The boys' both have this sort of thing they do every morning, a bunch of things in order which I guess could be one weird thing they've got in common. Here's how Kurt's goes.

His alarm is set to six o'clock, which means if he accidently hits snooze in his sleep, he still has half an hour till he really has to get up. In cases like this, his dad usually comes upstairs to wake him up and he rubs his eyes and goes downstairs to eat breakfast, which consists of eggs and bacon if Carole cooks and waffles if it's his dad's turn. Afterwards he runs back upstairs to put on the outfit that he picked out last night, dresses, and catches a ride with Finn and Rachel.

Blaine is, of course, different.

He normally sleeps in about an hour or so if he's had a bad night, and when he finally drags himself out of bed and walks to the bathroom to take a piss, he's already got the stress of the world on his shoulders (and think, at only eight in the morning). He strips and jumps into the burning hot shower, scrubs his body furiously until his skin is red, and then he goes to his room, puts on his old, fading blue Dalton sweatshirt and skinny jeans that fold at his ankles. He hurries to put gel in his hair. Then he walks down the hall to the kitchen, where he sits at the table, alone. He doesn't eat breakfast. He pops a diet pill and takes his Zoloft, downs it with a glass of water. Grabs his backpack, lunch sack, and he's out the door.

I don't know why but I feel like you should know this.

--

They meet again this fine autumn day in Lima, Ohio, this time after school at Breadstix. Kurt's with Mercedes and Blaine's alone; again.

Mercedes notices him sitting at a booth in the corner, scrolling through his Pheed, looking bored. She pokes Kurt to get his attention and says to look over and he does, and his heart, like, stops.

"Crap," he says. "can we leave now?"

"What? No, I'm still waiting for Sam to pick me up. What's your problem?"

"I just," Kurt waits for the rest of his sentence to flow out of his mouth with ease but all that comes out is a tiny squeak that doesn't even sound human.

"Oh my gosh. I get it! You've got a little gay crush on him or something, don't you?" Mercedes grins.

Kurt furrows his eyebrows and only shakes his head honestly. Seriously, he shouldn't have to explain this and he's not gonna. "No," is all he says, and then this awkward silence falls between them.

"We should go sit with him or something," Mercedes says finally, beginning to stand up.

"Are you crazy?" Kurt doesn't think he'll be able to sit there with Blaine and keep a straight face and just not scream out that he knows and is keeping. possibly the biggest and most mortifying secret that has to do with him.

"A little bit, are you?" she shoots back. He slumps over in his chair.

"Please, 'Cedes. I'll give you a ride home."

"Sam's coming to get me."

"He's not," he says, getting up to hug her. "come on."

She chokes a little and lets him guide her out of the restaurant. Blaine watches them, envying the friendship they have. He turns his attention back to his phone when it buzzes with a text message from his mom saying she'll be home early tonight. He smiles. He's at that level right between sad and happy. Content.

And then you decide to ruin it. You get up and walk over to him and when he sees you, his face falls. Not again, he thinks, and you smile seemingly innocent and he tries to excuse himself but you refuse to let him go and you're angry and he's scared now. You grab his arm tight when he tries to go again, but he manages to get away from you and hurries out to his car before you can follow him.

I cheer for him in my head.