A quick stop in the bathroom had assured that Sam would be joining us soon, and smelling much better as he did so. It was almost hard to believe that Sam’s sweaty run, starting life guard training, the talk with Schue, helping Blaine unpack, all of that had been today. No wonder I was starting to feel tired.

I knocked on the CIT’s door before I opened it to peek my head around. “Decent in here? Ready for the party to come to you?” I joked, as if I hadn’t just peeled off my jeans and traded them for sweats in front of Mike and every other JC in the room. Sometimes that level of comfort took time. I wouldn’t be overly surprised if Blaine was changing in a stall in the bathroom for the first week or two.

“Yes. Yes, I am.” Blaine called back, and I probably shouldn’t have been surprised to see the blush on his cheeks as Mike and I slipped into the room.

“Blaine, this is my friend Mike. Mike, Blaine.” I introduced as I moved to toss my stuff on the bottom bunk next to Blaine’s, where I’d been sitting earlier. “Another friend, Sam, is coming later. He’s finishing taking a shower now. Thank God.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Mike said when I finally stopped talking. He slung his things down onto another bottom bunk so he could step over and offer to shake Blaine’s hand. I winced at the moment of sheer awkwardness in the room as Blaine stared at Mike’s offered hand. From Mike’s sheepish expression he realized the problem at the same time I did, as Blaine reached out to attempt a shake with his left.

“Likewise, so you live upstairs with Kurt?” Blaine asked, pulling his hand back with a nervous look over towards me. “You sure you don’t mind staying down here tonight? I don’t want to impose on all of you. It’s not like you know me or anything. Either of you, really.”

I’d just opened my mouth to reply when the usually quiet Mike beat me to it. “It’ll be great. A chance to curl up in my old bed and relive memories of last summer.” Mike moved to give a fond pat to the bunk he’d tossed his stuff on, giving Blaine a bit of personal space at the same time. “Though it does look much plainer in here without Kurt’s shrine to Wicked on the wall over there.”

I smirked over at Mike in return for that light teasing, “Hey. You know Wicked is awesome. I’ve made you listen to the sound track often enough over the years. You even finally admitted last summer you liked it, so don’t deny it now.” I gave Blaine a grin in return for the curious look he was giving me. “What? You thought you were the only one allowed to be a theater geek around here?”

“No, I…” Blaine hesitated, moving to sit on the very edge of his bed, perching there awkwardly. “I didn’t think I was the only one allowed to be. I just didn’t expect to find anyone here with an appreciation for musicals.”

“Oh, believe me. Kurt appreciates musicals. Often and quite loudly. Especially when he’s singing in the shower. Thank God, he doesn’t have a horrible voice or something.” Sam must have come in at some point during that last bit, because there he was, tossing his sleeping bag up on the top of the bunk I’d chosen. “I’m so sleeping on top of you tonight, Hummel.” Sam waggled his eyebrows over to me teasingly.

“Kinky.” I replied to that teasing, by old habit. It was a total mistake by the rather panicked look starting to appear on Blaine’s face. Time to save the situation or at least try. I could analyze what happened later. “Sam, have you met Blaine yet? Blaine, this is Sam. Please try to avoid dissing musicals, Sam. You know that would mean I’d just have to start singing ‘Defying Gravity’ in your ear every time I see you.” I stuck my tongue out at my friend before turning to check on Blaine.

Of course, I should have suspected that Mike would be the one to look between all of us and change to a safer topic before I had the chance. He grabbed his backpack, unzipping it to peer inside. “I still have all the fun stuff I packed for the long drive up here from the city in this thing. Ooh. I’ve got Apples to Apples.” He pulled out a smaller to go version of the game. “Have you played this, Blaine? It’s one of my absolute favorites.”

Blaine shot a look between Sam and I, still apparently unsure what to think about our teasing. “Sam. Good to meet you.” That sounded a bit less than heartfelt, but quickly enough after, Blaine was looking towards the box in Mike’s hand. “No. How do you play?”

I gestured us all towards the floor. “Got any goodies in there, Mike?” I asked, peering playfully towards his backpack. “Did your mom send you with cookies?”

There were cookies. Score. Mike’s mom is a great baker.

The four of us found an open spot on the floor to settle as Mike explained the game to Blaine. “Each of us gets a hand of red cards with random things written on them. You play one each turn you’re not the judge and immediately draw another one. The judge flips over a green card with an adjective on it. The other guys play a card they think fits the adjective the best. The judge reads them and decides the winner based on what’s the best match. Or the worst, depending on the judge’s sense of humor. You’ll catch on fast.” Trust Mike to have a good idea of a game to break the ice.

“I’m telling you, Festering Wounds should have won that last hand!” I threw up my hands in the air, not bothering to hold back from being pretty overly dramatic.

“Kurt. The green card was Amazing. How are festering wounds amazing?” Sam asked over with eyes narrowed towards me.

“Because, because… they’re festering wounds! That card should always win. They’re amazingly disgusting?” I fired back, leaning back against the bunk behind me as I just broke down laughing.

“Are they always like this?” I could overhear Blaine asking Mike quietly.

“Pretty much, at least when they’re together. Keeps things from getting boring?” Mike suggested back with a laugh before he eyed the Tupperware container in front of him. “I think Kurt’s had enough sugar. You should see him after eating s’mores. Want to split the last cookie with me? Save us all from his sugar overload going farther?”

That damn bell rang way too early once again. Sam was actually still here this time as I unzipped my sleeping bag, pulling the nice, warm fabric away from me. “Up, up. We’ve got to get all this stuff back upstairs before breakfast!” I grabbed Mike’s pillow, yanking it away from his face and then went back to shake the bunk bed Sam and I had shared.

Thankfully, I’d worn warmer PJ’s last night, because it was still freaking cold. Blaine sat up, rubbing bleary eyes, without my intervention so I turned to look around instead. Apples to Apples cards were tossed on top of the box and a regular deck of playing cards were scattered over the bare wooden floor.

That game of hearts we’d played had been epic, even if Blaine had looked at the three of us like we were on crack when Sam had managed to ‘Shoot the Moon’ at one point and started singing the song. Of course Mike and I had to jump up as well and join in. Joining in on that song is conditioned into us by now.

I turned back to zip up and roll my sleeping bag. “We can get the cards at cleanup after breakfast.” I decided. “We’ll stop back by and pick you up on the way to breakfast, if you’d like, Blaine? We’ve got about 15 minutes left to change and brush teeth and stuff before flag raising.” I wrapped the elastic ties around the bag on auto pilot. I’d done this a few times before.

I’m going to have to admit Blaine’s hair was utterly adorable in the morning, with loose curls all messed up and going everywhere, even if I’m still sticking with the not crushing on straight guys thing this summer. He was sitting up in his bed now, staring at me as if he was trying to get his brain to start working. “Breakfast, right. I’ll wait for you when I’m ready. There will be coffee?”

“There will be.” I affirmed, grabbing my pillow before I looked up at Sam, kicking the bed to jar him again. “Come on, guys. You are not going to breakfast in your pajamas.” I waited long enough to see that both of them had actually crawled out of their sleeping bags before I waved towards Blaine and headed upstairs to get ready to face another day.