But it had to eventually, so why not now?

"A sleepover! We'll have the whole glee club come over for one big end of summer break sleepover! That way, Blaine will know more people when he starts school, and he'll be much more comfortable when he's in a class without you."

Kurt hadn't really thought about that. In his mind, Blaine coming to school with him meant exactly that, Blaine coming to school with him. But Rachel was right, there were going to be classes where they weren't together, and it might help if Blaine knew some other people.

He liked the idea of Blaine having more friends, but he just wasn't sure how he'd do around one or two strangers, let alone a crowd of people.

What if he wasn't ready for that?

Sure, he'd improved a ton when it came to things like reading and math, his handwriting was beautiful and he was starting to understand human stuff much better now.

But could he be around people who didn't know his merman secret without them thinking he was strange?

He did fine around Burt and Carole.

Maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

Kurt couldn't really tell what Blaine thought about the idea. When it had been brought up, he seemed quite excited by the thought of meeting Kurt's friends.

But the closer they got to the date of the sleepover, the more distant he seemed to become.

It was a few minutes before they arrived when Kurt finally found out what was on Blaine's mind.

What if they hate me?

Kurt read the words, clear as day, on the notepad. Another one of Rachel's ideas. Now that he was better at writing, she suggested they expand on the idea they'd had back when Blaine first introduced himself to Burt and have him carry around a notepad so he could communicate easier.

Kurt would never admit that he thought it was a great idea. No need to make Rachel's head even bigger than it already was.

"Is that what's been bugging you?" Blaine nodded. "You're worrying for nothing. They're all very nice, none of them are going to hate you, you're too lovable to hate."

Blaine smiled slightly but then sighed and looked down.

"You worry too much. Just focus on making some new friends and having fun, okay?"

Blaine nodded just as the bell rang.

One by one, all the familiar faces of New Directions started walking through the door.

"So, this is Zane?"

"Blaine, Puck, his name is Blaine."

"I was close." he said with a smile and a shrug. "Finn's told me all about him."

Both Kurt and Blaine's faces got pale. "Has he?" Kurt asked, shooting Finn a death glare.

"Yeah, he said that you found him by the tire shop and tried to trick your dad into giving him a job."

Kurt let out a small relieved breath. "Yeah."

"Have a little faith in me. I'm not dumb." Finn whispered as he walked by.

"So... Blaine really can't talk?" Tina asked carefully, Finn shook his head. "You can still have a conversation with him though. if he has something to say, he writes it down."

"What happened, was he in an accident or was he just born that way?"

"Santana, that's kind of a personal question."

"What? We're all thinking it. I bet you are too, Berry."

Rachel simply rolled her eyes... if only Santana knew what Rachel, Mercedes, Finn, and Kurt knew.

"So, how'd you convince your dad to let him move in with you guys?" Tina asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Long story." Kurt stated simply.

"So, what do you say we start on this pizza I ordered and have a movie marathon?" Finn asked, everyone seemed into the idea.

Thank goodness for Finn.

...............................................................................................................................................................................................................

Everyone was talking, laughing, eating pizza, and barely paying attention to the movie on the screen, except for Blaine who was sitting in front of the coffee table, indian style, starring at the TV. His eyes were wide and his mouth forming a slight smile, his face looking as though he had never been more fascinated by anything in his life.

He basically looked like that every time he watched TV.

Especially since they were watching a movie he'd never seen before.

Brittany sat next to him, smiling at him slightly.

"Hi."

Blaine finally glanced away from the TV long enough to look at her, giving her a small smile.

"I'm Brittany."

He blinked.

"You remind me of Ariel."

Blaine raised his eyebrows in confusion. Kurt glanced at the two, suddenly less interested in the conversation he'd been having with Mercedes.

"You know, from the Little Mermaid. You're like a boy Ariel."

Kurt's eyes widened a bit.

"Are you a mermaid?"

Kurt moved over as quickly as possible. "What are we talking about over here?"

"I was just about to ask Blaine what it's like in the ocean."

"Why... uh, why would Blaine know anything about the ocean?"

"Because he's a mermaid. Duh."

"Why would you think Blaine's a mermaid?" He asked nervously.

"Because he acts like one."

"How do mermaids act?" Santana asked, though her normal tone wasn't there. She sounded genuinely interested in what Brittany had to say.

"Well, they're more interested in the little things because they're not use to human stuff. That's how Blaine acts. I bet Ursula helped him become a human so he could be with Kurt."

"You don't even know if he's gay, Brittany." Tina pointed out.

"Yeah he is, that's why he wanted to be a human, because the only other gay sea creatures he had for company were dolphins, so he asked Ursula to turn him into a human so that he could talk to Kurt instead of the gay sharks, and now he has people he can relate to."

Everyone was laughing and looking at Brittany the way they always did when she went off on something like this, rolling their eyes and mumbling things like "Oh, Brittany." But Kurt's heart felt like it was beating so hard it was going to burst through his chest and fly around the room.

Blaine just looked amused.

"So how long do you have before you have to go back to the ocean?"

"I hate to burst your bubble, but Blaine's not from the ocean." Mike said finally.

"Yes he is, he traded his voice away so he could be here with Kurt."

"Britt, maybe we should talk about something else... the whole voice thing might be a sensitive subject." Artie said softly.

"How about we pause the movie and all change into our pajamas?" Mercedes said quickly, hoping to change the subject for good.

"Good idea." Rachel said.

Everyone took turns in the bathroom's downstairs... except Kurt, Finn, and Blaine, who all headed upstairs to their rooms.

"That was close." Kurt whispered to Finn as they stood outside of his bedroom. "Too close."

"Please, it was Brittany, nobody took it seriously."

"What if they had?"

"Don't worry about it. They still don't know, they all just think it was Brittany being Brittany."

Kurt let out a small breath. Finn was right, he had no reason to worry. Nobody knew... they were fine.

He made his way to his room, surprised when he walked in and found Blaine standing there, in his pajamas, staring at a certain Prom Queen crown with a look on his face that Kurt couldn't figure out.

His hand was slowly reaching out towards it.

"Blaine? What are you doing in here?"

Blaine snapped out of his thoughts and pulled his hand back, the look on his face resembling a child who had been caught taking cookies from the cookie jar.

He looked down at his feet.

"Blaine?"

Blaine bit his lip, unsure of what to do since he'd left his notepad downstairs.

"Looking for me?"

A nod.

Kurt was silent for a moment.

"You can touch it, if you want..." He finally said, his voice soft.

Blaine looked at him for a moment before returning his attention to the crown, slowly picking it up and holding it carefully in his hands.

"There's this thing... it's called Prom. It's like... a big party where you ask someone you like to go with you, and then you dance and have fun and everyone votes for who they think should be Prom King and Queen. A bunch of kids voted me Prom Queen as a joke." He said quietly.

Blaine didn't seem to be paying much attention, he couldn't stop staring at the crown.

Kurt raised his eyebrows in confusion as Blaine lifted it higher and placed it on his head, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

"Blaine?" Kurt said, confused.

He didn't look at him. He simply tilted his head, still looking at his reflection in the mirror.

"Are you alright?" Kurt asked, taking a step closer.

He'd never seen Blaine look so lost. So confused. So sad.

He finally looked down, Kurt putting a hand on his shoulder.

"It means something to you, doesn't it?" He whispered. He didn't need Blaine to nod to know he was right. "What does the crown mean, Blaine?"

Blaine barely lifted his head to look at Kurt. Simply pointing to himself.

Confusion washed over Kurt's face as Blaine's finger poked his own chest... his eyes widening as he realized what Blaine was telling him.

"You... you're a prince."

A nod.

"You're the prince... the prince, the prince of the entire ocean." He said, barely able to believe the words he was saying.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you were a prince?"

The answer was obvious, it was written all over Blaine's face.

He never told him, because he never wanted to be.

Man. He knew Blaine was a merman, he knew he was special... but royalty? A prince?

After all the years of joking that he was somehow in line for the throne, he had fallen in love with a prince.

"That's why your father never had time for you... that's why he never noticed when you were gone, he's the King. When you said he was busy, you meant he was busy running the entire ocean." He breathed out.

Blaine looked at the floor, nodding sadly.

"That's not an excuse, Blaine... he may be a King, but he's your father first, and you should've come before everything else. You should've been the most important thing in his life."

Blaine sniffled.

"How can you stay human? If you have to take over the ocean someday, how can you just leave?"

Blaine pointed to a picture that was resting in a frame in Kurt's room. It was taken at his father and Carole's wedding... it was him and Finn.

"You have an older brother?"

A nod.

"He's the one taking over the ocean, not you."

Another nod.

Kurt was silent as he realized what Blaine was trying to say.

"You don't even think he noticed... do you? You've been gone for months... and you don't think your dad realizes that you're not there."

It wasn't even a question. He knew that was exactly what Blaine thought.

His dad was busy being King of the entire ocean, raising and training his oldest son to follow in his footsteps.

Why would he notice that his younger son was missing? When would he have the time?

It all made so much sense now. That was why Blaine felt so alone, because back in the ocean, everyone he loved, had something they loved more. Something they had to focus on that they felt was more important than focusing on Blaine.

Blaine wanted so badly to care about someone who actually cared back.

When he realized he'd found that in Kurt... no wonder he didn't want to let him go.

He wasn't just friends with Kurt, he needed Kurt.

Living here was the closest thing he had to a family, to being loved.

No, living here was the first time he had a family, the first time he was loved.

"Oh, Blaine..." he said softly, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him gently, unsure of what to say. Blaine simply hugged him back, hiding his face in Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt was more determined than ever now. Blaine had to stay human, and when he did, he was staying with them no matter what. Kurt would always be there for him, with him.

He would never feel that way again. Never feel unloved or unwanted. He would always be loved and wanted here. He would always be safe, he could always call this home.

Kurt would give anything make sure that Blaine never lost that feeling.

Unsure of what to do or say, but knowing he had to do or say something to make Blaine feel better, to make him realize that there was somewhere that he could call home, that somewhere people cared about him, somewhere people would notice if he were suddenly gone, where he'd be missed if he wasn't there, he finally just said the first thing that popped into his head. The first thing he thought would voice everything he was feeling... that would tell Blaine that he was loved, that he was cared about, and that he was here to stay no matter what happened.

"I'm never saying goodbye to you."

He hoped it was enough to show Blaine that he wasn't like his dad and that he would actually notice if Blaine suddenly wasn't there anymore. That he didn't want to lose him.

When he felt Blaine's face change into a smile against his neck, he knew that it was.