"Why aren't you asleep, Dad? Is everything okay?" Kurt started to worry.

"Everything's fine, Kurt. I just wanted to talk to you," Burt answered quietly. "Come and sit down."

Kurt carefully slid into the seat in front of his father. Did I do something wrong? he wondered.

"Don't worry so much, kid," his dad spoke again, as though he had read Kurt's mind. "I know you're old enough and responsible, but I'm still your father so I have the right to know who that friend you were with was, because as I understand it you were not with New Directions tonight."

"No, I wasn’t, but there's nothing you should worry or be angry about. He's just a friend and we went to get a coffee. That's all."

"So, your friend's a boy," Burt concluded.

"Yes," Kurt answered warily. He didn't like where this conversation was heading.

"And is your friend gay?" Burt continued.

"Yes. But he's really just a friend, Dad! Blaine's really nice and we have fun together. He drove me home tonight, so I didn’t have to take the bus. And he- "

"It's okay, Kurt.” Burt interrupted, “You don't have to defend yourself or your friend. I trust you and I know you'll be responsible and make the right decisions. Also I’m glad that you can talk to someone whose... well, you know, someone... someone like you," Burt wasn't sure how to say it correctly.

Kurt just nodded. He was glad his dad was accepting and trusted him so much.

"So where did you meet this boy?" Kurt's father looked at his son questioningly.

At this Kurt blushed a bit and looked down at the table. "I met Blaine in Westerville, when I went there with Mercedes. He was singing in a coffee shop and came over to talk to me after," Kurt's voice became quieter and quieter. "Today we met up again at Sectionals because Blaine sings in the Dalton Academy's Glee club. He invited me for a coffee." He didn't mention anything about his second trip there, thinking that some things should were better left unsaid.

"I see..." Burt replied thoughtfully.

"And, Dad?" Kurt lifted his head to look at the older man expectantly. "Blaine also invited me to go Westerville next Saturday. He will be performing again and asked if I would like to come."

His father was quiet for a minute. "Of course, Kurt," he said finally. "You deserve to go out and have fun. Just be back before your curfew and be careful."

"Thanks Dad!" Kurt exclaimed and run to hug his dad. "I love you." he whispered.

"I love you too, kid. Now go get some rest. I'm sure you're exhausted, this was a big day for you."

With that Kurt smiled at his Dad and disappeared upstairs, leaving Burt in the kitchen. He sighed happily as he watched his son make his way to bed. He was glad that Kurt was making friends. He had had enough trouble in McKinley, and now that Karofsky was finally expelled, Kurt needed something to help him leave his past behind.

***

After dropping Kurt off at his home, Blaine made his way back to his house. It didn’t feel like home to him, his home was Dalton and soon it would be New York. Blaine thought about his conversation with Kurt tonight and how the younger boy had tried to comfort him. He remembered how nice Kurt's hand had felt on his, and how Kurt had looked in that moment. God, this definitely didn't help his plan to just be friends with the boy.

When Blaine pulled up in front of his family's house all the lights were still on. Apparently talking to Elise was inevitable.

"Well, well, well, look who is home," Elise waited for Blaine leaning on the doorframe, grinning widely.

"Drop it, El!" Blaine growled.

"Oh, come on! You said yourself "talk to you later". Now here I am and I want to know EVERYTHING!" the girl squealed.

"Curiosity killed the cat, darling!" Blaine laughed. It was impossible to stay mad at this girl and her ridiculous excitement about everything.

"Blaine!" Elise whined. She took Blaine's hand and dragged him to the living room, making him sit down on one of the sofas. "Now stop acting like a little kid and start talking to your lovely sister," Elise said making huge puppy eyes at Blaine who laughed at the sight.
He shook his head and gave in, "I met Kurt today at Sectionals and invited him for a coffee afterwards."

The look on Elise's face told him that she was trying hard to repress a squeal. "And?" she encouraged Blaine to continue.

"And... that's it. We drank coffee and then I drove him home, that's why I was in Lima tonight. I invited him to sing at Somewhere Only We Know next week. I don't know if he will, but he promised to come and listen to me at least."

"So it's going to be like your second date?!" Elise continued; her voice going unnaturally high. "Did you ki -”

"No, God! What's wrong with you, El? Can't I just talk to a guy without you assuming that we’re dating?" Blaine sounded disappointed.

Elise reached out and hugged her brother. "Of course you can Blaine, sorry," she whispered. "I just saw how you looked at him and how he was looking at you. I don't want you to miss out on something -"

"Don't you remem -”

"Don't even try to start all that crap about Jeffrey!" Elise cut Blaine off. "When will you get over that? You can't hide forever just because one guy broke your heart."

"He didn't just break my heart. He used me, humiliated me and had the whole school laughing in my face," Blaine was starting to get annoyed.

"I know, Blaine, I know," Elise said stroking his hair. "But that was almost two years ago. You can't let him or anyone else ruin your life. When you look at Kurt, do you really feel like he could hurt you?"

Blaine was quiet for a moment, thinking back to that evening and how comfortable he had felt around Kurt.

"No, I don't think so," Blaine sighed. "I told him about my family," he raised his eyes to look at Elise. The girl was staring back at him, surprise visible on her face. "I don't know why I did it. I guess in the moment I just felt like I could."

"And what did he say?"

"Nothing," Elise looked at Blaine confused, when he said that. "He said nothing. He just put his hand on mine and smiled at me," Blaine finished quietly, his lips curling up weakly.

They both stayed quiet for the next few minutes. Blaine was thinking about Kurt and all the mess that this boy caused in his head. Elise was wondering if maybe one day this Kurt could help put her brother back together.

***

The next week flew by for Kurt. On Monday Mercedes demanded to know everything, but Kurt only gave a few details about that night. There were things that definitely had to stay private, for example their talk in the car. The only thing Kurt regretted mentioning were their arrangements for Saturday.

"No, Mercedes, you can't come!" Kurt repeated for the fifth time today. "I'm not making you drag me along to your dates!"

"Oh, so it's a date!" Mercedes screeched.

"Please, scream even louder, Mercedes! There are some students on the other side of school who didn't hear you." Kurt was getting frustrated. "And no, it's not a date. Blaine is just a friend. And, you know, it's nice to have someone like me to talk to. You're an amazing friend, 'Cades, but Blaine has gone through what I’m going through. He understands."

"Okay, okay! But when you two eventually get together, promise I'll be the first one to know."

"Whatever you say," Kurt sighed, getting tired of arguing.

***

On Saturday Kurt spent far longer than usual getting ready as nothing in his closet seemed to look right. After a long struggle and many, many outfit changes, Kurt settled for gray skinny jeans and a blue button down that brought out his eyes. It's not a date, Kurt had to remind himself for the millionth time.

Once he was downstairs he wrapped up in his warm coat and woolen scarf. It was December now after all, and having listened to his dad's last indications about being careful and responsible, Kurt finally got in his car and began the drive to Westerville.

The journey was pleasant and uneventful. Kurt spent most of it imagining different scenarios for tonight in his head, daydreaming about what Blaine would be wearing or what he would sing. He remembered that Blaine had asked him to sing with him, but Kurt didn’t know if he felt up to it. After getting constantly cheated out of solos by Rachel and being forced to sway in the background all the time, his self-confidence was a little shaken.

Two hours later he pulled up in front of Somewhere Only We Know. As he made his way towards the entrance Kurt noticed that his heart was beating faster than usual and his hands were shaking a little. This is not a date, relax! He told himself. Although instead of feeling relaxed at this thought, he couldn’t help but wish it was.

Kurt went inside and immediately spotted Blaine standing next to the counter and chatting with Shannon. He was wearing black jeans and pinkish plaid shirt. What surprised Kurt however was the black beanie Blaine had on to contain his curls, some of which were poking out of the sides adorably. Apparently Blaine didn’t use hair gel outside of Dalton.

Shannon had noticed Kurt hovering at the entrance and waved her hand in his direction. Blaine noticed and turned to face Kurt, a smile playing on his lips that made Kurt’s heart stutter in his chest. What's wrong with me?! This isn’t even a date! he thought to himself.

Just as Blaine started to make his way over to Kurt, Shannon leant over and whispered something into his ear. Blaine glared at girl, but she just raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged.

“Hey, Kurt!” older boy greeted him as he made his way between the tables. “Ready for your moment of glory?” he laughed.

“I.. ah.. I’m not sure if I am,” Kurt looked at him nervously.

“Oh, come on! It’s going to be fun!” Blaine seemed to be ridiculously excited and was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “Let’s go! Do you want something to drink?”

“No, I’m alright thanks,” Kurt refused. He didn’t think coffee would help the butterflies in his stomach.

Blaine led him through into the main room of the coffee shop and was relieved to notice that there were fewer people there than usual.

“I guess everyone has started their Christmas shopping already,” Blaine tried to find an excuse for the smaller crowd tonight. “Oh, well, a small audience is still an audience. You can sit wherever you want, of course, unless you want to start?” he looked up at Kurt’s shocked eyes.

“No, no, the stage is yours,” Kurt laughed nervously. Was this boy living off music and performances? he wondered.

Kurt went to sit down on one of the sofas next to the fireplace. He placed his coat and scarf next to him. This was slowly becoming his favorite place. It was quiet, warm, and offered a nice view of Blaine… God, what’s wrong with you?! Kurt scolded himself.

“Hello, I’m Blaine. And if you don’t mind I’m going to play something for you,” Blaine smiled out at the crowd confidently before turning to the keys. The small audience clapped as he started to play.

You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in the fields of gold

So she took her love
For to gaze awhile
Upon the fields of barley
In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold

As soon as Blaine started to play Kurt’s eyes were glued to this wonderful creature at the piano. He seemed so calm and peaceful and his fingers glided across the keys with ease. Kurt had heard this song before, but never really liked it. However, when Blaine sang it, he had no idea how he could have disliked it in the past. He was performing with as much emotion as he would if it were his life story, as though he had experienced everything first hand.

Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Among the fields of barley
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in the fields of gold

See the west wind move like a lover so
Upon the fields of barley
Feel her body rise when he kissed her mouth
Among the fields of gold
I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We'll walk in the fields of gold
We'll walk in the fields of gold

Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold
You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in the fields of gold
When we walked in the fields of gold
When we walked in the fields of gold

Blaine brought the song to a close and Kurt clapped louder than others, smiling brightly at his new friend. The other boy caught his eye and grinned back at him.

“I brought my friend Kurt along with me tonight,” Blaine started speaking and Kurt froze. He knew what was coming. “So maybe, if we are nice enough he will sing something for us?” Blaine looked at him expectantly and Kurt violently shook his head.

“Just a second,” Blaine smiled at the audience and made his way over to Kurt.

“Don’t make me do this, Blaine! I’m not ready,” the younger boy whispered, terrified.

“Come on, I know how much you love singing in your Glee club, it’s going to be just the same. You wanted an audience, here it is!” Blaine told him hopefully.

Kurt inhaled deeply. Blaine was right. Singing had always been his dream. How could he compete with Rachel for a solo at Regionals, if he was too afraid even to sing in front of a few people in a coffee shop? Sure, he was used to singing in his Glee club, but they were all his friends.

He glanced over at Blaine’s exited face, and the look in his eyes made his decision for him. He will do it. He will sing for Blaine, no matter if this was a date or not. Or even if there was no chance for them being more than just friends in the future, he would sing this for Blaine. There was just one tiny problem.

“I didn’t prepare a song,” he confessed breaking their gaze and staring down at his designer shoes.

“Me neither. Like I told you last time, Kurt, just sing what feels right. Choose something that you can empathize with and put everything you are feeling into the song. You can’t go wrong there,” Blaine smiled at him and took Kurt’s hand.

This tiny gesture made Kurt’s breath catch and his heart fluttered. Blaine’s hand was so gentle and made him feel so safe. Kurt looked at their joined hands and nodded. He stood up and Blaine let go of his hand. Kurt was a bit disappointed but didn’t let Blaine see that. He made his way towards the dreaded piano and sat down. Good thing I took all those lessons, Kurt thought to himself.

He looked at the audience and he saw Blaine sitting in his place and smiling encouraging. Kurt turned his attention to the piano keys, took a deep breath and started playing.

If I’ll tell you something
I think you’ll understand
When I say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand

Oh, please, say to me
You’ll let me be your man
and please, say to me

You’ll let me hold your hand
Now let me hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand

And when I touch you I feel happy, inside
It’s such a feeling
That my love
I can't hide
I can't hide
I can't hide

Yeah you, got that something
I think you’ll understand
When I say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand

And when I touch you I feel happy, inside
It’s such a feeling
That my love
I can't hide
I can't hide
I can't hide

Yeah you, got that something
I think you’ll understand
When I feel that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand.

All the way through the song Blaine couldn’t believe his ears. He knew that Kurt could sing but he had no idea how talented he was. He wondered what this Rachel girl must sound like if she was beating Kurt to every solo, as he had never heard anything like it. How could a boy so fragile and delicate have such a beautiful voice? Because Kurt is beautiful, Blaine thought. Then he froze. What?! Well that’s new…

Kurt ended the song and couldn’t bring himself to look up. Then the small room erupted into applause and he looked up in shock. Woah, they liked it! Everyone was smiling brightly at him and he couldn’t help but smile back.

Then his eyes fell on Blaine and he saw the amazement in the boy’s face. His mouth was slightly open and he was still clapping like his life depended on it even though most of the applause had died down.

“T-Thank you,” Kurt smiled shyly and rose from the piano bench to walk over to Blaine.

“And your Glee club seriously don’t let you sing lead?!” Blaine cried when Kurt came to a stop in front of him.

“Was it good?” Kurt asked unsurely.

“Good?! Kurt, you could win Nationals all by yourself! They must all be deaf to hide such an amazing voice!” Blaine couldn’t hide his indignation.

“Ha, thanks I guess,” Kurt laughed blushing slightly. “Although I haven’t had a piano lesson in so long, my playing was a little off.”

“Don’t be silly, you didn’t make any mistakes! And next time you want to sing something I’d be happy to play for you,” Blaine smiled. “Do you think this might be something you would want to do again?”

“Uh, maybe! Especially if you could play for me, maybe we could do a duet sometime?” Kurt tilted his head hopefully.

“Haha, I’d love that!” Blaine laughed and the two of them went off to order a coffee.