Blaine gripped Kurt's hand until there was nothing left to hold on to. He turned around, noticing the fantasy had disappeared as well, which was only normal – none of the minds that had created it were connected to the dream anymore.

"I wish I hadn't done that. I don't know what got into me..."

"He was hurting Chris."

"Yeah, well, it's not..."

"It's the same reason that got me shoving a guy twice my size even though I knew it wouldn't exactly change anything. It's... instincts."

"Do you... Blaine, has he... When you were in my world, did Chris talk to you, about... you know, me ?"

Blaine smiled and sat back down on the booth, gesturing for Darren to do as well. Once the older man was settled, Blaine took his hand.

Which was possibly the weirdest thing he'd ever done.

"Chris likes you a lot, as you probably guessed with what that... bizarre mix of us said. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure he's learned to, say, repress those feelings, given the fact that he believes you to be straight."

"... wait, no, he knows I'm not into labels -"

"Have you ever mentioned any attraction you could've felt towards a guy in front of him ?"

"No, but I've never really... not before him, you know. I've never had feelings for a man. And I've never felt that strongly about a girl either, for the record."

Blaine smiled and squeezed Darren's hand. At least he wasn't the only one who sucked at romance.

"What do I tell him ?", he asked, "What if... what if he's... not ready to be in a relationship ? What if he likes me just as a very good friend ?"

"I used to tell myself the same things about Kurt, you know. After it all clicked in my mind... twelve thousand possible scenarios of how I was going to try to win Kurt's heart back and fail miserably came to me."

"Oh please, your speech was -"

"...unprepared."

Darren frowned, which made Blaine smile.

"I never had the intention of saying anything to him until Regionals. I wasn't even sure he still liked me in a more than just friends way. I didn't know if he still wanted to be the Meg Ryan to my Billy Crystal."

Darren bit his lower lip.

"Y-you know what's weird ? A lot of the little things I learn about you, I... well, let's just say that, actually, I like to fill the gaps for the stuff we don't see, and... it's just as if everything I've ever imagined is true. As well as things I've never thought about."

Blaine blinked rapidly. He was still a little troubled by that whole "I'm a puppet and don't control my life" thing. He mentioned it to Darren, who just shrugged it off.

"Man, for these things, I'm sure it's just the other way around. It's because they've actually happened that I think of them. But, yeah, sorry, I cut you in the middle of your story..."

"Oh, right, ehm... well, once I had settled on the song, I took out my phone to text it to Kurt and ask him when we could meet to rehearse a little. But thankfully, my phone was out of battery so I had to seek Kurt physically."

"Ah, it's like... karma or whatever... imagine if you had just texted him..."

"I prefer not to. It makes me feel all weird. Anyways – I think I walked all around school searching for him until finally, I ran into the Art teacher's PA, who told me where he was. When I arrived there, he was surrounded by pearls and glittery things and... and you know, sometimes he's concentrating so hard on something that the rest of the world doesn't exist and he's got that determined look on his face and, and... I'm usually having some trouble breathing normally."

Darren smiled.

"I know the look. Yeah, I guess I... felt what you felt, when we shot that scene. Maybe there was a little bit of eagerness, too, because I was going to kiss Chris again and all that jazz. But you didn't know that it was going to happen."

"No, I didn't. He... you know that little teasing thing he said ? Like, just a few days before we first kissed, he said that thing about the Warblers being 'Blaine and the Pips', it was... a little hurtful, but the way he said 'I'm impressed, you're usually so Top 40', he was... he was being flirty. I was trying not to look at his eyes directly because... have you noticed how beautiful they are ?"

Darren nodded.

"Yeah. I'm always afraid I won't be able to look away, they're like magnets and the colors are so perfect..."

He trailed off, smiling, and the corners of Blaine's mouth twitched in that smile's twin brother. None spoke for a while, both lost in the memory.

"Okay, you know what ? The minute we switch back – I will tell him everything."

Blaine grinned and squeezed Darren's hand again.

"I left you a letter in your guitar case."

"A letter ?"

"You'll see."

"O...kay... So, ehm, I'm pretty sure I'm going to wake up soon – what time do you want us to do this ?"

"It's Tuesday, right ? Kurt has Glee from 3:30 to 5pm, and then he usually goes for coffee with Mercedes and me. You should probably join him because Mercedes is going to know something's wrong otherwise."

Darren nodded.

"Okay, so... at 6pm for me, makes it at 10am for you."

"Yes. And Kurt and Chris go... twenty minutes later ?"

"Yeah, sounds good. Oh, but wait – we forgot something. We didn't switch last time..."

Blaine opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He took in a deep breath instead, so as not to make it look as if he'd forgotten what he was about to say.

"Are you sure you and Chris jumped at the right time ?"

"Certain, we were in synch with Greenwich." "Kurt jumped about two minutes after me."

"So... this means we're really 8 hours and 2 minutes away from each other ? So you gotta do it at 6:02 ?"

"I guess..." "But I don't understand, the time of the crash..."

"... was given approximately."

They both sighed.

"Why didn't we think about checking it earlier ?", Darren asked,

"Where's the logic in not having an even number of hours between us ?"

"Where's the logic in this entire thing ?"

"I have no idea – wait, do you smell pancakes ?"

"Pancakes ? No", Darren sniffed the air around them, "No it smells more like bacon."

"I can swear it smells like pancakes."

They narrowed their eyes before saying "Oh !" at the same time when realization hit them.

"Well... I guess this means we're waking up..."

"I guess", Darren said, "The disturbing question is: why is Kurt making pancakes in the middle of the night ?"

"Never, ever question Kurt Hummel's motives."

Darren chuckled and shook his head.

"Is the smell stronger by you ?", Blaine asked, "Oh, weird, I can feel the sheets..."

He ran his fingers along the wood of the table and before he knew it the dark swallowed him.

Darren felt Blaine's hand slip away from his and a second later, he found himself all alone. Breadsticks looked like the set now, instead of the actual place, and the temperature had dropped several degrees. He got up and walked out, stopping on the threshold.

"Hi."

"I thought Blaine told you to go ?"

"That's true, Blaine did. But Blaine's awake now. The 'Kurt' in me is gone, Darren. Now I'm all yours. But you have to wake up."

Darren sighed and sat on the pavement next to 'Chris'.

"Did you... you know, talk to... the other guy ?"

The fantasy smiled and caressed Darren's cheek.

"Oh, honey, when are you going to call things by their names, uh ?"

Darren shivered as the words echoed around him.

"Y-You know what I mean."

"Of course I do. And yes, I talked to him... but I can't tell you. You'll have to figure it all out by yourself, I'm afraid. But don't worry. I promise you it's going to be all right either way."

"... why are you so nice ?"

"You mean, as opposed to the way Chris and Kurt's minds treat them ?"

Darren nodded.

"You've never had a lot of nightmares."

Darren frowned, but when he looked up the fantasy was walking away down the street.

"Wait -"

"You have to wake up, Darren."

"N-no I don't, we- are you sure you can't tell me anything ?"

"You have to wake up."

"Now you're being creepy."

"A little, but I'm serious, you have to wake up, or it'll be too late and you'll have to wait."

"Too late for what ?"

But the figure was walking away again. Darren didn't understand – Chris had just woken up, and he himself didn't need to be ready before ten or so.

"Too late for what ?"

"Follow the White Rabbit, and you'll know."

"... what ?"

Darren threw his arms in the air and was about to run after the fantasy when a small white fluffy thing ran through the street.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

He went to follow the rabbit but before he'd had the chance to reach the side of the road, he tripped over his own foot and everything went black.

Kurt woke up abruptly, his head still spinning. He carefully entangled himself from Blaine, who emitted a small whimper and moved his arms desperately as if he was trying to hold on to Kurt.

"Cuddle monster."

Kurt replaced his body with a pillow and got up, walking to the kitchen as silently as possible.

His head was hurting, both from the alcohol and the way Darren had mistreated his mind. Not that it hadn't deserved it.

Kurt smiled when he saw the pictures of Darren with his friends all over the fridge. They really did look weird to him, especially those which had Chris on, because it was like not remembering something and seeing it on a photograph.

Except, this usually happened with baby pictures. Not grown-up ones. The headache chose that moment to come back full force and Kurt had to clench the doorknob to keep himself from falling.

"Dammit !"

His eyes fell on the fruit bowl, which only contained enormous oranges, and that gave Kurt an idea. Turning on the light, he rummaged through every cupboard to find all the ingredients he needed in order to make some pancakes.

Elizabeth Hummel had had the time to teach a lot of things to Kurt during the too short time they had shared together. How to take care of a hangover was one of them.

Kurt smiled as he put on an apron, remembering one particular morning - the 1st of January, 2001.

He'd woken up all excited about the New Year, and also a little tired because, since he had been six at the time (and a whole half, as he claimed), he'd had the right to stay up until midnight for the first time ever.

He'd got out of bed and right to the kitchen where he'd found his mother singing to herself, drumming the big blue batter on the counter. Kurt had ran to her and wished her a happy new year once again, before asking if he could help her because, really, cooking with his mother was almost his second favorite thing. Elizabeth had handed him the little batter, Kurt's own, the green one, and asked him to keep on stirring while she made some orange juice.

When Kurt had asked where his father was, Elizabeth had said that the champagne they'd drank the previous night had made his mind all bubbly and that this, pancakes and OJ, was the best solution to make the bubbles go away.

Kurt smiled at the memory as he stirred faster, adding some milk. Once the mix was ready, he took out a knife and cut two oranges in half, making quick use of the squeezer. Soon, he had enough for two full glasses and he threw what was left of the fruit in the bin.

Singing to himself, Kurt spun around the small room, cleaning everything up. He was pretty sure the smell of pancakes would wake Blaine up, so he busied himself to give his boyfriend more time with Darren.

Unfortunately, the headache was only getting worse, and since he didn't want to take any more Tylenol (they'd almost emptied the bottle on their way back from Ashley's), he had no other choice but to actually make the pancakes. His stomach rumbled as he laid the first one on a plate. He licked his lips and took a bite, smiling as his entire body relaxed. He had only had the time to make seven more when Blaine walked into the kitchen, hair sticking in every possible direction.

"What're you doin' up, it's late... mmmh pancakes..."

"Always so eloquent, Blaine."

"Al'ays. Feed me ?"

Kurt chuckled and turned the gas off under the pan, laying the last pancake above the other ones. Blaine sat down and motioned for Kurt to take a seat on his lap, which he happily did. Taking a fork, he blushed as he cut off a piece of pancake and fed it to Blaine. They kept going like this silently for a while, Kurt alternating between eating and feeding his boyfriend. They were quickly done, and both drank down their glasses of juice in one long gulp.

"I could get used to this", Blaine muttered, burying his face in Kurt's shoulder from behind,

"Me feeding you ? Well you better not because unless we're eating alone, which, face it, rarely happens, I am not doing it again. Even if you do look cute."

Blaine smiled (the smile Kurt had categorized as his "you're-so-adorable" smile) and tightened his hold on Kurt's waist.

"No, I meant waking up to you making breakfast... being domestic and all that..."

Kurt blushed and kissed Blaine's cheek. He was not going to lie – this all thing pleased him too. But he was also terrified of admitting it to Blaine. Admitting that, even if they'd only been dating for a couple of months, he'd started planning their wedding in his head and naming their children. Well, their child at least, since he still hadn't decided whether they were having just one, or two. They hadn't even told each other 'I love you', yet. Sure, he was pretty certain Blaine felt the same way but he did not want to be the first to say it and be face with "I'm sure I'll feel like you eventually, but not yet" or something equally awful. He kissed his way to Blaine's lips, where he lingered for a few seconds before pulling away.

"It's only a little after midnight, we should probably go back to bed."

When Chris opened his eyes, he was half-hoping that the walls would be those of Darren's room, and not Kurt's. Unfortunately he was met with a Wicked poster and no Star Trek. He took a look at the clock and figured he still had time to get up and get ready to leave before Darren woke up. He couldn't face him now. He just couldn't. He knew there would be questions and they would have to talk about it and Darren, being his ever sweet self, would tell Chris that it's okay and that they could still be friends. He just couldn't believe the fantasy would out his feelings like that.

Even if he hadn't said anything too explicit, well, Darren was not stupid. Clueless sometimes, that, no one could deny, but he surely had understood. Chris reluctantly pulled away from Darren's grasp, freezing mid-movement because the black-haired man had tightened his hold around his waist and was mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like "stay". Chris carefully freed himself, smiling when Darren rolled on his side and curled himself around the pillow. He truly looked like a puppy. How he managed to be awfully sexy at the same time was way above Chris' understanding.

Noises could be heard from downstairs and Chris hurried to Kurt's cupboard. He picked an outfit he recognized from a photo-shoot, hoping Kurt hadn't worn it recently, and then carefully made his way to the bathroom as silently as possible. He took a quick shower and managed to style his hair as Kurtishly as possible. Not familiar with the intricacies of Kurt's moisturizing routine, Chris simply used some hydrating cream, hoping his alter-ego wouldn't be too mad at him for that. He silently walked back into the bedroom, smiling when he noticed Darren was still asleep. The smell of bacon was getting stronger and Chris quickly put every notebook he found into Kurt's messenger bag, grabbed the cellphone and nearly ran to the kitchen.

It was almost 7:45 and he had no idea how long it would take him to go to McKinley High.

"Good morning sweetie, you're up late !", Carole welcomed him, kissing his cheek,

Chris just smiled and approached the table, salivating.

"Blaine kept you busy ?"

Chris nearly jumped three feet in the air as he heard Mark's – well, Puck's – voice.

"... good morning to you too. What are you doing here ?"

"I came to pick you two up, I owe you guys a ride."

"Oh, right."

Chris sat down and eagerly ate all of the eggs and bacon Carole had put on his plate.

"Where's Finn, though ?"

"Something about his t-shirt not matching his trousers. I think he's been spending too much time with you."

"Well, someone had to put some sense into him. No offense Carole, but what did you teach him about getting dressed ?"

"I didn't, that's the thing."

"Explains a lot."

They exchanged a grin as Puck took a seat next to Chris.

"So, where's your boyfriend ?"

Chris' heart stuttered. How he wished he could refer to Darren as that... He's straight. Not gonna happen.

"Still asleep, he needs to rest."

"Ain't he goin' back to school at some point ?"

"Maybe tomorrow, or on Thursday."

"And why can't he come with us to New York again ?"

"Noah, you know why", Carole said, "I do believe we had the exact same conversation a week ago."

"Yeah, well that's not fair. We've got like five "Plus One" tickets to the show, we're only using three of them. I can totally deal with his parents if -"

"Puck", Chris interjected, "Leave it. It's been discussed one time too many."

"C'm'on Kurt, it bothers you as much as it bothers him."

"I know. B-but his parents are right, he's got finals and stuff -"

"Not before a month and a half -"

"Why do you bother so much anyways ?"

Chris hadn't meant to snap at him but it felt like something Kurt would do in this situation. Puck took a look at Carole, who said she was going to check up on Finn, and left.

"Kurt, look – I just... like I've told you, I'm so, so sorry about everything I've ever done to you. You're my boy now, okay ? I want you to be happy. And I know how much you're going to love New York. But the thing is, you'd love it so much more if Blaine was around, I know it."

"Puck, listen, I've told you already, you've made amends. No need to apologize every ten seconds. I... really, thank you, for everything you've done to help me this past year, but this is something that Blaine and I have to deal with on our own."

Puck nodded sadly.

"I know man, it's just... it's so fucking unfair. Rachel gets to bring Sassy along, when they're not even together, and probably won't ever be, and you can't even bring your boyfriend."

"Puck, it's... it's fine, really, we'll have... many more occasions to go there, I know it."

"Yeah, maybe, but, all innuendos aside, wouldn't you've loved to have your first time there with him ?"p>

"We will have our first time there. And it will be just as magical, don't worry."

"I hope it'll be. You two deserve it. After everything you've been through, I'm happy you found each other."

"Noah Puckerman, are you getting all emotional over this ?"

"Shut up !"

Puck playfully punched his shoulder and Chris smiled. He cleared his plate and followed Puck to his car just as Finn joined them down the stairs.

"Seriously, Kurt, I hope this one is okay because I'm not going back up there."

Chris smiled and did a rapid check-up of Finn's clothes, trying his best to look like a professional.

"Yeah, seems... okay. Even if these", he pointed at Finn's shoes, "are hideous, at least they match the rest."

Puck chuckled, hiding his mouth behind his hand. They all said goodbye to Carole and hopped in the car.

The drive to school was uneventful.

However, Chris started to feel the familiar wave of fear that came with going to High School, one he used to have every morning. He was actually going back there.

Not to play a role and act in front of a camera.

For real.

He was going to be teased and mocked.

Again. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

This isn't real. None of this is real. You're still acting as Kurt.

Whatever is going to happen, won't happen to you. You're Kurt now. This is not Clovis.

"You okay man ?", Finn asked, "I've been calling your name like, twice..."

"Uh, yeah, sorry, I'm a little tired. What were you saying ?"

"Did you... did you and Blaine... you know..."

Chris blushed but shook his head.

"N-no."

"But, when I... walked in front of your room yesterday night I heard you ask him if he was going to sleep in your bed and he said yes and -"

"Finn. Sharing a bed doesn't mean having sex."

"... but what did you do then ?"

Chris rolled his eyes.

"None of your business."

"But, Kurt, it's... I don't get it, when I was with Rachel I had to do like, the twenty labors of Herman -"

"It's Hercules, and there were twelve of those..."

"Whatever, I had to do crazy things and be all attentive and things so she's let me make out with her. She didn't even want to have sex."

"... your point being ?"

"Well, if you both want it, why don't you go for it ?"

"Yeah he's right man, you're two dudes. That must basically be the only thing that's on your mind."

Chris felt like hugging them both for not considering the fact that he – well Kurt – was gay change their way of seeing that.

"I'm so not discussing my sex life with you."

"... what else are we supposed to talk about ?", Finn questioned,

"...so there is something to discuss ?", Puck inquired at the same time, raising an eyebrow,

Chris blushed, his discomfort far from being an act.

"Look, can we not talk about this ?"

"Blaine talks about it."

"What ?", Chris shrieked,

"Well, you know, the other day when we were all at you guys' place ? And we were all watching football but you got bored so you left, with the girls ? Well, except Lauren ?"

Chris nodded. Sometimes I wish they used three seasons to cover a year, so that we could see all the little things...

"Well, Mike had a bite mark on his neck so we teased him a little, then we started debating whose girlfriend was the best kisser. And Blaine said something like 'Not sure if I can enter the race but I'm pretty sure Kurt's a better kisser than any of the girls' and then we all argued but he told us about that thing you do with your tongue and then - ouch ! Kurt, I'm driving, don't hit me !"

"If you finish that story I'm going to strangle you. And I will strangle Blaine too."

Finn chuckled awkwardly and smiled at Chris.

"Hey, you're the one who said you wanted to feel included. Well, this is what we talk about when we're together. Also football, but you don't get it so... yeah. We've got something to talk about with you that isn't Glee-related, let us enjoy that for once, bro."

Chris rolled his eyes but gave him a faint smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. And no, Puck, no more details."

Puck sighed and turned left to the school's parking lot, stopping at the only free spot.

"Well, there you go", he said, picking his bag from the back seat, "I'll see you guys later."

Chris exited the car and followed Finn, the fear now mixing up with some form of excitement. He was going to go to McKinley.

Actually go there.

Not on set.

"Wait – Finn ? Where's Puck going ?"

"He said he needed to see someone."

"... someone ? Is he – Finn, is he doing something illegal ?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask."

Chris rolled his eyes opened the door, stopping once he was in the main corridor. It was like a dream. A really vivid one, but still. He smiled as he recognized the faces from a few regular extras, and turned back to Finn.

"Do you think we should ask Figgins to say something about Sam's mum ?"

"Ehm... I don't know... but assembly starts in like, two minutes, so..."

"Yeah. Let's just... yeah let's go."

And thus began the longest hour of Chris' life. Figgins liked to speak. A lot.

And about anything.

The accent stopped being funny after maybe two minutes. Looking around, Chris noticed most of the students had dozed off... at least those who were far enough from Sue Sylvester. Rachel and Finn were chatting quietly next to him, while Mike and Tina were making out on his other side. Mercedes was two rows down, talking to Sam, his right hand clasped tightly between hers. Damn, Kurt really is... lonely, here.

Just as this thought hit him, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, smiling when he saw it was Brittany.

"Hey Kurt, I needed to ask you something."

"Sure Brit, what's up ?"

"Santana's birthday is coming up and I want to make her a dress. But I don't know what kind of dress. Lord Tubbington says she'd look pretty in a princess outfit but I think he just wants to check her out and it makes me jealous because I'm pretty sure she likes him too."

Chris frowned, repressing a smile.

"Well I'm sure we could find something in one of my fashion magazines ? Or maybe we can wait until we're in New York and we can go check out some stores ?"

Brittany's eyes lit up and she smiled widely.

"That's a great idea ! Thanks Kurt, you're the best."

Chris grinned.

"Is Blaine feeling better ?"

"B-better ?"

"Yes, after his accident, he was a little off. And you didn't seem so in love. But now it's better, you smile when I mention him."

Chris blushed. Of course he was smiling, he was thinking about Darren... well. Not that everything was going to stay all happy for long.

"Yes, he's feeling better."

Brittany smiled again and then she got up and went to sit next to Santana – who was holding David Karofsky's hand. Chris frowned at the oddity of the scene. She had made her coming out (which was the reason for the purple patch on her cheek), and everyone knew now.

Why was she still pretending with David ? He was about to ask Rachel about it when his phone buzzed.

Good morning, you ! Blaine told me we're having coffee with Mercedes tonight after school, so I'll meet you there, then we can find a place to switch, at 6. You're doing it twenty minutes after me. And by the way, I missed you when I woke up. Hope you'll have a good day ! Ace that french test ! :) xo -D

Chris blushed and had to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep himself from smiling to widely. No. Don't do it, Chris. Come on. Don't consider this is a sign. It's never a sign. Darren flirts with everyone. And he's very much straight. Stop it. He passed a shaky hand over his tired eyes and quickly typed a reply.

Forgot assembly was so boring... I'm so glad high school is over. I think Sam might join us tonight. And I agree with the twenty minutes delay, good idea. Have a good day, don't annoy Carole too much. xx – C

The answer came in less than a minute later.

Oh please, I'm a joy to be around ! Aren't Sam and Mercedes an item already ? Or was it at the end of New York ? -D

Nothing's official yet... you know how the kids are. But yeah, they're pretty close. -C

Yay ! Double date ! I've never been on a double date before ! -D

Technically we're only pretending, but yay. -C

Buzzkill. :( -D Grow up... -C

That was mean ! Enough with the height jokes ! -D

You took it the wrong way. -C

Right. -D

I promise, I wasn't saying it like that ! -C

Chris stared at the screen for almost a full minute before he started typing again.

You being mad at me doesn't exactly prove your point, you know. -C

I know. :) -D

Chris chuckled and was about to answer again when the bell rang and everyone started to walk to the doors. And that's when he realized he had absolutely no idea where the french classroom was. He followed the mass of students to the lockers, satisfied when he managed to locate Kurt's. Opening it (the combination was the same as the one in his world, 03-15), he shoved most of the content of his bag inside, only keeping his History and French copybooks. He turned around and walked with Rachel for a short second before she turned around and cocked her eyebrow.

"... don't you have French, right now ?"

"Y-yes ?"

"... isn't the classroom upstairs ?"

"It is ! I was just looking for... Mercedes, but oh ! Look a the time ! Too late ! Gotta go !"

He spun on his heels and nearly ran to the staircase. Once he reached the first floor, he realized that Rachel's indications didn't help at all, for the corridor led to eight different classrooms.

And that's when he remembered the last time he's had to speak french on the show – to Azimio, something about the Sound Of Music. Easily locating the jock, he followed him and sighed in relief as he took a seat in the back row. The teacher smiled at him brightly and he returned the gesture.

"Bonjour � tous ! J'esp�re que vous �tes pr�s pour le contr�le ?" (Morning everyone ! I hope you're ready for the test ?)

"Oui, Madame Paul !", the students chorused,

"Tr�s bien. C'est parti alors !" (Very well. Let's do it then !)

She handed the papers to everyone and Chris felt a wave of panic raise from his belly. What if he'd forgotten everything ? Sure, he liked to read and watch movies in french every once in a while but... this was an advanced course. The teacher winked at him as she put the test down in front of him.

"Bonne chance, Kurt. M�me si tu n'en as pas besoin." (Good luck, Kurt. Even if you don't need any.)

Chris smiled awkwardly before looking at the extract he was supposed to study and nearly crying in relief. He'd read Les Mis�rables a hundred times, at least. He looked at the questions and smiled.

Piece of cake.

He was actually done long before everyone else and the teacher picked his paper to grade it. She returned to his table ten minutes later.

"Excellent, comme d'habitude" (Excellent, as usual.)

"Merci beaucoup !"

Chris looked down at the paper and almost bursted into a fit of giggles. A+. I got an A+!

The teacher told him he could go and Chris left the class with his chin high, ignoring the glares that came from the other students. He managed to find his way to the library and sat there while waiting for the bell to ring.

Unable to stop himself, he took out his phone and texted Darren about his grade, feeling quite proud of himself.

As the sun finally made its way through the hole in the curtain and hit Blaine's face, it was a little after nine. Blaine groaned and started to roll over, only to be stopped by Kurt's arms wrapped tightly around him. And Kurt's legs, although it was difficult at this point to say whose legs were wrapped around whose. "Kurt ? You awake ?" No answer. Kurt's breathing was still as even and he hadn't moved a bit.

Blaine smiled and held him closer. Nothing was comparable to the greatness that was waking up to this sight. Kurt. In his arms. It had happened before, but this was the first time they were completely alone. No parents downstairs, no other dorms around... it was like a glimpse or what their life was going to be like in a few years. Well, actually, considering their bodies were older, it was exactly what it would be like in a few years. And Blaine loved it.

Being boyfriends in high school was great. They've been official and all for a while now, and everyone knew about them, at Dalton and at McKinley. But being boyfriends in college, and then after that, when they would start to get jobs and when they would start a 'life' ? It made things a hundred times more real. Of course, Blaine had thought about their future.

Quite a lot actually, ever since Kurt had mentioned going to New York together after their senior year. And after seeing what life was like in a big city, well, he couldn't wait. He kinda wanted to go away with Kurt and live on small jobs for a while, singing in the streets until someone heard them and they'd become stars and all...

Those thoughts made Blaine wonder if becoming a performer was really what he wanted. Kurt was interested in music and acting, but he had also talked once or twice about pursuing a career in the fashion department. Apart from singing and acting, Blaine loved pretty much every single subject at school. Particularly literature and biology.

As a child, before he knew he could sing, he'd always wanted to become a teacher. Up until now, he hadn't realized part of his mind still considered this option a plan B in case things didn't work out. He'd never told Kurt about it. He could see it though, coming back home to Kurt rehearsing or working on outfits... he'd come up to him and kiss him and smile at the rings on their fingers -

Oh. Well that's a new one.

Now he pictured it better. Mr & Mr Hummel-Anderson.

He had something to ask Kurt once they got back home.

"Blaine ?"

"Hey, you !"

Kurt groaned loudly and moved so that his body was completely covering Blaine's.

"I think you're my favorite mattress", he muttered,

"Well, good thing you're my favorite blanket."

They remained silent for a short moment before they started to laugh uncontrollably.

"Oh, my God that was so cheesy..."

"Uhu. Never again."

"Well, maybe once in a while."

"Yeah. When we're drunk."

"That'd give us a good excuse."

"Totally."

Blaine leaned down to kiss Kurt but his lips connected with his boyfriend's hand before he got to do anything.

"Morning breath", Kurt said, shaking his head,

Blaine rolled his eyes and motioned for Kurt to get off of him so he could get up.

"Really, Kurt ? You want me to go brush my teeth ?"

"I'm gonna do it too. And then we can go back to bed and kiss as much as we want. Aaaand we'd better enjoy it because we're going back home in an hour."

Blaine nodded and took Kurt's hand, pulling him along to the bathroom. They brushed their teeth in silence, exchanging amused glances through the mirror. Once they were finished, they raced to the bed, Kurt falling on top of Blaine once again.

"I think I'm actually going to miss this place when we get home."

Kurt propped himself up on his elbows, shooting Blaine a surprised glance.

"Really ?"

"Well, we've got everything here. And I mean, look at Darren and Chris' lives... they're awesome !"

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but... Blaine, we... we have to switch back !"

Blaine frowned at Kurt's panicked expression and sat up a little, leaning against the headboard.

"Kurt, I never said I wanted to stay..."

"What ? Uh, yeah, ha, I know."

"... have you... thought about staying here ?"

"Who, me ? What ? No !"

Kurt rolled off of Blaine and crossed his legs.

"Okay... maybe a little."

"Kurt, no, we can't, this isn't just about us, we're not going to steal Darren and Chris' identities !"

Kurt shook his head and bit his lip.

"I know that, but... he's got everything I want... except you."

"Yes, that's because he earned it, just like you're going to do. Kurt, you're going to be a star some day, we both know it -"

"Blaine, come on, I'm not half as talented as he is, I'm not half as strong as he is. I... I can't..."

"Okay, that's enough. Come with me."

"Blaine, what are you -"

But the black-haired boy was already pulling Kurt along with him and walking to Darren's computer. Bracing himself and praying for Google to spare them the inevitable hate, he quickly typed "kurt hummel".

"Blaine, what are you doing ?", Kurt repeated,

"Look."

Blaine opened a few pages.

It was everywhere.

"Kurt is my favorite character on this show, always will be."
"I love Kurt so much, I just want him to be happy."
"He's going to make it, he's going to make it big because he deserves it so much !"
"Kurt Hummel. How do I begin to explain Kurt Hummel ?"
"Flawless. Just... flawless."
"He can't be real. Seriously, his voice is not human."
"... asdfghjklm hottest man in the entire WORLD"

Kurt blushed at the last one.

"Wait – did a girl write that ?"

Blaine nodded.

"A girl thinks I'm hot ?"

"Oh, and not just one girl, Kurt... Okay, I'm going to do something I'll probably regret, but check this out."

Blaine opened a new page and Kurt leaned closer.

"What's this ? How did they... oh. Oh."

Blaine smiled. Most of the page was filled with pictures, animated or not, from the latest episodes. The majority of the photos were stills of their kiss, even if, according to Chris, the episode had aired over a month before. There were also many posts of people wishing there would be another 'kliss' during 'Born This Way'.

"Are those from Somewhere Only We Know ? Oh my God Blaine you look so sad on this one..."

"Yeah, well that's because I was sad."

Kurt looked down, biting his lips, before returning his gaze to the screen.

"Oh my God that drawing is magnificent ! It really looks like me !"

Blaine kept on grinning as Kurt scrolled down, chuckling.

"This is so weird, it's like... people are stalking me. And damn, they really, really do love us. Do you know if there's any kiss in tonight's episode ?"

"There isn't", Blaine said, "they haven't shown any other than our first yet, and judging from the humongous quantity of graphics, pictures, gifs and videos of that one, I think people liked it."

Blaine didn't want to tell Kurt about the kiss at the airport. Because it would reveal he'd kissed Chris, and the fantasy in the dream had said something that led him to think his boyfriend might be slightly jealous of his alter-ego.

"What do they mean by 'I want one with no cockblocking piano' ?"

"I have no idea", Blaine lied,

"Anyways, I don't get it. We've kissed plenty between our first and the day I went back to McKinley."

"I know. They just didn't include it."

"I guess it must've been too... controversial or something."

"Probably..."

Blaine shrugged.

"It's already big that we kissed on prime time television, though."

"Yeah, I guess. But ehm, the way they were describing it and all – I mean, it was... pretty hot, I must admit, but was it... that hot ?"

"What can I say, we make them good girls go bad."

Kurt snorted and returned his attention to the screen, when he screamed suddenly.

"Oh ugh, Blaine shut it down ! Why am I kissing Puck ? What the Hell ?"

Kurt covered his eyes with his hand as Blaine hastily closed the offending page.

"It's okay, Kurt, it's over now."

"Why would people do that ? WHY DID IT LOOK REAL ?"

"I think I should write another solo. About me."

"Rachel, we agreed on this whole thing being a team work."

Chris sighed. Come on, you survived lunch and the first half of Glee, just forty-five minutes left, brace yourself...

Now he understood why Kurt always looked bored in class. Because his days were definitely... uninteresting.

"Kurt ?"

Chris turned around to see Santana smiling at him from the row behind him.

"Yes ?"

"I talked to Dave about this LGBT Youth meeting in Columbus next July, he said he was going to think about it. Brit and I are going... would you and Blaine like to tag along ? It would mean a lot to us if you did."

Chris' jaw fell and he had to suck in a breath before he could answer.

"Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I... yeah."

Santana smiled and squeezed his shoulder.

"How's your arm ?", he asked, noticing the bruises again,

"I won't be doing push-ups anytime soon, but look – I can stretch it out completely now !"

Chris grinned at her sadly, mentally fighting with himself to stop the tears from falling. He turned around quickly, only to see that Rachel and Mr Schue were not done arguing. He rolled his eyes and shut the irritating noises out as he thought about what Santana had just said.

David accepting to attend a LGBT meeting was an enormous character development. Especially after his reaction at the Prom, and Chris could not believe the writers didn't let it in.

Born This Way was probably going to make people warm up a little to Max' character. Of course, his loyal Kurtsies would be suspicious at first, probably never really forgiving him for what he did, but Prom Queen would help.

Max had been incredible in that scene in the hallway, when he breaks down, and they'd had a very long discussion afterwards. Max had always been very interested in Chris' own high school experience. He had a bunch of gay friends but he'd told Chris they weren't very keen on sharing their stories. Of course, Chris had never told him that, had he been Kurt, he would probably never fully forgive David.

He remembered Max' embarrassed expression after they'd received the script for Never Been Kissed. After dancing around his own foot for a while, he'd finally had the courage to spit out what his problem was.

And Chris had been... surprised. "Chris, I'm so, so sorry to ask you that, but after our scene, you know, with Blaine confronting me – Kurt says it was his-his first kiss... the first that counted. Is... is this... yours too ?" Everyone on set, and probably in the rest of the world knew that Chris was a virgin. He'd been on dates maybe five or six times since the beginning of Glee, but hadn't ever ended up with anything more than a kiss on the cheek (and most of the time it was because he hadn't let his date do more). He'd shaken his head no and Max had nodded, thankful, before walking away, visibly still feeling a little awkward.

"It was Tray Davis, when I was in 10th grade", he'd called after him, and Max had turned around with a bright smile on his face, walking back to him. Chris had explained how Tray, who was a senior, had kissed him at a party -the first and only one Chris had attended in high school- after they'd been talking about music and discovered a shared passion for Kristin Chenoweth."He broke my heart", Chris had revealed, "the first day of school after the party, I went to talk to him and he said that it had happened 'in the heat of the moment' but that it didn't mean anything and he wasn't interested in dating anyone. Two weeks later he ran away with his little brother's geometry teacher."

Chris was brought out of his daydream when he heard Mercedes' loud voice pierce through the never-ending rumble of Mr Schue and Rachel's somewhat quieter ones.

"... oh Hell to the no Rachel !"

"Hear me out, I just want to say -"

"If you say anything else I will strangle you with that hideous fake collar you're sporting. I'd be killing two birds with one stone."

Everyone but Rachel laughed at Chris' outburst, Lauren giggling so hard she almost fell off her chair.

"Thank you", Puck said, turning around, "We were never going to hear the end of it."

Chris smiled.

"Okay, okay everyone calm down", Will said, "how about a brainstorming, uh ?"

"Wouldn't that hurt ? Because once my cousin put a vacuum next to his ear and I'm pretty sure it sucked his brain out."

Everyone turned to Brittany, who was nodding frenetically.

"It's a hundred percent true."

Santana took her hand and squeezed it with a comforting smile. Will blinked a few times before picking a pen and approaching the whiteboard.

"Alright, guys. Ideas ?"

Chris was surprised when none of what the Glee Clubbers were saying matched the lyrics and music of Light Up The World. True, the song was not supposed to be written before they actually arrived in New York, but still...

"How about something a little more... energetic ?", he suggested, "I mean, Loser Like Me worked great because of that, I think we should try and get people to, like, wanna get up and dance, right ?"

"That's a great idea, Kurt !", Will said, sounding surprised,

Finn grinned at him, visibly liking the idea.

Every proposition that came after that seemed to bring them closer and closer to the actual lyrics and Chris patted himself in the back – he'd just given them their song. Sort of. Soon five o'clock rolled around and everyone left the choir room chatting happily about what clothes they had packed and how excited they were for the Big Apple.

Chris followed Mercedes and Sam to the parking lot. He had had a heartfelt conversation with Sam during algebra in the morning. It was like the blond boy hadn't realized what had happened yet. He'd told Chris he still expected his mother to be here when he'd be home, that he'd spent an hour thinking about what he was going to bring her back from New York, before remembering. "It's like my mind is postponing the pain by trying to make me believe it never happened."

They had almost reached Sam's old Chevy when Darren parked right in front of them in Kurt's Navigator.

"Fancy a ride, handsome ?", he asked Chris, who blushed,

"S-sure."

"Actually, Mercedes, if you could go with them – I'll join you guys right away but I need to pick up a few things at my mom's workplace and bring them home."

"Oh, you... you're sure you don't want me to come with you ?", Mercedes asked, concerned,

"Nah, it's okay, I promise. I'll be real quick okay ?"

He kissed her temple and threw his bag on the backseat before hoping in his car. Chris squeezed Mercedes' shoulder before taking the passenger seat.

Truth be told – he was glad he wasn't alone with Darren. He was far from ready for the conversation that was sure to come. It was only natural – who would like to have their heart broken ?

"Kurt, come on, I'm sure Chris won't mind if you haven't taken a shower..."

"Well I'm sorry but I'm not an aspiring hippie, Blaine, contrary to you and Darren, so I'm going to take a shower because it's 9:40."

"Kuuuurt...", he pleaded,

"No. No, no, no, not the puppy eyes, I'm not looking at you ! Go away ! Blaine Thomas Anderson, go away from me right now !"

Kurt ran from the bedroom to the bathroom and locked the door before Blaine had the chance to catch him. The black-haired boy leaned against the wall before slumping to the floor. He ran his fingers through his hair, actually appreciating the fact that he could do that without getting his hands all sticky.

He took in a deep breath, his entire body shaking as he exhaled. I can do it. I can come close to death, I've done it before. The problem was that 'before', he had a goal. Going back to Kurt.

But now Kurt was there. No, stop it. You have friends who like you. Parents who... are alive. A great life ahead of you. You can do this. He rubbed his fingers on his temple and repeated his pep talk, like a mantra, until he felt two soft hands take hold of his wrists.

"Blaine, calm down."

He looked up. Kurt was smiling at him.

"It's okay, Blaine, it'll be over soon. We'll be back home and everything will go back to normal, I promise."

Blaine nodded, unable to form coherent words.

"Come on, get up. It's due in five minutes."

Blaine's heart stuttered and he shook his head.

"I can't do it. I can't do it."

"Blaine, listen to me, it's okay... I'll tell you what's gonna happen, all right ?"

Blaine nodded again as he let Kurt pull him to the bedroom and settle them on the covers.

"You are going to stop breathing. Without any oxygen, you body will shut down. You will faint. Normally, after a few seconds, you will breathe again, automatically, and wake up within the next minutes. It's like... like forcing yourself to sleep."

"You've... done this before ?"

"I've tried. When... when my mother died. I couldn't sleep. And I'd seen a documentary about kids who threw tantrums and pretended to stop breathing – the host said that nothing too... severe would happen. At worst, if you're really tired, you'll stay... asleep. That's what I wanted. To sleep. I never managed to hold my breath long enough. I got lightheaded, but nothing more."

Blaine took Kurt's hand and brought it up as he leaned down, kissing his palm.

"I... I will d-do it. What time is it ?"

"9:57."

Darren's mind was racing. Was it possible that Chris liked him back ? Were Kurt and Blaine right ? He didn't want to ruin their friendship by revealing his feelings but at the same time, he knew Chris would never initiate anything. Darren had to be sure, though.

He looked around the Lima Bean, appreciating the reality of the place. They'd been sitting here with Mercedes and Sam for nearly forty minutes and it would soon be time for them to go.

They had decided on doing it in the park that was just five minutes away but held enough "private" areas that no one would come and question their behavior. The ride from McKinley to the caf� had been... awkward. He could tell Chris was trying to be close to him, as Kurt, but at the same time setting some kind of distance between them, like he was holding something back.

Even right now, as their hands laid intertwined on the table, their fingers fitting so perfectly, it felt... different. Fake. Hadn't he understood ?

"... and that's when she said that Jesse was the only one to appreciate her for who she really is. Can you believe it ?"

Chris rolled him eyes and shook his head.

"This is getting out of control. Seriously, we need to do something."

"Finn seems keen on having her back", Sam said, "but ehm, I think he's afraid Quinn will get mad at him and leave Glee Club."

"She won't", Mercedes interjected, "Trust me, we're far too important for her to get away from us like that. She'll bear, she... she seems to be getting a little better. Santana said she was going to take her out for a little reunion of the Unholy Trinity when we're in New York."

Darren chuckled and caught Sam watching Mercedes with an expression of intense amazement.

"I really like you hair like that", he said,

"T-thank you", she mumbled, blushing,

Chris smiled at them, and Darren knew at that moment that something really was bothering Chris, because this one was one of his favorite smile. This wasn't Kurt's smile. Kurt's smiles didn't make his heart beat faster.

"My God, Blaine", Mercedes chuckled, "you have never looked more like a lovesick puppy than you do right now."

Darren blinked and tore his gaze away from Chris, who had turned towards him, eyebrow raised in confusion. Sam and Mercedes smiled at their exchange before turning to each other.

"If you still wanna go see Scream 4 we could catch the 6pm showing ?", Mercedes suggested,

"Sure thing", Sam answered, nodding, "You guys wanna tag along ?"

"No thanks, we've gotta go back to my place, my dad is expecting us", Chris said, "and I've got to pack all my things."

Mercedes nodded.

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure you do not want to hear Sam going on and on about how pretty Emma Roberts is..."

"Hey come on, I only said it once, you're the one who's bringing it up all the time."

"Yeah sure, whatever you say..."

Sam rolled his eyes and got up, offering his arm to Mercedes. They said their goodbyes to Chris and Darren and walked away.

"I just wanna shout 'get together already !' but I have the feeling something's gonna go down during that movie, and I am not talking about Courteney Cox' pants."

Chris giggled and Darren almost let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Chris", he began, "I -"

"Let's go ! We don't wanna be late !", the brunet interrupted him,

Darren's jaw fell as he watched Chris get up and walk towards the door. Oh. Okay.

The car ride to the park only took them around two minutes but to Darren it felt like a year. What had just happened ?

He's either avoiding the discussion because he doesn't return my feelings and doesn't want to mess it up, or because he actually does like me but... believes I don't. Darren wasn't sure which one was worse, actually, but he knew, knowing Chris, that the second was more likely.

They walked silently through the small hills until they reached the brick wall that marked the limit of the park. Chris checked his watch and announced "5:53" before sitting down against the trunk of a nearby tree.

"Ehm, so, I learned something new today", Darren began, "Carole suspects something. I think she might've seen Kurt's back." Chris looked up from the fallen leaf he was blankly staring at.

"Really ?"

"Yes, she... she asked if anything more than the Prom Queen incident had happened, and I said 'Not that I know of'... because it's the truth."

"Are you absolutely sure Blaine doesn't know ?"

"You think he'd have stood idly by ?"

"What would you want him to do ?"

"Tell Burt, probably. Or Finn. No, more like, tell Puck to watch out for Kurt."

"He probably already has."

"Yes. Well actually, I can really see Kurt hiding this from him. In that scene at the Lima Bean with Tina, Mercedes and Santana, Blaine said 'Kurt needs to be safe' and that's the only way he's sort of okay with him going back."

"What do you mean 'sort of' okay ?"

"He's happy that Kurt's happy, but he must miss him terribly. I mean, they're not just boyfriends, Chris, they're also each other's best friend..."

"Yeah, you're right."

Don't smile at me like that, Chris. I'll have you know it takes my breath away.

It was amazing how much he did not look like Kurt at all at this instant. If it wasn't for his slightly rounder face, Darren would've believed they were back home already.

"What time is it ?", he asked,

"5:59."

Darren let out a shaky breath, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans.

"Darren ? Are you okay ?"

"Okay ? Y-yeah I'm fine, I'm gonna stop breathing in three minutes but I'm perfectly fine."

Chris got up and walked closer to him.

"Nothing bad is going to happen. Your brain will shut down for a short second and you will just... faint. And hopefully when you wake up, you'll be back home."

Darren nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess."

"Why don't you lay down and just... breathe in and out, calmly, just a few times ?"

Darren did as Chris suggested, the short grass caressing his cheeks as he let his head fell to the side.

"You can sing a song in your head, okay ? Whatever you want."

"Can you sing it to me instead ? So I can concentrate on something else ?"

"S-sure."

"What time is it ?"

"6:01... and thirty seconds."

"O-okay. Can you, ehm... sing anything... soothing ?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess. Yeah."

"Is it time ?"

"Yes, it is."

Darren took in a big breath before letting it out, and blocking everything. He concentrated on keeping his lungs shut as Chris started to sing.

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again...

"Kurt ?"

"Yes ?"

"I... I'll see you on the other side."

"Blaine, I -"

"Shh ! It's going to work, okay ? It has to."

Kurt nodded and Blaine caressed his cheek slowly.

"Have I told you today that you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen ?"

Kurt chuckled and smiled.

"No, not in the last thirty minutes."

"Well, you do. What time is it ?"

"9:59."

"Oh."

Blaine took in a deep breath, letting it out one slow blow at a time. He shut his eyes after looking at Kurt one last time. He almost let in a breath accidentally when Kurt started humming in his ear. He smiled and raised his hand, tapping his fingers against his thumb to make Kurt understand he'd like it better if he was singing the words out loud. The brunet seemed to get it and continued the song where he'd left it.

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp

Blaine unconsciously started to count the seconds in his head, as his heartbeat accelerated, trying to send as much oxygen as he could to his body. He had reached thirty seconds when his lungs started to burn.

People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share

Darren could feel his heart starting to beat faster and faster as his head started spinning.

...1'15", 1'16", 1'17"...

And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

Blaine's entire body was aching, from his legs to his stomach, and his brain seemed to be willing to pop out of his ears. He could feel the blood rushing through his system at an alarming rate.

He bit his lip and gripped the sheets, trying to keep his mouth shut.

…1'31", 1'32", 1'33"...

But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence

Darren knew he was close. He could barely feel anything other that the pain in his lungs and his head spinning. Chris' voice seemed no louder than a whisper.

...1'53", 1'54", 1'55"...

And then he lost count.

And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming

Blaine tightened his grip on the blanket, biting his lips harder. He could feel himself going. It hurt so much that it became unbearable, this was so much more painful than any kick he'd ever received, than any blow he'd ever taken.

...2'03", 2'04", 2'05"...

He lost control of his own body as his mouth opened against his will and he let the air in, his insides burning with relief.

"No !", he cried out, "No, no, no !"

He opened his eyes, tears rolling out as Kurt gripped him by his shoulders.

"Blaine ? Blaine ! It's okay, it's okay !"

"No ! Kurt ! I screwed it up ! I screwed it all up ! NO, NO, NO ! I have to, I have to try again !"

"No, Blaine, you can't, it's too late !"

"Kurt, please, force me, do something, use a pillow, anything, we have to go back !"

"BLAINE ! SHUT UP !"

The darkness seemed to lessen as Darren regained control of his body. He could hear something. Something nice. It sounded great. But what was it ? It was repeating something.

A name ? Yes, it seemed like a name. It wasn't his name, though. But it... sounded like it, in a way. The voice should be saying his name, not that one. That one name should come from someone else's mouth, not this someone. What was the name ?

"Blaine ? Blaine, is this you ? Wake up, please... Blaine ?"

'Wake up ?' But he already was awake. Oh, opening his eyes would be a great idea.

He forced himself out of his sleepy haze and reality hit him hard in the face as he felt the grass underneath his fingers.

"No... no, this is impossible..."

"... Darren ?", Chris asked, sounding surprised,

"... yes."

"Oh my God, but what happened ?"

"Have you been crying ?"

"I... I thought I lost you, I'm... but you... what happened ?"

"I honestly don't know. I'm pretty sure I could... feel the other world super close to me for a moment, but then I was in the darkness again and... I woke up here..."

Chris helped Darren up, supporting him.

"It's 6:20, I should -"

"No, no it's... it's too late. Kurt won't do it."

"W-what do you mean ?"

"I... I think Blaine didn't manage..."

"But you said you felt..."

"Yes, but he... he must've... breathed."

Chris opened his mouth but closed it again immediately.

"What are we going to do ?", Darren asked, "We – we need to talk to them. We need to find something else, Chris, we have to go back..."

"I know, I know, we... we have to... we have to talk to them in our sleep again, but the plane is leaving in the morning, tomorrow, so we can't – we can't sleep for too long, we have to figure something out..."

"We have to go with... everything. You have to go to New York and I'll... go to Dalton. We'll wait until you come back, it's... it's going to be okay."

"Not for them. Darren, they can't – no, I don't want them to be spoiled, I don't want Kurt to know about getting to sing on that stage, it'll ruin everything, I can't..."

Darren took Chris' hand and pulled him closer to him, holding him tightly.

"Shhh, it's okay. We're going to make it, you hear me ? I promise."

"W-what is that sound ?"

"It... it's coming from your coat -"

Chris let go of Darren and picked up the jacket he'd left by the tree, taking the phone out of the pocket.

"It's Burt", he said, before bringing the device to his ear, "Hello ? … We're just walking around the park, you know, the one near - … yes, yes of course, I'm sorry, we were talking, we lost track of the time and - … okay. We'll be back in twenty. Bye, dad."

Chris stared at the cellphone for a few seconds before turning to Darren.

"We have to go back. Burt says I need to pack my clothes and Carole needs help making dinner."

Darren nodded and they walked back to the car in the loudest silence he'd ever heard.

It took Kurt over half an hour to manage to calm Blaine down completely.

Well, half an hour, and a kiss. Blaine was sitting at the kitchen's table, staring at the coffee pot with a devastated expression.

"What are we going to do ?"

"Blaine, you know what. I have to go to New York and you have to go to Chicago. Then in a week, when we'll be back here, we can try to contact them again."

"Why not reach them in our sleep tonight ? Oh my God, they're going to hate me."

"No they're not, I told you, Blaine, this isn't your fault. You can't go against human nature."

Blaine nodded, not convinced the least, but Kurt didn't need to know that.

"We have to go to bed early then."

"Yes. At least at nine or something."

"Nine... makes it five for them. Should be right."

"I guess. I'm... I'm going to go take a shower."

"Blaine -"

"No, Kurt, please, I... I need to be alone right now."

He gave the brunet a soft peck on the lips on his way to the bathroom. He quickly stripped off his clothes and entered the shower stall. The hot stream was like a rebirth, burning his skin in a much more enjoyable way than not breathing had done. He hadn't realized he'd spent so long under the water until Kurt knocked on the door.

"Blaine ? Are you okay ? You've been there for over an hour, please, come out, don't... don't beat yourself up..."

Blaine turned off the faucet and walked out, drying himself hastily. He put his clothes back on and opened the door, receiving an armful of Kurt as he did so.

"Kurt ?"

"Mmmh ?"

"No, nothing, it's... it's okay."

He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist and held him tight. They stood there for what seemed like eternity until Blaine's stomach grumbled. Kurt chuckled and pulled away, walking to the fridge.

"There's some pizza left, I guess we could put it in the microwave ?"

"... who are you and where's my boyfriend ?"

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"I'm not eating any, there're some vegetables too. But I guess you need some pizza right now. And it's not your body so, you're allowed to have some."

"... now that's more like it."

They both laughed as Kurt took out the pizza and vegetables. He busied himself with the preparation of his own lunch as the microwave took care of Blaine's.

"I should probably try to learn the lyrics of Darren's songs... I can be excused from playing the guitar, I guess, with my cast and all..."

Kurt nodded as he cut a tomato in half.

"I can help you practice if you want ?"

"Kurt, you know how it ends when we 'practice' together..."

Kurt blushed and Blaine smiled as he got up and picked a folder from under the desk as well as Darren's computer. He sat back at the table and smiled as he noticed how much like his dream of their future the whole scenery was. Kurt cooking in his underwear, as he, not dressed with much more, was working. That reminded him that he had to pay a visit to that small jewelry shop in Westerville to find the best promise ring they had.

Would Kurt think it was too cheesy ? Would he laugh at him ?

He'd never been the best at grand romantic gestures and he hoped this one wouldn't be ridiculous, especially considering nothing ever went according to plan... well, except for that one time he'd revealed his feelings to Kurt and things went much better than expected. Probably because he hadn't planned anything. He shook his head, launching iTunes, as he opened the folder and took out a few sheets.

"Well he sure loves Disney songs..."

Kurt chuckled.

"Yeah, you two have that in common."

"That'll make it easier. Oh hey, seems like he sings Teenage Dream too !"

As if on cue, a phone rang in the living room.

"Darren's or Chris' ?"

"I left Chris' in the bedroom, must be Darren's..."

Blaine got up and picked the phone from where he'd left it on the couch.

"Who is it ?", Kurt asked,

"Katy... with three 'y's."

"Pick up, could be important."

"Hello ?"

"Hey Darren ! I'm not bothering you, am I ?"

Blaine's jaw fell. Could it be ..? Was it ..?

"Wha- no, I, no it's fine I... wasn't... doing anything... Hi ! Katy. How... how are... you ?"

"Are you drunk or did I wake you up ?"

"... ah... ah... it's... little bit of both, I guess ..."

"Well, that's good. I've got news about Last Friday Night – you know how I planned on having many many special guests ?"

Blaine took a deep shaky breath, ignoring the looks Kurt was giving him. He knew his cheeks must be redder than they'd ever been before and he was this close to hyperventilating.

"Y-yeah ?"

"Well if you're still up for a cameo, I called Kevin and he said he'd be okay to play the freaky nerd in love with Kathy..."

Wait, what ?

"Kevin... who ?"

"McHale !"

Blaine frowned. He knew that name. Kevin McHale. Who was he ?

"Oh yeah, right ! Oh, that's, ehm, super cool ! When ehm... do you want to... you know, shoot ?"

Please say next week, please say next week...

"Well that's why I called. I got Kenny G too..."

"Wow ! That's... that's... fucking awesome !"

He ignored Kurt's raised eyebrow at the fact that he'd just cursed.

"And Rebecca Black too... 'cause, you know, Friday and all. Anyways, I know you won't be done filming for Glee before the next two weeks – so I was thinking, since we're almost done with the few teasers, you know, with just Kathy, we can shoot all the things you're not in and then wrap with your scenes ?"

"Uh, sure, yeah, totally !"

"Are you okay, Darren ? You seem... out of breath..."

"What ? Oh, that, I actually just came back from... a run."

"A run ? So early ? Hungover ?"

"Oh not... as in running, I meant, I went to the store."

"Sure..."

"Wait, how do you know I'm... hungover ?"

"Kevin told me about last night. I also know you didn't come home alone..."

Blaine's tongue felt heavier than lead. This is the end of everything. Even Katy Freaking Perry wants them together.

"Darren ?"

"Uh, yeah, I mean, no, I didn't come home... alone. But don't... make it all up in your head. Nothing happened. We basically just shared a cab."

"Yeah, right. You'll tell me all about it in two weeks... I'll have Mike forward your part of the script."

Blaine nodded before remembering he was having a conversation on the phone and not face to face – with KATY PERRY, sure, but still on the phone.

"Yes. Yes, do... that. Uh."

"Okay, have a good day... take care of yourself, okay ?"

"Totally. I will. Have a... a good day too."

"Thanks Darren, bye !"

"Oh and Katy ?"

"Yes ?"

"You're awesome."

He heard her laugh before hanging up. He slowly let the phone down on the table before looking up at Kurt, who was staring back at him expectantly.

"What the Hell was that, Blaine ? Do you want everyone to know you're not Darren ?"

"K-K-Kurt..."

"What ? Blaine ? Blaine, are you all right ?"

"I... I just made a fool of... myself..."

"... I noticed. Who was it ?"

"It, it... her."

"No, really ?", Kurt asked, voice heavy with sarcasm, "It was her ?"

Blaine tilted his head to the side in incomprehension.

"Katy Perry", he finally blurted out, "It was... Katy Perry."

Kurt let the carrot he was peeling slip out of his fingers.

"WHAT ?", he shrieked, "But why ?"

"Y-you know Last Friday Night ?"

"Yeah, you put it on repeat the other day..."

"Darren's starring in the music video..."

"Oh my God ! Really ? But wait – in our world... who's gonna do it ?"

"On her fansite it said Russell was rumored to make an appearance, but she didn't mention him to me on the phone. Although Rebecca Black is in it, apparently."

"... you've got to be kidding me..."

"Well, Friday and all... wait, you think it's going to be her too ? In our world ?"

"I suppose, she exists there too... unfortunately."

"I HAVE A SCOOP THEN. I WILL EARN SO MANY KATY POINTS ON THE WEBSITE !"

"... why did I accept to be your boyfriend ?"

"Because I've got the sexiest swag. You said so the other day."

"I was drunk."

"Still counts."

Darren fidgeted with his seatbelt on the drive back to Kurt's house. He had finally gathered all the courage he needed to finally speak but as he opened his mouth, Chris turned the radio up and continued to stare at the road in front of him. This would have to wait... Chris parked the car behind Finn's truck and got out before Darren had even had the time to pick his jacket from the backseat.

"Oh that's nice Chris, ignore me, go ahead..."

He shook his head and got out of the car. Chris had to pack Kurt's clothes, there was no way he'd manage to pretend he didn't exist or get away from him.

What game are you playing ? Didn't you hear the fantasy ? Well, this whole "I like you, you like me, let's get together" was not as easy as it sounded. They were two celebrities, for starters, but most of all, and Darren hated that it mattered so much, they were two men, one of which the world believed to be straight. He opened the front door and hung his jacket, heading for the stairs.

"Hey Blaine, Kurt said you were okay to help me make dinner while he packed his clothes ?"

"... sure."

You're evil, Chris. Evil. He followed Carole to the kitchen and did as instructed, exchanging a few words, mostly talking about books – discovering he shared with her a deep passion for Jack Kerouac. Chris still hadn't come back downstairs at all by the time they were done cooking.

"You should go get Kurt and tell him everything's ready, I'm sure he must be in the middle of a hat crisis or something equally dramatic."

Darren smiled and walked up the stairs, stopping in front of Kurt's room. He knocked, not knowing whose name he ought to say.

"Who is it ?", Chris asked,

"Me", he answered, reaching to open the door, "Can I come in ?"

The door was opened before he'd had the chance to finish his sentence but Chris had walked back to the suitcases immediately, deliberately avoiding his eyes.

"Dinner's ready... if you want to."

"Yeah sure, I'm almost done."

He looked up for a second and Darren felt his heart miss a beat. He'd been crying. Not too much, but two thin trails could be seen on his cheeks. Why would he cry ? Does this mean he really doesn't believe I return his feelings ?

"Chris, can I -"

"I'm starving, let's go downstairs !"

The brunet rushed through the room but Darren caught his arm.

"No, wait, I need -"

"Darren, can you please not do this now ? I don't – I don't wanna be a mess in front of them or they'll know something's up."

And with that he freed himself and hurried away, leaving Darren alone.

So he really thinks I don't... like him ?

Well, he was going to prove him wrong. He made his way back to the living-room and took his seat next to Chris, smiling at him. Chris looked away immediately, grabbing the water bottle. Finn was chatting excitedly about every movie that had been shot in New York City and everything they were going to see, and Chris joined in every once in a while to add a few bits of information.

If Finn, Burt and Carole had been more attentive, they would've noticed the drastic change in Chris' posture every time he looked back to his plate. Darren reached out and took Chris' hand under the table. Luckily the other man didn't take it back, allowing Darren's fingers to be wrapped around his. But he did not look at him. Darren started drawing small circles on Chris' hand with the tip of his thumb, noticing with a smile the blush that crept up the taller man's neck. Once dinner was over, everyone got up and helped put everything in the dishwasher.

When they were done, Burt announced he was going to watch the game and invited Finn and Darren to join him. Darren had no other choice but to accept, since the Buckeyes were playing. He did his best to look excited as he sat down on the couch.

"Kurt ?", Burt asked, "Are you 'joining us' ?"

Finn snickered.

"Come on Burt, he doesn't want to distract Blaine..."

Burt shot his step-son a warning glance.

"No it's fine, I'm exhausted and I know I won't sleep on the plane tomorrow. I'll just go to bed. Good night !"

He waved at Burt and Finn before walking up to Darren and kissing his temple briefly, his lips lingering there for the shortest moment. Darren looked at him with a hopeful expression, only to notice the sad smile was back again.

"G'night Kurt", he said, his voice barely audible,

Chris walked away and all Darren could do was look at the screen. He worked on automatic mode, cheering when Finn did – apparently Burt supported the other team – and shouting "Dammit !" at the appropriate time. His mind was racing. How could he possibly make Chris understand ? Tell him "I love you" just like that, out of the blue ?

No. He wouldn't like that. As Darren tried to remember every single love declaration he'd ever read about or seen, the game ended with the Buckeye winning, and he got up and jumped... a few seconds too late. Finn and him apologized to Burt, who looked as defeated as his team. He shook his head and turned off the TV, walking away.

"Good night boys, don't forget to wake up in the morning."

"'night, Burt", they chorused,

Finn waited for Burt to have reached his bedroom and he sat back down on the couch, reaching for the remote.

"Wanna watch a movie with me ?", Finn asked, "I'm far too excited to sleep !"

"Ehm, no, actually I'm just going to... go to bed. Kurt is probably waiting for me so..."

"Oh, right. Well then, I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Sure."

He turned around and walked to the bedroom, where he found Chris fast asleep, curled in a ball on one side of the bed. Darren took off his trousers and t-shirt, closing the door. Only then did he notice Chris had prepared the sofa bed for him. He sighed and laid down, pulling the covers up to his chin.

He was going to join Chris, as well as Kurt and Blaine, in a dream, and if he had to talk to him in front of their characters - then so be it.

"I really liked this one", Kurt said, "and I liked Stutter too."

"Thank you", Blaine answered, "I like them too."

He was just done learning Sophomore and his head hurt. He looked at the clock, only to notice it was already after 9pm.

"Oh jeez, look at the time – we should probably eat something."

Kurt looked up from the book he was reading – the third of the afternoon – and nodded.

"We should go to bed, too, if we wanna talk to Chris and Darren... I'll make us some sandwiches."

Blaine turned the computer off and threw himself on the couch, reaching for the remote. He went through the different channels for a few minutes and nearly fell on the ground when he saw what was on.

"Kurt ! Kurt, come here !"

"What, what is it ?"

"Come on, Kurt !"

Blaine jumped on the sofa excitedly as Kurt arrived with two sandwiches on a plate.

"What ?"

"Look !"

"What is.. oh, no !"

Kurt chuckled and sat down.

"What are they talking about ?", Blaine asked, gesturing towards Puck and Rachel on the screen,

"Rach' almost got a nose job... Puck had to make me prepare a Barbravention. You know, the Duck Sauce flash mob at the mall ?"

"Oooh, that... right, I'd forgotten."

Kurt settled next to Blaine and handed him his sandwich.

"Thank you !"

"Well my fellow Glee Clubbers, it's noon, which means... it's official !"

Kurt's eyes widened.

"Oh, no, Blaine it's -"

"What ?"

"My transfer", Kurt said, at the same time as... himself, "look..."

"Ooooh !"

Blaine pouted. They watched Kurt hug the girls and tell everyone they should get ready for Nationals.

"That jacket really does look super good on you", Blaine noted, "and I dig the hat !"

Kurt chuckled.

"Oh hey, it's us !"

"... I'm sad to see you go but we all know this is something that you really want..."

"This is so weird. I feel weird."

Kurt nodded, not saying a word.

"Oh God, I was trying so hard not to cry, I don't know how I held it in until the end of the - Kurt ?"

"Mmh."

"Kurt..?"

Blaine turned around as Somewhere Only We Know began. Kurt was hiding his face in his pillow and Blaine got the hint, quickly turning off the TV.

"Are you okay ?"

It took the other boy over a minute to finally look up.

"Uhu. Just. You know. I mean, you... you sang this to me in front of the whole school even though you knew how they'd react and, and they didn't even attack us or anything and I just... love this song so much too. And also I miss you."

Blaine smiled and took Kurt's half-eaten sandwich from his hand.

"Okay, time to go to bed."

"But I wasn't -"

"Ttttt, bed. We're both exhausted and we need to go to bed, now."

Kurt kissed the tip of Blaine's nose as he got up and took the almost finished sandwiches to the kitchen, putting them in the fridge.

Blaine turned off most of the lights and finally sat down on the bed, taking a deep breath.

Now seemed like the right moment.

The expression on Kurt's face as he walked in the room and found Blaine down on one knee in front of him was certainly the most adorable thing in the world.

"Blaine, what are you -"

"Kurt. I, ehm... I probably should've waited until we came back home... but I really don't want to wait any longer. I'll, uh, get you a ring when we get there but right now it doesn't matter."

He took Kurt's hand in his.

"Blaine -"

"No, wait, let me say this. I know we're young, I know things won't be easy, but I want to be with you for as long as you allow me to be. Preferably forever. I... Kurt, you're everything to me, and I honestly don't know where I'd be today if it wasn't for you. Y-you saved me, I know it. And I... I love you. I love you so much, more than I've ever loved anyone, and more than I ever will. I... if I had a ring, I would say this is my way to show you that, but unfortunately, I don't have one because we're not... we're not in our worlds, but Kurt, that made me see... I... I want this. I want to live with you and I want to wake up next to you every morning and I want us to grow together in a place where people accept us for who we are. I wanna make you happy. I will probably always suck at romance and make mistakes along the way, but I would like you to keep teaching me how it works, because I want to make everything right for you and -"

"Oh my God, Blaine, shut up, just, oh my God, get up, come here..."

He pulled him up and threw his arm around his neck.

"Yes, of course, I want this too, it's... I love you so much..."

Blaine let out a sigh of relief and their eyes locked for a moment before a nervous giggle escaped their lips at the same time. They smiled and tilted their heads to the side slowly, finally meeting for a kiss.

This kiss was the reason that later led Kurt to tell Finn, that if he thought what he'd had with Rachel was "the kiss of the century", he was so wrong it was almost funny. They unconsciously fell on the bed, arms and legs tangled around the other without ever letting go of their lips.

The rest of the world was dead to them.

Darren couldn't sleep. As soon as he'd closed his eyes, the only thing he could hear was Chris' slow breathing coming from the bed and all he could think of was how much he wanted to be there and be able to hold him. But he didn't want to push things. So he waited, singing in his head. He stared at the ceiling for over an hour before he started to count the seconds, thanks to the excruciatingly slow ticking of the clock.

He'd reached 15,103 when he heard a soft whimper coming from the bed.

Then another, that resembled more a cry of pain. He was by Chris' side in less than a millisecond, hands on the younger man's shoulders.

"Chris ? Chris wake up, everything's okay."

He ran his fingers through Chris' hair and whispered his name over and over until he finally stopped moving and opened his eyes.

"D-Darren ?"

"It's okay, it was just a nightmare, you're fine, I promise."

Chris nodded shakily, sitting up. Darren gently wrapped his arms around his shoulders and hugged him close.

"What was it this time ?", he asked,

"Nothing precise. Just... me. Falling. Calling out but... no one heard. Pretty much like the ones in February."

Darren nodded and pulled away.

"But it's fine now, okay ? I'm staying here with you, you should go back to sleep. Did you... did you see Kurt ?"

Chris shook his head, looking at the clock.

"It's too early. And I'm fine, you can go back to the couch."

He freed himself from Darren's hands and laid down on his side, his back to the other man.

"I'm staying here."

"It's fine Darren, I'll understand if this is awkward to you."

"Awkward ?"

"Oh, come on, don't make me say it, you know what I mean..."

"Chris, you're wrong, I -"

The brunet sat up before Darren had the chance to finish his sentence.

"No ! Don't, please – I know what you're gonna say. That it doesn't change anything, that we can still be friends, but I... I can't okay ? I can't... deal with your flirtiness all the time and the way you look at me sometimes, the way you talk like there could be something more, but there won't ever be because you're straight and as much as I sound like one, I will never be a girl and -"

He was interrupted by Darren's hand on his mouth.

"Will you just stop for a second ? Didn't you hear what my mind said ? I-I like it when you wear my clothes. Chris, I'm not – you know I'm not into labels and dammit, of course I have feelings for you, have you seen yourself ? You're the single most greatest person in the entire world and I'd be crazy not to notice it. I've... I've always... ever since we first met, it's... I didn't want to believe it at first, I thought it was... just character bleed or whatever, but it's not, I... this is the real reason why Mia broke up with me. Because I can't stop thinking about you and I ignored her and it was driving her crazy. I... was a jerk to her. Until this – this curse, whatever it was, I never would've dreamed that maybe, just maybe you felt the same but now I know, and..."

"... no. Stop it, Darren, you're lying to yourself. You don't... the only thing you feel is... a very strong friendship, that's all, you can't have romantic feelings for me, you're not attracted to me, it's -"

"Didn't you listen to me just now ? I've never... I've never felt so strongly about anyone before you. This... this is the first time I've felt like this about another man, that's right, but it doesn't make my feelings any less real."

Darren reached out and took Chris' hand, hating the look of utter disbelief that was plastered on his perfect face.

"As for physical attraction – it would probably be easier for me to concentrate if our job didn't require you wearing skin tight pants all the time. It's not... it's not just that though, it's so much more, I – whenever I'm with you I just want to hold your hand, put my arm around your shoulders, anything to feel you close to me, it's... you have no idea how hard it is for me to resist kissing you, it's... damn, it got so much harder once I actually got to try... in character, sure, but still... Please, don't... don't tell me what I'm feeling for you isn't real because I know it is, okay ? I... fuck, I love you..."

Chris' eyes widened in surprise and a soft blush formed on his cheeks.

"Darren, I...", he smiled, "I love you too..."

Chris took his hand back to put it on Darren's cheek.

"... your eyes really are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen", he said,

"Funny, I could say the same thing about yours."

They chuckled, smiles widening. Infinitely slowly, they leaned closer to each other until their lips were less that two inches apart.

"I really want to kiss you, if that's okay", Chris said,

"Oh, it's okay, I really want you to kiss me too..."

He cupped the side of Chris face and brought their mouths together.

People lie about the fireworks thing. Well, in the sense that you don't really see any... it's more like your body tries to turn into one. It starts in your heart and spreads faster than lightning.

They fell back on the bed, never breaking the kiss. Darren was pretty sure the world around them had disappeared, but he didn't really care.

Neither couple noticed the room around them wasn't the one they thought they were in.

Chris didn't notice the mattress was softer, because Darren was kissing him and nothing else mattered.

Blaine didn't notice the moon was higher than it was a minute before, because Kurt wanted to spend the rest of his life with him, and nothing else mattered.

Darren didn't notice the covers weren't fluffy anymore, because Chris loved him back, and nothing else mattered.

Kurt didn't notice the sweatpants he was wearing were suddenly longer, because Blaine's idea of their future was everything he wanted, too, and nothing else mattered.