he wiped it off with a quick flick of his finger, making Brittany’s skin crawl.

“Brittany! It’s our song!” Tina exclaimed running over excitedly and yanking her by the arm. She pulled them across the room to flank Kurt who was already furiously dancing to Beyonce’s 'Single Ladies'. Sebastian watched Kurt through leering lashes as he thrust his hips in sinuous uninhibited rolls. Popping the milk covered finger in his mouth his lips curled into a sly smile. Soon, he thought.