Somehow, Kurt managed to go nearly 24 hours without texting Blaine.

It was Saturday and Kurt was working at his dad's tire shop, as he often did. Kurt really wanted to reach out to Blaine and make sure he was OK, but he was afraid of moving too quickly or coming off as too forward. It was much easier to resist the temptation to text when he could bury himself in an engine, so he focused on his work.

But as morning turned into afternoon the shop slowed down and Kurt was left with nothing to do but watch the front counter. The shop was completely dead; he hadn't had a customer for over an hour. 

Kurt caved. 

From Kurt

How is your weekend, so far?

Kurt groaned as he hit send, could he be more lame? Kurt was still so new to this; he had to admit that he really didn't know what he was doing. If he had less pride he would have asked Puck about the fine art of text flirting, but there was no way in hell that was going to happen.

Kurt stared at his phone, willing Blaine to text him back. After a minute it finally buzzed, and Kurt's heart jumped involuntarily.

From Blaine

Not too bad. Cooped up in my room, working on homework. You?

Kurt frowned. He hated the idea of Blaine locked away in his room all by himself. The boy spent so much time alone, and Kurt didn't like it. He wanted to make Blaine's life brighter and less lonely. 

From Kurt

I'm watching the front counter at my dad's tire shop. I'm pretty bored. Entertain me? :)

Kurt held his breath. He was afraid that might have been too direct, but it was too late now. His phone buzzed again.

From Blaine

How should I do that?

Kurt smiled and bit his lip.

From Kurt

Tell me a story. How long have you been singing?

From Blaine

Well, as long as I can remember, really. I've been in choir since I was six, but I was singing even before that. 

Kurt couldn't help but grin as he continued to text with Blaine, sharing stories about their love of singing and music. They texted continuously all afternoon and he was so absorbed that he didn't even notice the time until his dad walked into the front room.

"It's quitting time, kid," Burt said, crossing the room to lock the front door and flip the sign. He turned back to Kurt with a suspicious look on his face. "You textin' someone special?"

Kurt could tell from the heat in his cheeks that he was blushing when he met his father's eyes. Burt's eyes held an amused twinkle, and Kurt knew his father was only going to be happy for him.

"I hope so."

--

By the time Monday morning came around Blaine was really glad that his family's phone plan already had unlimited texting. He spent pretty much the whole weekend texting with Kurt, about pretty much everything and absolutely nothing at the same time.

Most of their conversations had been light. Pop culture, music, that sort of thing. But Blaine had learned that Kurt loved singing, just like Blaine. And that along with football, Kurt had made varsity baseball and basketball the year before, and he was planning to do so again this year.

Kurt was also surprisingly politically savvy, and while Blaine had tried to stay away from the "gay issues," when they did come up Kurt was actually very well informed. He figured that helped explain why Kurt was such a kind and accepting person, despite  being a straight male, raised in Ohio.

Blaine's phone buzzed as he pulled into a parking spot in the school lot, and he tried to ignore the way his heart thudded in his chest. There was only one person who could be texting him.

From Kurt

Good morning!

Blaine smiled at his phone and tapped out a quick reply.

From Blaine

You're rather cheerful for a Monday morning.

Blaine tucked his phone into his back pocket and slung his bag across his shoulder as he climbed out of his car. He was so distracted waiting for his phone to buzz again, that he didn't see the tall boy in the letterman's jacket who stepped in front of him, cutting him off. Blaine walked right into Kurt.

"Whoa there!" Kurt laughed, grabbing Blaine by the waist to steady them both.

Blaine blushed hard, and Kurt's hands felt like fire on his body. He quickly stepped back and out of Kurt's personal space, forcing him to take his hands off Blaine.

"Sorry," Blaine mumbled, far too embarrassed to say much else.

"Don't worry about it." Kurt grinned at him, eyes sparkling with mirth. Kurt turned towards the school and dropped a strong hand between Blaine's shoulder blades, steering Blaine to start walking with him. "So, what did Mondays ever do to you?"

Blaine was quickly learning that Kurt was a touchy-feely friend. It was really disorienting for Blaine, he'd never had a guy friend who was so comfortable around him, especially after they found out he was gay. 

But Kurt was constantly dropping a hand on Blaine's back or shoulder, or touching his arm when he wanted to make a point about something. Every little touch made Blaine's heart swell and his pulse race. It just made Blaine happy. 

It was very distracting.

Kurt walked with Blaine to his locker, telling Blaine all about the saga of Finn and Rachel. It was a story that had come up over text and Kurt had promised to tell him in person, since it would take all day to explain it in text messages. It still took the entire walk to Blaine's Calculus classroom to finish the story.

"I'll see you at lunch," Kurt said. He smiled at Blaine and reached out to squeeze his arm. It felt as if warmth spread from the spot and across his whole body, filling him up.

"Yeah," Blaine breathed. "Lunch." He gave Kurt a small smile and a nod before he slipped into the room.

When Blaine sat down at his desk, he found Santana already sitting in her spot next to him. She was leaning over her desk with her chin propped on her hand, watching him with a bright smirk.

"What?" Blaine snapped, irritated already.

"Oh, nothing." Santana grinned.

--

It took a lot of self control for Kurt to go all the way through the first half of the day without texting Blaine every five minutes. Over the weekend, Kurt had become quite accustomed to simply firing off a text, whenever something made him think of the boy. And he was quickly realizing that everything made him think of Blaine.

By the time lunch finally came around Kurt was very eager to see Blaine. As Kurt walked into the cafeteria he spotted Blaine getting in line to buy food. Kurt hurried over and grabbed a tray, getting in line next to Blaine and bumping his shoulder to get his attention.

Blaine stiffened and his head whipped around, but he relaxed when he recognized Kurt. Something about that reaction didn't sit well with Kurt, but he filed it away for another time.

"Hi," Blaine said, turning back to dish up his lunch.

"Hi to you, too," Kurt replied. "How was your morning?"

Blaine just shrugged. "It was OK."

Kurt watched Blaine closely while they both filled their trays. He seemed better than the day before, but still a little wary. Kurt couldn’t blame him, not after Blaine’s experience with Rick and the slushy.

Tray in hand, Kurt led Blaine over to his usual table. He could see the nervous energy rolling off Blaine in waves, but the boy's head was held high and his eyes were determined.

Kurt put down his tray next to Puck, and Finn slid down the bench to make a spot for Blaine. Blaine gave Finn a small nod as he sat down between him and Kurt.

"Hey, Anderson," Puck said, leaning over towards Blaine. "I see Kurt finally convinced you to join us."

"Yep," Blaine said, shortly, betraying his nerves only to Kurt.

Kurt reached down between them and grabbed Blaine's hand, giving it a squeeze. Kurt took a moment to appreciate how perfectly Blaine’s hand fit in his own. 

Blaine blushed at the contact, which only made Kurt want to hold his hand longer, but he let go, not wanting to push Blaine too soon. Blaine relaxed a bit after that, and actually managed to start up a conversation with Finn.

"You know," Blaine was saying. "For brothers, you and Kurt look nothing alike."

Kurt chuckled and Finn grinned; again Blaine stiffened, his face clouding over. Kurt immediately stopped laughing and grabbed Blaine's arm.

"I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you," Kurt said. "It's our own fault, sometime Finn and I forget."

"We're step-brothers," Finn provided, grinning.

"Oh." Blaine's eyes went a bit wide, and he chuckled. "Yeah, that makes way more sense."

They were all grinning and laughing when Kurt suddenly froze. The hockey boys had stopped next to their table, on the opposite site from where they sat. And they were sneering at Blaine.

Kurt narrowed his eyes at them from across the table and draped his arm across Blaine's shoulders, suddenly feeling both protective and possessive at the same time. He felt Blaine shift to lean into him, just the littlest bit, and it went a long way towards mellowing the sudden anger in Kurt's chest.

"What's up, Rick?" Kurt asked the boy at the front of the pack, tone cold and disinterested.

Rick's eyes were focused on the arm wrapped around Blaine's shoulders, and his face was twisted with disgust. Kurt pulled Blaine closer to him, until he was tucked against Kurt's side.

Several other boys at Kurt’s table leveled glares at Rick, making their dislike quite obvious. Finn and Puck both looked ready to start an all out brawl.

Rick just smirked and stalked away, the rest of his boys following their leader.

"Asshole," Puck muttered, eyes following the boys out of the room.

Kurt could feel Blaine practically vibrating against him, and he was glaring at his plate, face contorted with anger. Kurt didn't say anything, he just left his arm wrapped around Blaine's shoulders. 

After a minute Blaine let out a sigh, and Kurt could feel the tension leave his body. Blaine pulled away, so that he was no longer leaning heavily against Kurt's chest, and Kurt immediately missed the contact. But Kurt took his cue from Blaine and pulled his arm away, pausing to rub Blaine's back between his shoulder blades for a moment before he dropped his hand back in his own lap.

"Hey." Kurt bumped his shoulder against Blaine's. "Don't worry about them. You've got us." You've got me, Kurt thought.

"Thanks," Blaine mumbled, glancing over, but not quite looking at Kurt. His face was red, and Kurt wondered if that was from Rick or himself. Kurt hoped it was the latter.

"No problem."

--

From Kurt

Oh my god, will somebody please tell Mrs. Hagberg to buy a new bra? Seriously, this is bordering on obscene!

Blaine's phone had buzzed with the text from Kurt, just after the bell signaling the end of sixth period. Blaine couldn't help but smile, imagining Kurt bursting to complain about that for the entire period. He quickly fired off a reply.

From Blaine

I don't know who Mrs. Hagberg is, so I can only imagine your pain, lol.

Blaine slipped the phone back into his pocket as he left the classroom, quickly making his way across the school towards the choir room. Blaine had been in a bad mood all afternoon, but he was feeling it lift after the text from Kurt and the promise of Glee practice. 

When Blaine arrived at the choir room he spotted Kurt sitting in the back row with the rest of the guys. Kurt smiled at him and gestured to the free spot between him and Puck. Blaine returned the smile and took the seat, glancing at Puck for a moment. Blaine was still a little wary of Puck, but it was completely overridden by the feeling of security that Kurt gave him.

Blaine trusted Kurt entirely. The feeling was rather confusing, since Blaine normally trusted no one. But for some reason Kurt was different.

Blaine felt a hand on his arm and he looked over to see Kurt considering him closely.

"You OK?" Kurt's voice was soft, words meant only for Blaine's ears.

"Better," Blaine nodded. "Thanks."

Kurt's eyes stayed on Blaine's for a moment, and Blaine had the feeling that Kurt could see right through him, as if Kurt knew all of his insecurities and fears. Normally this would make Blaine feel exposed and vulnerable, but instead he took comfort from the understanding he could see in Kurt’s eyes. Kurt had a certain way of putting Blaine at ease, unlike anyone else that Blaine had ever known.

"Good," Kurt said, smiling kindly and turning back to the front of the classroom.

"Duets!"

Blaine looked up and found Mr. Schuester writing the word on the whiteboard before he turned back to face them again.

"I thought we should make it a fall tradition, what do you guys think?"

Everyone seemed enthusiastic about the idea, and people quickly started to pair up. Blaine realized that as the new kid, he'd probably be the one left with no partner. Kurt was pretty much his only friend, and he'd probably want to sing with a girl.

"Hey."

Kurt reached over a grabbed Blaine's hand for a moment before letting go.

"Sing with me." Kurt smiled wide, excitement clear on his face.

"Oh." Blaine was a little startled, but mostly just relieved. "OK."

Kurt grinned. "Great."

--

Mr. Schuester ended class early, sending them all home with time to practice.  When Blaine stood to leave, Kurt did too, grabbing Blaine's hand to stop him.

"Hey." Kurt still loved the way Blaine's hand felt in his. "Let's go back to my house and practice."

Blaine looked at him with wide eyes, but he agreed easily. "Yeah, sure."

"Great!" Kurt grinned and tugged on Blaine's hand, pulling him toward the door. Kurt dropped Blaine's hand reluctantly as they left the room, but was happy when Blaine stuck close to his side as they walked out of the school.

Blaine followed Kurt in his own car, and it wasn't very long before they both pulled into Kurt’s driveway. 

"You have a very nice house," Blaine said as he climbed out of his car.

"Thanks." Kurt smiled at Blaine as they made their way up the front walk. When Kurt let them in the front door, his hand dropped to the small of Blaine's back automatically, ever so gently guiding him across the threshold.

For a moment Kurt was afraid he was being too bold, but Blaine only ducked his head and bit his lip, so Kurt hoped it was OK.

"Let me get you something to drink," Kurt offered, walking through the house and into the kitchen.

Blaine followed quietly, observantly taking in his surroundings. He seemed most interested in the pictures hanging in the hall, a wide collection of the four Hudmels and other extended relatives. 

"My parents are in Washington DC," Kurt explained as they reached the kitchen. Kurt pulled a couple sodas from the fridge and handed one to Blaine. "My dad is a congressman and my stepmom works pretty much full time on his re-election campaign.”

“Wait, your dad is Burt Hummel?” Blaine asked, clearly surprised.

“The one and only,” Kurt replied. “He’s amazing, he runs his tire shop on the weekends and then he’s in Washington during the week.” Kurt felt the familiar mix of pride and sadness. “So Finn and I have the house to ourselves a lot.”

“But they’re home on weekends?” Blaine asked. 

“When they’re not traveling for fundraisers,” Kurt said, shrugging. “Anyway, knowing Rachel, she has Finn on lock down at her house. They'll be practicing their duet until her curfew." Kurt chuckled at the thought of his brother's plight. "So the house is all ours."

"Sounds good," Blaine said. He appeared a bit pensive and he didn't quite make eye contact with Kurt.

Kurt considered Blaine quietly for a moment, wishing not for the first time that he could kiss him. But he had to remind himself that Blaine didn't need that right now. Hopefully eventually, but not yet.

"So," Kurt said, hoping to break the sudden tension. "I have an idea."

"Yeah?" Blaine replied, looking up at Kurt through his eyelashes.

Oh, kill me now, he's so adorable, Kurt mentally groaned. 

"Yep," Kurt said, grabbing Blaine's hand and pulling him towards the living room. He steered Blaine towards the couch. "Sit, I'll be right back."

Blaine sat down, still holding his soda, and Kurt quickly climbed the stairs to his room. He grabbed his guitar and hurried back down stairs again. Blaine was still on the couch, and Kurt sat down on the coffee table in front of him, guitar across his lap.

"I've had this song stuck in my head for days," Kurt explained. "And I thought it would make a good duet." 

"OK," Blaine smiled at him. "Let's hear it."

Kurt started to play, and he was going to have to thank Finn for forcing him to take up guitar, because Blaine's eyes were wide with rapt attention as he strummed. Puck had always insisted that guitars were lady killers, and it seemed that based on Blaine's flushed cheeks that they could have the same effect on boys. 

"Made a wrong turn, once or twice... Dug my way out, blood and fire." Kurt sang while making eye contact with Blaine. He had been given more than a small clue that Blaine carried some insecurities, and Kurt wanted the song's message to be clear. "Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel... like you're nothing, you're fuckin' perfect to me.”

Blaine's eyes were bright by the time the song ended, and he blinked and ducked his head. Kurt hesitated for a moment, then reached for Blaine’s hand. He let him take it, even clutched at Kurt in response. 

Kurt put down the guitar and moved to sit next to Blaine on the couch, still holding his hand in his strong grip. Kurt was surprised at how Blaine held his hand so tight, as if he never wanted to let go. The two of them just sat quietly for a long moment, and Kurt heard Blaine sniffle once or twice, but neither of them said anything.

"We'd have to sing the clean version." Blaine finally spoke up, voice small and tentative. Blaine was still looking at his lap. "I actually prefer the original, but I don't think Mr. Schuester would."

"You're definitely right," Kurt agreed, watching Blaine's face closely. More than ever, he wanted to pull Blaine into his arms, but he would settle for holding his hand.

Blaine took a deep breath and finally looked up at Kurt. Kurt's heart clenched at the slight redness around his eyes, but he seemed happy, so Kurt hoped it was a good thing.

"So, how are we going to make this into a duet?" Blaine asked, face slipping into work mode with a small smile.

He still held on tight to Kurt’s hand.