When the school day comes to a close, Blaine says a quick goodbye to Nick and Jeff before rushing out of class. A ten-minute speed walk later and he's standing just outside the gates of McKinley Day School, where both the Hudson-Hummel boys are enrolled.

Blaine scans across the throng of students who are filing out of the main school building, before his eyes come to rest on Kurt. Dressed in an off-white trench coat despite the mild weather, he seems lost in his own thoughts, unaccompanied as the other students walk around him. Blaine takes advantage of this to dial Kurt's number. He watches as Kurt checks the screen before pressing his phone to his ear.

"Hey?" says Kurt questioningly, and Blaine watches from afar as Kurt's face takes on a quizzical expression.

"Hey," says Blaine. "Look towards the gates."

Kurt turns to look directly at where Blaine stands, with a hand raised to catch Kurt's attention. On spotting Blaine, Kurt's expression grows serious. He turns right around and heads back into the building against the crowd.

 "Blaine!" Kurt hisses into his phone. "You shouldn't be here!"

"I know," says Blaine. "I know it's risky, I'm sorry, but I want to talk about the article. "

"Go home, Blaine," orders Kurt.

"But-"

"Blaine," says Kurt firmly. "Turn around and go home. Get changed out of your uniform, grab a baseball cap, sunglasses, wear something that doesn't draw attention to yourself and maybe even lose the hair gel for once. Then I want you to take the metro-"

"Wait, hang on a second," interrupts Blaine.

He retrieves a pen and paper from his satchel and scribbles down the directions as Kurt recites them to him.

"Alright," says Blaine, looking down at the piece of paper. "I guess I'll see you in a bit then."

"Yeah," says Kurt. "See you."

An hour later, Blaine's navigating his way through a suburb that he's never been to before, despite having spent most of his life living in DC. His eyes are glued to the instructions he'd written down during the phonecall as he rounds a corner of an apartment block into a deserted side street.

"I see you found your way alright."

Blaine startles, tearing his eyes away from the paper in his hands until his gaze rests on the source of the voice. Kurt has his leg bent behind him, his foot leaning on the brick exterior of the apartment complex. His attire is far different than anytime that Blaine's seen him either in person or through media coverage. He's ditched the white coat that he'd had on earlier, wearing instead a nondescript loose grey shirt which was loose enough to expose the thick shoulder straps of the black singlet underneath it.  His hair isn't styled into its usual quiff - which Blaine remembers Nick saying that Lily was particularly fond of - and his piercing blue eyes are out of sight behind thick, dark sunglasses. If Blaine hadn't come out specifically to meet Kurt, he probably wouldn't have recognised him at all.

 "Well, this is new," says Blaine, walking towards Kurt after recovering from his initial shock. "New issue of Vogue come out that I don't know about?"

"Don't get too cocky now, Anderson," says Kurt, lifting off his sunglasses. "'You're going to have to learn to dress down more if you want to keep meeting like this."

Blaine allows himself a moment to feel elated that Kurt's the one to bring up meeting again, until he notices Kurt's eyes travel up and down his frame, taking in his dark-washed denim and collared polo shirt.

"Hey," says Blaine, feeling slightly exposed. "I tried. I was just worried someone might see me - I have a bit of a reputation to uphold whether I like it or not, y'know."

"That's the whole point, Blaine. To draw less attention to yourself," says Kurt, as if it's obvious. He sighs. "Well, at least you ditched the hair gel".

 "You're encouraging," says Blaine, rolling his eyes. He's sure he sees Kurt's lips curve up slightly in a one-sided smile as he looks to the ground. But Blaine doesn't have time to enjoy what the observation does to his ego, as he remembers just why they're meeting in the first place. Before he can say anything, it's Kurt who brings it up.

 "I'm guessing you saw the papers," he says, an offhand smile playing at his lips which Blaine can't believe he's seeing.

"Yes," affirms Blaine. "Kurt, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Whoever did that, that was just...awful."

 "Oh, Blaine," says Kurt, shaking his head as he kicks off the wall.

 He gestures with a movement of his head for Blaine to take step beside him, and Blaine does so, utterly perplexed.

"I'm used to that," Kurt continues. "People have given me crap my whole life, either for my sexuality or my looks or my voice, and politics isn't exactly going to be free of that."

Blaine stares at Kurt, still surprised at how lightly he seems to be taking the whole situation.

"You're telling me you seriously aren't bothered by it?" asks Blaine. If something like that had happened to him, he would feel utterly humiliated, probably choosing not to come out in public again. Not to mention how much it would hurt him.

"Not really," shrugs Kurt. "I'm not saying it isn't a horrible thing to do, but it's kind of just become something that I've had to live with. Dad was pretty angry when he came home and heard the news, though."

"Wait," says Blaine, his mind working to put two and two together. "You mean, you found out before him?"

"Yeah," says Kurt. "Someone from dad's work called after everyone had left for the basketball. I practically had to beg them not to call dad about it till after the game. It's been so long since he's had a relaxing evening, y'know? Mind you, he was still pretty furious when he got home."

Blaine stares across at Kurt, mouth slightly agape, until Kurt blushes under his gaze and asks, abashedly, "What?"

"You're just so - wow," says Blaine, barely caring about the fact that he isn't making any sense. "I mean, most of the guys I know would go nag their parents about not getting into the varsity team, and someone calls you that and you don't even want your dad to know?"

Kurt waves it off, but the colour remains in his cheeks.

They've walked the full length of the street now, the side street ending onto a slightly busier road that's lined with small shops on either side. The pavement is crowded with people. Mothers hold the hands of their little children as they sort through shopping lists, the little ones looking around curiously with wide eyes; girls, still with the innocence of their youth, walk down the street with colourful backpacks, refusing to unlink their arms, much to the irritation of busy pedestrians; shopkeepers call out to passers-by about the end-of-day reduced prices....It's like nothing Blaine has ever seen before. His shopping trips had been limited to outlet malls, his dining experiences exclusive to five-star restaurants. This was like a whole new world for him.

"I've lived in DC my whole life and I've never even been here," admits Blaine, looking around in wonder.

"Ironically, that's the difference between a Senator from Washington's son and a Senator from Ohio's son," says Kurt. "Our family's actually never been amazingly well off. Back when dad had to keep the house at Ohio as well as a place here in DC, he lived out here."

"Really?" asks Blaine in surprise, causing Kurt to raise an eyebrow at him. "I mean, it's nice. I just wouldn't have imagined a Senator living out here, that's all."

 "Dad didn't really mind it," shrugs Kurt. "The people here are friendly, things are close by. But then I got into high school and a couple of kids decided it was their mission to make my life a living hell."

Blaine's speechless at how casually Kurt mentions his past troubles.

"Dad suggested I move out here to live with him - the people here are nicer, he said, more accepting, and I was going to leave Ohio eventually. So I did, and then Finn, the lovable goofball that he is, said no way was I going anywhere without him. And then Carole pointed out that there was no way she was keeping an empty house. So we all moved out here. Dad still has to visit Ohio, of course, but now we just have a small apartment there instead of our old house. And because Dad isn't always having to go back to Lima to see us, he can visit different places in Ohio on his trips home, which I think they like."

Blaine nods. Kurt's life seemed a lot more complicated than he had first imagined.

Kurt looks up and down the street.

"Do you feel like ice cream?" he asks.

"Always," responds Blaine eagerly.

Kurt grins at him before taking Blaine's elbow. Blaine looks down at where Kurt's holding him, wondering if it means anything.

Don't be ridiculoous, Blaine thinks to himself, he thinks you're straight, remember?

 Kurt guides Blaine towards a small ice cream store a few shops away. It's small, with just a few feet for customers to wait in in front of the counter, behind which stands a jovial man in a white apron.

"Afternoon, Kurt," says the man, "you doing alright?"

"As good as ever, thanks Mr Clarke" Kurt replies cheerily. "How are Peter and Emily doing?"

"Still driving their mother wild, that's for sure," says Mr Clarke. "What can I get you bo - oh."

It's then that Mr Clarke's eyes dart sideways to take in Blaine. But, much to Blaine's relief, he's spared from the harsh look which he's used to receiving when he's recognised by someone who obviously doesn't believe in what his father stands for. Mr Clarke merely gives Blaine a polite smile.

"Say, Mr Clarke," says Kurt conspiratorially, looking from Mr Clarke to Blaine and back again. "You wouldn't tell anyone about your new customer, would you?"

"Of course not," says Mr Clarke, looking back at Kurt and smiling widely at him. "Now, what'll it be?"

 Blaine insists on paying for the ice cream - he says it's the least he can do, which makes Kurt roll his eyes, but he doesn't argue. The ice cream store doesn't have any chairs or tables, so Kurt and Blaine take a seat on the ledge just outside it, looking out at the hustle and bustle of the streets as they eat their ice creams.

"I can't believe you even felt like talking to me after everything," says Blaine quietly, eyes fixed on his scoop of peppermint ice cream.

"You didn't do it, Blaine," says Kurt earnestly, turning to face Blaine.

"How do you know that?" asks Blaine imploringly. "You barely even know me."

"Blaine, you've been nothing but decent to me since we've met," says Kurt. "I don't see why I shouldn't trust you."

"But that far from explains why you called me straight after you found out," presses Blaine.

"I think on some level I needed to know for sure that it wasn't you," says Kurt. "That not everyone in your party is that cruel, that some of you know how to be decent human beings."

"What would you have done if I didn't give you that confirmation?" asks Blaine quietly.

"Oh, that wouldn't have happened," says Kurt resolutely. "You came to me," he says, as if it's the simplest thing in the world. "You treated me like someone worth talking to, like someone with opinions that matter. I mean, it's probably something you take for granted. And, don't get me wrong, the majority of people treat me like that too. It's just that a lot of your fellow conservative friends kind of just turn their noses up at me whenever we meet."

Blaine nods, unsure of what he could even say to that. He stares across the road, taking a few licks at his ice cream, before speaking again.

"I- Kurt, can I ask you something?" he says tentatively.

"You kind of already did," jokes Kurt, smiling at Blaine, "but go on."

"What's it like?" asks Blaine quietly.

"What's what like?" blinks Kurt.

Blaine had thought his question rather obvious, but he clarifies for Kurt anyway.

"You know," says Blaine, "being out and gay, and with your father in the position that he is and-"

"Oh my god," Kurt whispers under his breath, a scandalized look on his face. "You've...never actually met anyone else who's gay before, have you?"

Blaine shakes his head.

"How are you not a homophobic asshole? You've never met anyone gay, you've grown up in that party, your dad's such an ass - forgive me for saying - and yet you seem so decent"

"No one ever really has an excuse for not being a decent human being," says Blaine with a shrug.

"Well, you're the prime example of that," says Kurt, shaking his head in disbelief.

"What's it like though?" Blaine asks again.

 "It's...okay I guess?" shrugs Kurt. "I don't know any different. I've been out since the start of high school, and even before then my dad always kind of knew something was up. I guess everyone did. It was just up to me to confirm it for sure. And people give you crap about it sometimes but at the end of the day it just feels normal, y'know? So I don't really have anything to compare it with."

"Is it hard?" asks Blaine quietly, gazing into Kurt's eyes. "When they give you crap?"

"It doesn't happen too often," shrugs Kurt. "Especially not now that I'm older, and that everyone else around me is older. I'm sure there are a lot of people who're thinking things but they hold their tongue. And I kind of surround myself with people who accept me. But it used to really get to me. And not just about being gay, but about how gay I am."

"I didn't know there were varying degrees," says Blaine, eyebrows furrowing.

Kurt laughs.

"Well, how obviously gay I am," says Kurt. "I remember coming home one day upset that I wasn't being cast lead in West Side Story because they thought I was ‘too much of a lady'. At that point I was just so sick of being a unicorn."

"A what?" asks Blaine, sure he's misheard.

"A unicorn," explains Kurt, "Somebody who knows they're magical and isn't afraid to show it. It's something my friend from school said I was. She's a bit of a character. Anyway," Kurt shakes his head to get back on track, "when I told my dad, he kind of told me that maybe I needed to find roles that catered more to who I am. And that a unicorn without its horn is just a horse."

"Wow," says Blaine, completely awestruck - and completely jealous. "Your dad sounds amazing."

"He really is," says Kurt, and Blaine can hear the endearing tone in his voice. "What about you though?"

"What about me?" asks Blaine, surprised at having the focus of the conversation so suddenly turned to him.

"There must be something about this whole situation that annoys you," says Kurt, angling his head. "Difficulties getting a girlfriend, maybe?"

Blaine once again feels the urge to tell Kurt, to reveal the one thing he's never had the courage to tell anyone. But he can't. Maybe someday, he will. But right now, it's too soon.

"I...I kind of don't like getting extensions and stuff for assessment whenever I'm pulled away to help campaign," says Blaine, and it isn't a complete lie. "It makes me feel like I'm getting special treatment."

There's a moment of silence, before Kurt lets out a snort of laughter.

"Really?" he says, clearly amused. "That's your biggest worry? Wow, it really must be great being well-off and straight."

"Yeah," says Blaine distantly. "It must be."