A long time went on and the man didn't show. Blaine and Kurt frequently discussed their future of getting adopted together, but the longer time went on without any sign of the man, the less they talked about it. Blaine was starting to think that Kurt was really sad that the man hadn't returned which was why he didn't talk about it, so Blaine didn't want to remind him that he might have been let down once again.

It was the last day before spring break and Blaine's class was doing a show for the entire school. Blaine was singing and dancing, and Kurt had promised to find a seat so Blaine could see him, so he only needed to focus on Kurt instead of the fact that he would be performing alone in front of 350 students and teachers.

When Blaine was waiting to go on he looked from behind the curtain to get his eyes on Kurt so he didn't have to look for him when he had started his number. He couldn't see him. Blaine desperately looked through every row, every seat, but Kurt wasn't anywhere to be seen. Sweat started to break out on his palms, and he tried to memorize his words but even though he knew them perfectly well they somehow got stuck on their way from his brain through his mouth.

When the girls ended their number their teacher came over and pushed Blaine out on the stage. At first he was just staring at the kids looking at him. He was boring his nails into his hands and kept singing the song to himself in his head before he finally got himself together enough to slowly start singing.

The number was a disaster. At least Blaine thought so. He lost his wordss and nearly tripped over his own feet several times. At one point he even went to the right instead of the left and he was on his way over the edge of the stage. Everyone clapped and cheered at him, and his teacher was thrilled, but he hated himself. All he could think of was that Kurt hadn't been there.

When he came back to Silverlake he kicked off his shoes and went directly to the dormitory. He threw his bag aggressively on the floor before he dropped to his bed where he groaned into the pillow. He curled up with his knees to his chest, and knew that as soon as Miss Pillsbury found him there she would tell him to get outside with the other kids.

"This is my… room. Sort of," Kurt's voice sounded behind him, and Blaine stiffened in his bed. Kurt was there, and he was with someone. Showing someone around, maybe even. It sounded like it.

Blaine heard the familiar sound of Kurt's footsteps tripping over the linoleum accompanied by a second pair of feet. Who was he with?

"Blaine - you're here!" Kurt beamed at him, and Blaine didn't know if he should turn around or not. He didn't want to seem like he had been prying or eavesdropping, but now that Kurt had seen him he guessed that he might as well acknowledge it, so he turned around.

Kurt was with the man. The man with the baseball cap.

"Hi," Blaine mumbled and waved awkwardly. He didn't want to seem impolite, but he was still angry with Kurt because he had broken his promise.

"Hey buddy. You're looking a bit more fresh today," the man said, and Blaine found it hard not to like him. Right now he wanted to hate him because he had been the reason that Kurt hadn't been there at Blaine's performance, but he just couldn't. He was too nice, and Kurt looked so happy.

"I'm better," Blaine muttered back. Kurt walked over to sit on the bed next to him, and the man sat down on the bed in front of them. When Kurt let his hand into Blaine's warmth spread throughout his entire body, and he had to fight to remind himself that he was angry with Kurt. They could always discuss that later. Had the man come to take them home with him now?

"Blaine is my best friend," Kurt said as-a-matter-of-factly. It didn't sound like a piece of random information, but like he was stating a fact: that this was the way things were and nothing could change that. Blaine nearly broke out in a grin, but restrained himself to only squeezing Kurt's hand.

"That's good, kid. It's good that you have friends," the man said and smiled at them.

They stayed in the dormitory for a bit, no one saying a word, until Kurt released Blaine's hand and jumped off the bed. He walked to his own bed and pulled out the penguin.

"I remember that! I bought that for you when you were just born," the man burst out, and Blaine felt a fire in his stomach. What did that mean?

"I never sleep without him. It's only Blaine who gets to touch him. He was my best friend before Blaine came," Kurt explained, and then something happened; he reached the penguin out to the man.

Blaine didn't know what to do about himself, so he marched out of the dormitory and headed for the bushes in the garden where he and Kurt had hid in the rain. That was something they had never shared with anyone - Blaine was the only one who got to hold Kurt's penguin, and Kurt was the only one to ever get to hold Blaine's Simba. But now he let the man hold the penguin.

As soon as he reached the bushes he sat down and watched the other kids play through the leaves and branches. He could hear them laugh around them, and even though he could feel the sun burning into his dark hair he still felt so cold that he might start shaking.

How could Kurt just betray him like that?

He stayed in the bushes and did his best to hide from the other kids. He watched as they slowly started to go inside and he knew that it meant that dinner was up soon and he should go get ready, but he still didn't get up until he heard one of the grown-ups call the rest of them inside.

Blaine slowed away in washing his hands and face. He wasn't hungry and he definitely didn't feel like going in where Kurt surely would sit down next to him. He knew that once he saw Kurt he wouldn't know how to be mad at him, but he strongly wanted him to know that he was deeply hurt.

"Hi Blaine!" Kurt sang and dumped into the seat next to him. He started loading his plate, and Blaine kept reminding himself to not move closer to Kurt on the bench and not to smile at him. In fact, it was probably easiest if he didn't look at him at all, so Blaine stared into his own plate of peas and chicken.

"I like your hair like that," Kurt said and stuffed his mouth with potato. Blaine felt his cheeks go red and forgot that he had to swallow what he was chewing on. Over the horrible events of Kurt and the man he had completely forgot that his curls had been tamed and his hair was combed neatly into his head to make it look fancy for the show.

He didn't even finish his plate before he got up and asked a grown-up if he could be excused. He said that he was tired and his stomach hurt, so he was told to go lie down. He was glad that it was so easy and nearly ran out of the dining hall, but remembered that they probably wouldn't take him for not feeling well if he did so.

Blaine pulled out a stack of comics from under his bed, clenched Simba in a tight grip and crawled into the fort he and Kurt had built earlier that week. He wrapped himself in a blanket and laid down on the pillows covering the floor.

"Can I come in?" Kurt asked insecurely as he stuck his head in after Blaine had been there alone for a while. He wanted Kurt to come in, but he wasn't ready to forgive him yet, so he shrugged and rolled his eyes.

Kurt laid down, but not too close to Blaine. It was clear that he was on the edge of explosion to tell him about his afternoon with the man, but he also knew that something was wrong with Blaine - he wanted to fix that first.

"You didn't come. You promised you'd be there and wave at me so I wouldn't mess up, but you never did," Blaine mumbled and hit Kurt's hand with a comic book. He might have hit him a little harder than he wanted to, and he watched as Kurt's face turned sad and he balled his hand to a fist.

"I wanted to tell you, Blaine. But Miss Pillsbury came and picked me up before school ended. I told her that I had promised you to be there, but she said that you'd be fine. I'm sorry, Blaine," Kurt apologized sincerely and Blaine knew that it was true. It still wasn't okay though, what about the penguin?

"Do you have a new best friend now?" Blaine asked brusquely and sat up with his eyes staring at Kurt to scrutinize his reaction.

Kurt's expression turned dark in horror and he hurried to sit up too. He looked like Blaine could just as well have slapped him in the face, and his eyes were brimming with tears.

"No. Blaine, you are my best friend. You will always be my best friend. You're the only best friend I'll ever want," Kurt whimpered and his voice broke. Now he looked just as hurt as Blaine felt himself.

"You gave the man your penguin. You said I was the only one you would ever trust enough to hold your penguin because I am your best friend," Blaine sniffed.

Kurt looked as if the words hit him like a train. He chewed on his lower lip for a second before he leaned so close to Blaine that he could feel Kurt's breath on his lips.

"It's because he's my dad," Kurt whispered, and Blaine could feel the excitement running through Kurt with the words. On the contrary Blaine felt himself fill with ice. What did that mean?

"You have a dad? The man is your dad?" Blaine asked to feel the words through his own mouth, but no matter what, it didn't take away the gutting feeling in his throat and belly.

"Yes! Isn't it amazing?" Kurt whispered and gazed at Blaine with sparkling eyes, waiting for him to take part in his joy.

He couldn't turn that look on Kurt's face down. His dimples were screaming at Blaine to smile back and his eyes were even more eager to see some sort of reaction. So Blaine threw his arms around Kurt and held him tight. He didn't have any words, and he was afraid that if he tried speaking all he said would turn to mush, so instead he held him close and hoped that it would be enough.

When they broke free Blaine regained enough control of himself to send Kurt a trying smile. He laid back down on the pillows and Kurt simply stared at him, so he opened the blanket to indicate for Kurt to come lie next to him.

Kurt grinned at the invitation and hurried to snuggle so close to Blaine that it was hot and difficult to breath. Kurt waited in anticipation and Blaine figured that he'd better ask - the truth was that he was a little curious, but he was afraid that he wouldn't like what Kurt told him.

"I snuck out some strawberries from dessert for you. I know how much you love strawberries," Kurt said and pulled a plastic bag from under his shirt. The berries were a little smushed but it didn't matter because Blaine loved strawberries and he loved that Kurt had cared to bring him some.

Blaine started to eat the fruit and Kurt watched him, obviously waiting for the right moment to get to the core of what had happened over the day.

"What do you mean that the man is your dad?" Blaine finally mumbled and rested his head on Kurt's shoulder. That way he wouldn't be able to see his face when he told him that he would move away from Blaine to live with the man.

"Miss Pillsbury picked me up from school. She took me into her office where the man was waiting for me. They told me that he's my dad," Kurt told quietly, and Blaine knew that he wanted to give him time to get used to the thought.

"But… if you have a dad, why did he sent you here?" Blaine asked, secretly wanting to remind Kurt that there was a time when the man didn't want him.

"He told me that… I had a mom too. When I was born she got very sad so she moved away from my dad. And she took me with her. My dad went looking for me, but he couldn't find me. Then he had to move far, far away. But then when he came back he found me," Kurt explained patiently and Blaine could feel his insides squirming. So the man had still wanted Kurt.

"What about your mom? If you had both a mom and a dad how come you are here?" Blaine tried. It all seemed so strange, something just didn't add up.

"She put me in here, and then she died. I think she knew that she was going to die, so she wanted me to be where people would take care of me, and maybe she couldn't find my dad," Kurt shrugged. It was more of a suggestion than a statement. He wasn't sure what had happened to her either.

"I'm sorry your mom is dead," Blaine said and folded his fingers into Kurt's. He missed his mom a lot, and he didn't want Kurt to feel like that too.

"It's okay. I didn't know her," Kurt said, but Blaine was sure that once again he was just trying to be brave for Blaine, because he knew how sensitive the subject was to him.

They stayed in the fort lying close under the blanket for the rest of the night. They finished the strawberries and Kurt asked Blaine about his performance.

"I really like your hair that way. And your clothes. You look cute," Kurt said and looked away. If Blaine didn't know that Kurt never did he would think he was blushing.

Blaine had completely forgotten everything about his combed hair, and the red bowtie he was still wearing after the show. Now that Kurt had said that he thought it was cute, that he was cute, he wanted to wear it forever.

Miss Pillsbury came to the dormitory and said that she needed to talk to Kurt in her office. Blaine felt a suction in his stomach and without knowing it he took a firm grip around Kurt's wrist.

"I'll be there in a minute," he called out to Miss Pillsbury and they could hear her heels disappearing down the hall before Kurt turned to face Blaine.

"It's okay. I don't know what's gonna happen, but I'm never saying goodbye to you. I promise," Kurt whispered and before Blaine knew it Kurt's lips were pressed against his.

This time he didn't stop straight away, but his lips stayed against Blaine's while he tightened his grip around Kurt's wrist. His lips were soft, and sweet and wet from the strawberries. When he pulled away he was definitely blushing, but his eyes were starry and his lips were as red as his cheeks.

"I'll tell you everything when we're in bed. Don't take up the entire pillow," Kurt whispered and crawled out of the fort, leaving Blaine with his heart roaring like a hurricane in his chest and the taste of strawberry and Kurt filling his lips.

He squeezed his lips hard together and curled up with the blanket over his head. He was afraid that if he let the air dry his lips the kiss would disappear and it would be like it had never had happened. He wanted to keep the feeling on his lips forever.

It didn't take long until a grown-up came in and told him to get ready for bed, so he hurried out to do his things, to make sure that he was ready when Kurt was done with talking to Miss Pillsbury.

He hurried to drag the covers over his head so Kurt would know that he was waiting for him, and then he listened. He listened to the kids crawling into their beds, and the grown-ups telling them to brush their teeth properly or that they couldn't sleep in their dress, but he was only interested in the sound of Kurt's footsteps that he knew so well.

The lights were turned off and the dormitory was silent around him. Now all that was heard was the sound of the older kids walking by in the hall and the grown-ups saying goodbye as they were off their shifts.

"Blaine? Blaine!" Kurt hissed and pushed his arm a little before crawling into his bed. Blaine had dozed off in his concentration of waiting for Kurt and he woke up with a startle.

"Miss Pillsbury told me that the man - my dad - will come here and visit me sometimes. He wants to get to know me, and they think I should get to know him. Do you know what that means?" Kurt spat out. He was so eager that his voice was high pitched and he had a hard time keeping his voice down to not wake up the others or have a grown-up find out that Kurt was in Blaine's bed.

Blaine turned to lie so he better could see Kurt's shining face. He didn't say anything but waited in anticipation for what Kurt was going to say. If Kurt didn't say what he hoped that he was going to say he had no idea what he would do. But Kurt would say that, because Blaine was his best friend. Right?

"If the m… my dad. If he wants to get to know me he will have to get to know you. And then if he likes me I can ask him to let us move to his house," Kurt thrilled and let his arm over Blaine's belly to squeeze him tight.

"Do you think he will like me enough to want me too?" Blaine asked, not sure how a man could want a new son when he already had found the one he had lost so long ago. That wouldn't make any sense.

"Blaine - you're my best friend, I love you - so he will love you! He's my dad," Kurt grinned and let his thumb brush over Blaine's hip, sending chills down his spine and a spinning to his head.

"I hope you're right. I wanna go somewhere new with you. Then we can go on adventure," Blaine chuckled and slapped his hand over his mouth to not make too much noise.

They spent the night talking about how they wanted to go to a real theater together, and they wanted to go see a movie in a real movie theater, and run around in a park to play without having all the other Silverlake kids around them. Kurt fell asleep in the middle of a sentence and Blaine grinned at him. He dared himself to place a kiss on his forehead before he shuffled close to hold around Kurt before he let himself being dragged into sleep as well.