“IS HE HERE YET?”

“Why doesn’t Jeff come with volume control? He’s so loud,” Thad groans. “Do you think Kurt has any idea what he’s in for?”

“You mean does Kurt have the slightest clue that Jeff has built up their epic friendship in his head, even though they’ve only met twice?” David looks up the ceiling and pretends to ponder the question, tapping his chin with his finger. “Hmm, I’m gonna say no.”

Blaine waves as he enters the front lobby where Thad, Wes, and David are gathered. “Just got off the phone with Kurt. He and his family are only a couple of minutes away. I said we’d meet him out front. They haven’t eaten dinner yet, so I told him we’ll take them all to the cafeteria after we unload Kurt’s stuff.”

“Are you sure we won’t overwhelm him?” Wes asks.

“I don’t think so,” Blaine responds. He nods his head toward the door and starts to walk out. The other boys follow. “I was on the phone with him when Jeff tackled me and asked if Kurt was here yet,” he says as he makes his way to the front entrance. “Kurt heard him and just laughed, so I think it’s okay.”

Wes nods as the four guys reach the door and walk outside. Fortunately the weather is nice for November in Ohio, with only a light breeze through the crisp fall air, so it’s a pleasure to wait outside. Nick is already there, trying to keep his roommate from exploding. “I told you I would let you join the welcoming party if what?”

Jeff stops the pacing he’d been doing to reply, “If I don’t act like an out-of-control five-year-old on a sugar high.”

“And what will happen if you do?”

“Kurt will run away screaming, and Blaine will never forgive me,” Jeff answers.

“That’s right.”

David leans over to Blaine and murmurs, “I used to be like that, you know. People mature at different ages and all that, but I also liked the attention.”

Blaine grins. “I figured. I can’t imagine a mellow Jeff, though.”

“He’ll grow up a little more before long, and –“

“THERE HE IS!”

“Jeff, I will hide your candy,” Nick warns.

Jeff stops jumping up and down almost immediately and slumps his shoulders. “Oh, like, there’s that Hummel kid or whatever,” he says in a bored-sounding voice.

“I swear I’d hit you, but I don’t want to give Kurt and his dad the wrong impression,” Nick laughs.

Blaine lightly punches Jeff’s arm as he passes to meet Kurt in the parking lot. The five other guys follow him out to greet Kurt and help him move in. The family is already standing around the back of a black SUV, with Kurt giving orders.

“No, Dad. Not that box. Take this one.” He hands his father a small box withToiletries written on the side. “Let Finn get the other one.”

“Why do I have to carry the boxes with books? That’s not fair. Those are heavy, “ Finn whines.

“They’re not that heavy,” Kurt retorts. “Think of it as weightlifting for football.”

“Good evening. Welcome to Dalton!” Wes holds out his hand, and Kurt’s stepmother immediately shakes it.

“Hello boys,” she greets them warmly. “It’s lovely to meet you all. I’m Carole, and this is Burt,” she gestures to Kurt’s father, “and Finn.”

Blaine looks over at Finn and notices he’s staring down at the box in his hands and won’t make eye contact with them. In the meantime, Wes has introduced the Warblers and offered their assistance moving Kurt.

“Yeah, great. Thanks. Kid won’t let me pick up anything heavy –“

“You’re still recovering, Dad!”

“ – so if you guys could grab some of this stuff…” Kurt’s father waves his free hand to the back of the SUV. When the Warblers peer inside they find the vehicle is crammed full of boxes and bags. “I think he packed his entire room and half the rest of the house in there.”

“Not a problem, sir,” Jeff answers. “We should be able to get all of this in a couple of trips.”

“I think you underestimate how much is in there, kid. He’s been packing for two days. Finn got home from school today and couldn’t get to his room because of the boxes in the hallway.”

“Dad!”

“I’m just sayin’ it took your whole group of McKinley glee club friends four trips to load it all, kiddo.”

* * * * * * * * *

It takes them five trips, but that’s partially because Kurt won’t allow anyone to carry more than one fragile item at a time. And over half of it is marked fragile.

Afterward, the Dalton boys show Kurt and his family to the dining hall. Blaine prearranged for guest dining passes so Mr. and Mrs. Hummel and Finn can check out the food. He knows they didn’t get a visitation day or tour because of how quickly Kurt’s transfer happened, and Blaine wants them to feel comfortable with leaving their son. Mr. and Mrs. Hummel are appreciative, thanking Blaine and the others as they walk into the hall.

Finn, however, keeps looking around and shuffling his feet anytime he stands still. He seems nervous, especially when he stops Blaine from going into the dining room with everyone else. “Uh, can I … can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?”

“Sure.” Blaine’s heart races a little in anticipation. He’s curious as to what Finn wants, and any time they can talk is an opportunity to get to know him better.

“Well, I just,” Finn clears his throat and looks at his feet. “I wanted to say you were right. About me and Puck, I mean.”

That’s not what Blaine was expecting. “Oh.”

“I’m just, like, really sorry, okay, about all the stuff that went down. Kurt’s a really cool guy and I’m glad we’re brothers and everything and I know that part of the reason he has to leave is me and I’m just sorry.”

“Have you told Kurt this?”

“Yeah, kinda. At the wedding in front of everybody.”

Blaine is shocked that Finn would do something so publicly. Now he really wishes he’d been at the wedding. “Wow.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I’m glad you’ve changed your behavior and your attitude.”

“I have, I swear,” he says earnestly as he looks up. “Rachel had already been after me to stand up for Kurt with Karofsky and the football players, and then when you guys were so mad at the meeting…” Finn trails off. “I know I gotta be better, and I wanna be a good brother. I’m trying. Puck, too. And we’re both real sorry we couldn’t protect him better.”

He looks so pitiful that Blaine’s compelled to reach out to grab his arm. “Finn, it isn’t your fault Kurt had to leave. Karofsky is the one who threatened him, not you. The Lima School Board allowed Karofsky to come back and failed to keep a student safe, not you.” Blaine pats Finn’s arm a couple of times and withdraws his hand. “You know you need to change, and you’re trying. That takes a lot of strength.” Blaine knows more than most the truth of what he’s saying, and it’s the realization that Finn really does want to change that starts to give him hope for his soulmate.

Finn looks down again and nods his head, but Blaine isn’t sure he believes him. Before he can say anything else, though, Kurt peeks his head around the entrance to the cafeteria. “Were you guys planning to join us? Finn, it’s all you can eat in here, and unlike McKinley the food is pretty good.” He smiles fondly. “C’mon. Carole and I have a bet going on whether or not you’ll eat the entire dessert bar.”

Finn returns the smile, albeit faintly. “Yeah, just another sec, alright?” Kurt hesitates, looking between Finn and Blaine, but nods and steps back inside. “Just, uh, one more thing? Can you and those other Warbler guys look out for him while he’s here? It’s just that Burt says Kurt’s never been away from home, and I told Kurt I’d protect him but now I can’t.”

“Sure, Finn. We’ll watch out for him, I promise. He’s in good hands here.” Finn nods his head several times then gives Blaine a quick double pat on the back.

“Thanks, man. Oh, and,” he fishes a piece of crumpled paper out of his jeans pocket, “that’s my cell number. Call me if something goes on with him or he has a problem, okay?”

Blaine is touched by Finn’s thoughtfulness. “Got it.”

Finn nods again and starts toward the dining hall entrance. Before he gets far, he stops abruptly and turns back to Blaine. “But, uh, don’t call me if it’s like a clothes problem or something like that. There was one time Kurt asked if this strappy shirt thing looked good, and I didn’t know what to say, and now I’m not allowed to talk about his clothes or go near his closet.”

Blaine has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “No clothing problems. Understood.” Finn looks relieved and heads inside.

That was certainly surprising. Blaine is glad for Kurt, of course, that Finn evidently wants to be a better brother. He’d be lying, though, if said he isn’t also comforted for his own situation as well. Maybe Finn really is a good guy who just needs some extra handholding. If Finn is choosing to be more open-minded and sensitive … well, maybe there’s hope for their potential relationship after all. It’s something to consider for when he tells Finn about everything after Sectionals.

He follows Finn into the dining hall but is stopped by a hand on his elbow. Blaine turns around to see Kurt leaning back against the wall next to the entrance. He’s smiling softly. “Thanks, Blaine.”

“How much did you overhear?”

“Enough.”

* * * * * * * * *

“I’m sorry I can’t go in with you. I’ll be waiting outside, though, I promise.” Blaine feels bad; he wants to be able to support Kurt in his Warblers audition. He’s been there periodically throughout Kurt’s first day of classes, popping up when he could to make sure everything was okay. Kurt seems to be having a good day so far, maybe a bit nervous but nothing significant, and Blaine hopes it will continue.

“Blaine, it’s fine.” Kurt waves his hand. “I just appreciate that you got me an audition to begin with.”

“Yeah, well, that wasn’t just me. I think Jeff promised to clean David’s room in exchange.”

Kurt stiffens. “He had to bribe them so they’d listen to me?”

“Oh!” Blaine shakes his head furiously. “No, Kurt. No no no. I said that wrong. They were going to offer you an audition anyway. I think Wes was already rewriting songs in his head to fit your countertenor as soon as I told them you were transferring. You have show choir experience and a rare voice that will open up the arrangements we can do. We’re incredibly lucky to have you.”

“But what about Jeff?”

Blaine rolls his eyes. “Well … Jeff didn’t know the council was already going to let you audition, and before they could tell him, he launched into all the reasons why you should be allowed to join and what he’d do to get you an audition. I think he said he’d wash Thad’s car.” At Kurt’s uneasy look, Blaine continues, “you know they aren’t making him do any of it, right?”

Kurt’s shoulders drop slightly, and Blaine realizes how tense Kurt must have been. “Look, Kurt, even if they were the type of guys to make Jeff do that kind of stuff, which they aren’t, Dalton would never have allowed it. It would be seen as hazing or bullying or the council’s abuse of power.” He pats Kurt on the shoulder. “That zero tolerance thing is real, you know.”

“I know. It’s nice to be reminded of it, though.” Kurt stands up straight and aligns his shoulders. “Now then, I’m going to go in there and amaze the council. They won’t know what hit them.”

“What are you singing?”

“Um, a song I did shortly before I left McKinley – Le Jazz Hot fromVictor/Victoria. It shows my range, and I thought the council might like to hear what I can do.” He suddenly looks unsure at Blaine’s dropped jaw. “Do you think I should sing something else?”

“No! It’s an audition to join, so you’re right, they should hear your range and ability.” Blaine pauses and looks at Kurt with wonder. “What key do you sing it in?”

“The original.”

“Oh my God.”

Kurt beams at Blaine’s obvious amazement. “I’ve got to warm up. See you after!”

* * * * * * * * *

The next few days are sort of hectic. Kurt starts adjusting to the more challenging curriculum (“Blaine, I’ve read more in the last three days than I did in the three weeks prior at McKinley”) and the Warblers’ practice schedule (“Remind me after the competition to tell you why three Warbler councilmen are more organized leaders than one McKinley glee director”).

Kurt falls in love with Pavarotti, and Blaine is pretty sure the feeling is mutual, given how often he hears the bird singing from Kurt’s room. He knows Pavarotti never sang that much when Jason was taking care of him. He wonders if it really is because of the bottled water and organic birdseed that Kurt swears by.

The only blemish on the whole week is how disappointed Kurt is when Blaine has to tell him he didn’t get a solo for Sectionals. Blaine realizes he should have been clearer with Kurt about his song choice. While a Broadway song is fine for an audition into the group, it does nothing for his chances at a solo. The council wants to hear something that shows how a soloist’s voice would meld with the group, balancing the harmony without overpowering. Next time he’ll make sure to help Kurt with his audition choice.

* * * * * * * * *

Kurt, 6:57pm: Blaine, our first Facebook conversation ever was about what?

Blaine, 6:58pm: Hmm… Hockey.

Kurt, 7:00pm: What? We’ve never talked about hockey.

Blaine, 7:01pm: Oh, then maybe it was how even though slices of American cheese are actually called “cheese food” and not “cheese” they’re still the greatest food ever invented.

Kurt, 7:01pm: I would never say that, Blaine. NEVER.

Blaine, 7:02pm: Was it about how Dora the Explorer is part of a secret governmental plot to make us all German?

Kurt, 7:04pm: …Jeff?

Blaine, 7:04pm: …No?

Kurt, 7:05pm: Give Blaine his phone back, please.

Blaine, 7:05pm: I’m holding it hostage.

Kurt, 7:06pm: If you give him his phone back, you can grab your favorite season of Friends and come over to my room for a marathon.

Blaine, 7:11pm: Okay, Jeff just ran into my room, threw my phone at my head, yelled “text Kurt,” and ran out again. Why? And ouch. And how long has he had my phone?

Kurt, 7:12pm: If I asked you what our first Facebook conversation was about, what would you say? 

Blaine, 7:12pm: Well, the first that wasn’t about your failed spying and everything was about Anne Hathaway and Vogue.

Kurt, 7:13pm: Yes! Thank you! Conversation back on track. Okay, knowing how important clothes and fashion are to me, Blaine, why didn’t you tell me that Dalton boys share clothes??
Kurt, 7:13pm: I would’ve brought very different options to Dalton if I knew I was working with multiple closets! And quite frankly, many of my clothes are not to be shared.

Blaine, 7:14pm: I’ve never borrowed clothes here or had someone borrow mine. What are you talking about?

Kurt, 7:15pm: Wes and Nick were just in my room looking for a jacket for Wes to wear on his date this weekend. They didn’t find one they liked, though. Wes was adamant that it should be red, and I don’t have one that color at Dalton.

Blaine, 7:15pm: That’s weird. He’s never asked to borrow anything of mine.

Kurt, 7:16pm: Obviously he wants to take advantage of having a much more fashionable friend now.

Blaine, 7:17pm: Yes, obviously. So what was all that with Jeff?

Kurt, 7:19pm: Oh, nothing. Just looking forward to watching the greatest tv show in the history of television with my handsome new best friend. Go away Blaine.

Blaine, 7:20pm: Hi Jeff.

* * * * * * * * *

Blaine is happy to have Kurt around all the time because he really is becoming a best friend, but he’s also trying to keep a friendly distance.  He doesn’t sit too close or look at him too long. It’s difficult at times, and Blaine distracts himself by practicing his solos.

The council decides on Hey, Soul Sister and The Heart of Rock & Roll for Sectionals, with Blaine singing lead on both. He likes what they’ve done with the latter, even though they had to cut out the sax solo in the middle. Plus, Nick has a featured part, singing highlighted harmony and a small solo, and Blaine enjoys performing with him.

Everything’s fine until two days before Sectionals when Wes moves Kurt up to stand close to Blaine on Hey, Soul Sister. They’ve run through the number three times before he realizes he’s singing parts of the song to Kurt. Blaine chastises himself for doing exactly what he’d been trying to avoid and decides there’s only one way to put this to rest.

That evening he calls Finn. It’s time he focused on dealing with this situation with his soulmate, rather than running from it.

Blaine figures he can update Finn on how Kurt is doing, put his mind at ease, and if they start talking about something else, well, then so be it. It only rings twice before Finn answers.

“Uh, hello?”

“Finn?”

“Uh-huh?” Blaine hears a video game in the background.

“Hi. It’s Blaine Anderson, over at Dalton. You gave me your number when you dropped off Kurt.”

There’s a few seconds of silence and the video game stops. Blaine thinks maybe this was a bad idea, but then Finn speaks again. “Yeah, hey, dude. Is everything okay? Is Kurt okay? Do I need to come over?”

“No. I mean, no you don’t need to come over. Kurt’s fine. In fact, I think he’s genuinely doing well and has adjusted comfortably to Dalton. Pretty much everyone likes him here.”

“Oh. So, he’s not in any trouble?”

“No, not at all. I just thought since you’d been worried about him that you’d like to hear he’s fitting in and seems happy.” Blaine starts to feel a little silly. How had he thought this would go?

“Yeah, thanks, man. That’s nice of you. It’s good that Kurt’s doing good. I bet Burt’ll like to know that.”

“I’m sure.” There’s a period of awkward silence as Blaine wracks his brain, trying to think of something else to say other than ‘hey, you’re my soulmate, can we talk about that because it’s driving me crazy.’

Finn begins, “Okay, well, uh –“

“How’s your football season going?” Blaine blurts out. Really? Is that the best he can come up with?

“Um, pretty good,” Finn says slowly. “We haven’t lost a game yet, so there’s talk we may actually get to the state playoffs this year.”

“Great! I mean, great for you guys, obviously.”

“Yeah, thanks.” There’s another silence. “So, I should get back to my, um, my homework. Thanks for letting me know about Kurt. I’ll tell Burt and my mom.”

“Sure. Yeah. See you at Sectionals on Saturday. Good luck.”

“You too, dude. Thanks.”

Blaine ends the call. He counts to three then flops back on his bed and groans. “That wasn’t awkward at all.” He lies there for a few minutes, replaying the call in his mind and berating himself for being an idiot.

There’s a knock at his door, and Jeff calls out, “Blaine? Are you in there? Wes is calling an emergency practice in fifteen minutes, and we’re trying to get everyone we can.”

Blaine rolls off his bed and opens the door. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Great!” He continues down the hallway.

“Jeff?”

He turns back around. “Yeah?”

“Why has no one ever told me I’m the most awkward idiot on the planet?”

“Oh, sorry. We thought you knew.”

Blaine shakes his head and leans against the door. “This is why you aren’t Wes’ protégé.”

Jeff’s eyes light up. “Is that a real thing? Because I could totally be David’s protégé. Do you think he’d teach me how he got away with sneaking off to Toronto for four days when he was a freshman?”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t think that really happened.”

David walks past and says, “Yep, absolutely happened. Never even questioned about it,” and keeps walking down the hall.

Jeff watches David with a look of awe. “See? I need to learn that.” He takes off after him. “Hey, David! How did you do that? Can you teach me? David?”

Blaine shakes his head and again and heads downstairs for practice.

* * * * * * * * *

Two days later at Sectionals, New Directions performs extremely well, and Blaine and the rest of the Warblers are worried before the announcement of the winner – or, as it turns out, winners. Kurt is overjoyed and relieved when both teams move on to Regionals. Blaine wonders if that’ll make it harder when they compete again in a few months but doesn’t bring it up right now. No sense in bringing Kurt down.

After the announcement, Kurt flies over to the other side of the stage to congratulate his McKinley friends. Blaine follows to do the same and maybe talk to Finn. He’s just figuring out what to say when he hears David behind him.

“Hey! New Directions! If you guys don’t have to get back immediately, the Warblers would like to invite you all to a celebratory dinner. There’s a place called Mellow Mushroom in Dublin, not too far out of your way home. It has really great pizza but also sandwiches and salads and stuff.”

Some New Directions teammates look willing, though a few appear hesitant. Their director, Mr. Schuester, looks doubtful. “That’s very nice of you boys, but we should probably get back.”

Wes steps forward and winks at Blaine. “We would very much like to get to know your team better, sir, especially now that we’ll be seeing each other again. And since we’re inviting you all, we would of course make it our treat.”

That gets a friendlier response. Santana steps up (and Blaine steps back) to say, “Hells yeah we’re goin’. That’s more like it.” Her eyes roam through the Warblers and stop on Blaine. She puts her hand on her hip and looks him up and down. “You prep school boys can take me anywhere you want.”

Their director hesitates but gives in. “Fine. Thank you for inviting us. I’ll have our bus driver talk to yours for directions.”

Kurt beams and runs over to David and Wes, Mercedes following. “Thank you,” he whispers. “This is really nice of you guys.”

“Well,” Wes responds, “we thought this could be good for several reasons.” He glances briefly at Blaine.

From the opposite side of the stage, they hear Finn and some of the other New Directions guys yelling about pizza and being hungry. Kurt’s eyes widen. “Maybe you should put a limit on how much they can order. They’ll get a couple of pizzas each if you don’t.”

David and Wes chuckle, and Wes tells him, “Kurt, we’re a group of teenage boys. We know how much teenage boys can eat. Dalton will cover it.”

“Damn, boy,” Mercedes says, and Kurt turns around to face her. “I need to find a way to go to private school.”

As everyone heads outside, Santana makes her way over to Blaine and catches his arm. “Hey Ritchie Rich, you were telling the truth about being from outta town, huh?”

“Uh … um … what?”

“Oh,” she smirks and trails her hand down Blaine’s arm. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember me from the Lima Bean? I definitely remember you.”

Now Blaine knows how the slow animals in the Serengeti feel. “Right, yes, of course. Santana. Uh, how are you?”

“I’m very, very good.” She moves in closer. “Would you like to find out?”

Before he can say anything, Kurt steps between them. “Back away from the gay man, Satan. Be gone. You have no power here.”

Santana glares at Blaine. “Seriously?” He shrugs his shoulders and smiles sheepishly. “Aw, hell. Of course you are, look at you; you practically have a rainbow flag tattooed across your forehead. Why didn’t you say so the first time?” She looks around at the remaining Warblers and shouts, “Next!” before striding over to another group of Dalton boys.

“She is legitimately terrifying.” Blaine turns around to thank Kurt but stops when he sees his look of confusion. “Kurt? You okay?”

“What did she mean by ‘the first time’?”

Crap. “Oh, uh, I ran into Santana once when I was in Lima, before I met you or knew anything about New Directions. She sort of hit on me and wanted me to take her and a friend out. I turned her down.”

Kurt shakes his head, exasperated. “Not surprising. Why were you in Lima?”

“I…” This is the perfect opportunity to bring up soulmates and the procedure and Finn and everything. Blaine knows that, but he can’t bring himself to do it. He tells himself it’s because they’re about to have dinner with a group of people. It isn’t the right time. “I couldn’t get in to see the doctor, and Lima was the closest place with an available appointment. I was there for a doctor’s appointment and stopped in to The Lima Bean to grab a cup of coffee.” Well. That’s kind of the truth.

“Santana hit on you while you were sick? That girl has no shame.” He shakes his head. “How is it that there wasn’t a closer doctor available?”

Blaine is saved when someone shouts, “Guys, come on!” Blaine and Kurt look over to see Thad in the doorway of the auditorium. “We need to go!” They look around and notice they’re the only two left inside.

“Yeah, sorry!” Kurt calls out. They hurry over to the exit. “Let’s see if my stepbrother can eat the restaurant out of pizza and bankrupt Dalton while he’s at it.”

* * * * * * * * *

Thanks to some deft maneuvering on David’s part, Blaine ends up in a circular corner booth with Finn, Puck, David, and Nick. Or maybe David’s maneuvering has nothing to do with it, because after they’ve ordered, Finn turns to Blaine. “I’m really glad we got to sit together.”

Blaine’s surprise must show on his face because Finn continues, “I wanted to tell you thanks. Burt was real happy that you called about Kurt. He said it was really nice of you. I know he’s been worried. Kurt’s not always good about telling Burt what’s going on, y’know?”

Blaine looks over at Kurt, seated at a four-top table with Mercedes, Rachel, and the girl who, based on Kurt’s description of her, must be Tina. They’re all leaning in toward the middle of the table, obviously whispering and gossiping about something. “Yeah, of course.”

Someone clears his throat at the table, and Blaine looks back around to see Puck watching him awkwardly. “So he still doing okay?” Blaine just raises his eyebrows. “Okay, look man, I know I didn’t come off like a great guy last time, and I wasn’t, but things are different. Kurt’s my boy and Finn’s bro, and I got his back. I just wanna know he’s okay.” He shrugs and plays with the fork on the table in front of him.

“As long as you mean that.” Not only does Puck nod, but Finn does as well. “I think Dalton is good for him. He seems to be enjoying most of his classes, and everyone is doing what they can to help him fit in. It’ll take some time before he feels completely comfortable, but it’s that way with almost any new situation. He’s joined a couple of clubs in addition to the Warblers, and he’s getting to know some of the guys better. Plus, most importantly, he’s safe. He can wake up everyday without immediately feeling fear or anxiety. That alone does him a world of good.”

Both McKinley boys nod again, and Finn says, “Okay, good. I’ll tell Mom and Burt.”

Blaine was going to end things there, but Puck and Finn look so somber that he adds, “Pretty sure he misses all of you like crazy, though.” Both guys crack smiles at that, and Blaine smiles back. Their concern may be too little, too late and may not change things, but it’s genuine.

The conversation turns to other things, and as they eat Blaine is encouraged to find that he and Finn have more in common than he first thought. They’re both NBA fans, play an instrument, and have an affinity for animated series. The table is commiserating over the end of Ben 10: Alien Force when they hear Mr. Schuester call for his students to start cleaning up and heading out.

“Thanks again for the pizza and everything,” Finn says to Blaine as they get out of the booth.

“Oh, that was David’s idea,” he corrects, putting his hand on David’s shoulder.

David grins. “Any excuse for pizza, right?”

“Right, yeah, thanks,” Finn grins back. “Guess we’ll see you at Regionals.” He waves as he heads over to his teammates who’ve congregated at the entrance.

“That went surprisingly well, I think,” David says quietly.

Blaine nods. “Maybe there’s still hope.” He starts to thank David again but is cut off when Kurt comes bouncing up to them, grinning happily.

“Glad you got to see your friends?” David asks.

“Oh yes, thank you again. This was so great of you guys.”

Blaine smiles at him. “You and your girls were pretty heavily involved in a conversation when I looked over. Everything okay?”

Kurt rolls his eyes. “Yes, just Finn and Rachel drama.” When Blaine and David both raise their eyebrows with curious looks, he tells them, “she just found out that Finn slept with Santana last year and lied to her about it. He wasn’t dating Rachel at the time, but he told her nothing happened. Plus, everyone else already knew about it.” He shakes his head and turns toward the exit. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with him.”

Blaine’s chin has dropped somewhere to the vicinity of his knees, and the happy feeling from a few seconds ago has become a twisting knot in his stomach.

David claps him on the back and leans over to whisper, “Deep breath, Blaine. He could still be in the closet or bi.”

Blaine shakes his head. He’s been in a semi-state of denial for too long over this; deep down he’s known for a while. “I don’t think so, David.” Blaine is definitely in the two percent.