Kurt sighed, but happily told Mercedes all that had happened between him and Blaine for the third time since they had left the party last night. Honestly, Kurt was kind of glad for Mercedes' nagging. The more he told the story, the more he believed that last night had actually happened.

"So, when are you going to call him?" Mercedes prodded when Kurt finished.

"Oh, I'm not calling him," Kurt said with a laugh.

"But he gave you his number, right? That means he wants you to call him."

"You don't call someone like Blaine Anderson, you wait for them to call you," Kurt explained. "Which I will and if, perchance, he calls more than once then maybe, I might call him one day."

Mercedes narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What if he's waiting for you to call?"

"He won't be. He's too busy and too important to sit around waiting for some boy from Ohio to call him. It'll be fine. If he doesn't call, well, then at least I have one night of amazing memories to keep."

They lapsed into silence after that, the radio a dull buzz in the background. They were approaching the exit for Lima when Kurt's phone rang. Expecting it to be his dad, Kurt picked up with the Bluetooth in his car and answered, "We're almost home. Just getting off the highway."

"That's good to know, I guess," Blaine said with a laugh.

"Blaine!" Kurt exclaimed. "Sorry, I thought you were my dad. He worries, you know."

"As any good parent should be."

"Um, so was there something you wanted?" Kurt asked after a pause.

"Oh, yeah," Blaine replied. "I just wanted to make sure you guys made it back and off this morning."

"Well, we did," Kurt said.

"It was great to meet you!" Mercedes chimed in.

"It was nice meeting you both, too," Blaine paused. "OK. Well, I'll let you go and get back to driving. I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure," Kurt replied. "Call me whenever."

"Will do. Bye!"

"Bye!" Kurt and Mercedes chirped.

"Oh my god!" Mercedes exclaimed when the call ended.

"What the hell was that?" Kurt asked.

"That was a morning after phone call," Mercedes said. "That is a very good sign. He is definitely interested, Kurt."

Kurt silently freaked out in the driver's seat. A boy liked him.

And not just any boy – Blaine freaking Anderson.

Who was the most amazingly talented, gorgeous, charming boy Kurt had ever met. Blaine Anderson who could have anyone he wanted and he wanted Kurt. It was just mind boggling.

He dropped Mercedes off and headed home, trying anything he could not to think about everything that had happened. He even turned on his Broadway playlist just so Blaine's music wouldn't distract him. When he got home, Kurt managed to hold a very civilized conversation with his father, leaving out most of the details of the evening, before heading upstairs where promptly threw himself face down on his bed and screamed into the pillow.

Things like this did not happen to Kurt Hummel. Kurt Hummel got thrown into dumpsters and shoved into lockers and had slushies thrown in his face. Handsome pop stars did not have crushes on him and want to spend time with him. God, he wanted to jump on his roof and yell it to the world.

But, no.

There was no way. This had to stay a secret. And, to be honest, Kurt really had no idea what Blaine's intentions might be. Sure, Blaine had tried to kiss him last night, but Blaine had also been rather drunk at that point. Who's to say Blaine wouldn't change his mind once he actually got to know Kurt?

Kurt rolled over and took a deep breath to calm himself. It was best to try and put this amazing experience behind him. Even if Blaine never talked to him again, it was still the best night of Kurt's life. But, sadly, life must go on and Kurt had calculus homework to do.

By Tuesday evening, Kurt had mostly recovered from the weekend. He'd only thought about Blaine a couple times a day, instead of all the time. He was ahead in his classes and finally figured out a topic for his research paper in French that was due at the end of the semester. So, he decided to indulge himself in a bath before bed. He'd picked up some new bath oils a couple weeks ago and hadn't had the chance to use them yet. They were infused with a little peppermint oil and it had smelled absolutely divine in the shop. He set up his iPod dock on the counter and set his Blaine playlist to play. He set his phone on the floor within easy reach, but not close enough to get wet before slipping into the bath. He sighed as he relaxed in the water and let the music wash over him.

He was so relaxed he was almost asleep when he heard is phone ring. He debated on whether or not to answer, but Mercedes more often than not left her homework for the last minute and would often call Kurt with questions. He wiped his hands on a towel and picked up without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hi, Kurt."

"Blaine!" Kurt exclaimed sitting up abruptly and almost dropping the phone. "Hi."

"Hi. Am I interrupting something?"

"Um, no, no. I'm just… getting ready for bed," Kurt said almost letting slip that he was in the bath, but quickly realizing that would probably be way too much information this early in their relationship. "Early morning for school tomorrow."

"Right. So, how's your week been so far?" Blaine asked.

"Fine, if a little boring compared to the weekend," Kurt teased.

Blaine laughed in response. "Yeah, it was a pretty good weekend," he agreed.

"So, where are you off to now?"

"We were in Pittsburgh last night, did some more press this morning and are currently making our way towards Boston for two shows starting tomorrow."

"Boston should be lovely this time of year. I've always wanted to see New England in the fall," Kurt commented.

"I'll have to send you some pictures then," Blaine said.

"That would be nice."

"So, what about you? How's school going?"

"Oh, you know," Kurt said dismissively, not wanting to get into all the drama so early in their still burgeoning friendship. "Boring and repetitive. It's high school."

"Do you at least have any fun electives being a senior?"

"Just glee club. McKinley isn't exactly one to push for high academic standards. I think they offer auto shop, but I could pass that in my sleep."

"Oh, really?" Blaine asked.

"Oh, yeah. My dad owns a repair shop. I usually help him out on weekends and over school breaks."

"I never would have guessed that about you."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Blaine Anderson," Kurt replied. Oh, goodness, he thought. I'm flirting with Blaine Anderson. It was just too much.

"I'm beginning to see that," Blaine whispered.

Kurt bit his lip, blushing and very grateful that Blaine couldn't see him right now.

"Listen," Blaine said after a pause. "I'm actually going to be back in town for a couple days next week. If you're not doing anything would you and Mercedes like to have dinner one night?"

"Um, yeah, I think we should be free," Kurt replied trying not to swallow his tongue. "I mean, Sectionals is in a couple weeks, so after school rehearsals have been running longer. But a weekend should be fine. I'll have to double check with Mercedes."

"Yeah, no problem," Blaine said. "I'll be town starting Friday and I'll probably be heading out sometime on Monday. So, if you guys are free that Saturday, the 29th, I think?"

"That should be fine," Kurt rushed. "I'll get back to you for sure in a couple days, but Mercedes hasn't mentioned any plans."

"Okay, great," Blaine said and Kurt couldn't help thinking he sounded relieved. "Well, give me a call when you know and we can go from there."

"That sounds great."

"Good. So, um, I'll let you go. Get back to whatever you were doing and I'll talk to you soon."

"It's a plan," Kurt said.

"Okay. Well, good night, Kurt."

"Good night, Blaine."

Kurt hung up with Blaine and immediately called Mercedes. He had to tell someone and she was the only one who knew anything. And, he had to ask if she was free, too.

"Kurt, any plans I may have had are now cancelled. Ain't no way I'm passing up dinner with that fine man."

Kurt just laughed and confirmed that Mercedes really was free for dinner. He wanted to call Blaine back immediately, but knew he couldn't. He had to play this cool. Today was Tuesday, he would call Blaine back Thursday night. Well, afternoon. Blaine had just mentioned that he had two shows in Boston so he would be busy Thursday night. He could probably sneak off during lunch to call. Yes, that would work just fine.

Blaine was waiting when Kurt and Mercedes finally arrived at Breadstix. Kurt was worried they were late. He'd been ready since about 3:00 to try and avoid this very thing.

"No, don't worry," Blaine said when they sat down. "It's me. I'm just always early everywhere I go. My manager loves and hates it all the same time."

Kurt and Mercedes laughed as they looked over the menu. Not that it had changed since they were here last week or anytime in the last two years, really. But, well, it was something to do while they tried to work through that awkwardness that kind of felt like a first date.

"How's the tour going?" Mercedes asked.

"It's going really well. Everyone's really happy with the ticket sales and the audiences have been amazing."

"That's great," Kurt said.

"Excuse me?"

The three looked up to see a couple junior high aged girls next to their table.

"Are you… Blaine Anderson?" one asked nervously.

"I am," Blaine said with a smile.

The two girls giggled and one held out a napkin. "Could we get an autograph?"

"Sure! What are your names?"

"I'm Hannah and this is Leah."

"It's nice to meet you," Blaine said as he signed their napkins.

When he was done, he stood up and gave them both a quick hug before they left.

"Sorry about that," Blaine said.

"That's okay," Kurt said. "Does that happen a lot?"

"Not really, thank goodness," he replied. "Usually it'll happen on the day of the show if I run out for lunch near the venue or something. I don't really get a lot of random strangers stopping me in the street yet."

"That would drive me nuts," Mercedes said. "I don't know how celebrities do it."

"It's an adjustment," Blaine said. "My manager keeps telling me I need to find my 'public persona', whatever that means. But, I don't know. I get excited when other people are excited. If they're happy to meet me, the least I can do is be genuine and honest in return."

Before Kurt or Mercedes could respond, their waitress came by and took their order. Once she was gone, Blaine turned back to the two of them.

"So, how did you get started in glee club?" he asked.

"Sophomore year, the previous director was fired for 'inappropriate conduct'," Kurt explained. "I have no idea why there were even kids in the club with him leading it. He was so creepy."

"He really was. Did you know it was Rachel that turned him in?" Mercedes said.

"She did?" Kurt replied. "I really shouldn't be that surprised, I guess. That's totally something she would do."

"Who's Rachel?"

"The self-appointed diva of the club," Mercedes told Blaine. "She gets almost all the solos and thinks she's God's gift to McKinley."

"As much as it pains me to admit this, she is very talented," Kurt added.

"Almost as talented as you," Mercedes said.

"Well, thank you," Kurt said with a smile.

"You totally should have won the diva-off that first year."

"Diva-off?" Blaine asked.

"Yes," Kurt said dryly. "Mr. Schue wanted us to do Defying Gravity and just told Rachel she was going to sing it. I protested that just because the song was customarily sung by a girl didn't mean a boy couldn't sing it."

"And he was amazing. Until the end," Mercedes added.

"What happened?" Blaine asked.

"I… cracked on the high F," Kurt said. "Guess I just didn't have it in me that day."

"But you can hit a high F," Blaine said. "You did it at Sectionals."

"Yes, I can," Kurt replied. "Like I said, I guess I was just off my game that day."

They talked a bit about the other members of New Directions. Mike and Brittany's amazing dance moves, Puck's bad boy attitude that hid a heart of gold. The three Cheerios who oddly enough, had become really good friends. Artie, who liked to consider himself the next Eminem. And, of course, Finn.

"Who is now Kurt's stepbrother," Mercedes added with a grin.

"Really?" Blaine said. "That sounds like an interesting story."

"Oh, it is."

"Shut up, Mercedes," Kurt said.

"No, please," Blaine said. "Do go on."

"I can tell the story or you can," Mercedes taunted.

"I hate you so much," Kurt said under his breath. "Okay, it's not really that interesting. But, my mom passed away when I was eight and Finn's dad died in Iraq. I thought our remaining parents might get along and introduced them at one of the parent/teacher nights. They liked each other, got married last year and the end."

"You left out the best part!" Mercedes said.

"What's that?" Blaine asked.

"The real reason Kurt introduced them to begin with."

"Why are you doing this to me?" Kurt asked. "Do you want me to die of humiliation right here in the middle of Breadstix?"

"It can't be that bad," Blaine said.

"Okay. Fine," Kurt relented. "I had… a crush on Finn and I thought if our parents started dating then we would all spend more time together and I could get him to switch teams. Happy?"

Kurt took a long sip of Diet Coke and looked everywhere but at Blaine or Mercedes.

"So, wait," Blaine said. "The guy you have a crush on is now your stepbrother?"

"Had," Kurt emphasized. "Had a crush on. Believe me that crush has long since died a horrible death and he is now merely my slightly dim witted stepbrother who leaves his dirty socks all over the house."

"That's good to hear," Blaine said. "Otherwise, talk about awkward family dinners."

Kurt and Mercedes laughed and the conversation moved to slightly less embarrassing topics. By the end of the evening, it really felt like they were all on the way to becoming true friends.

That dinner started a tradition of sorts for the three friends. Kurt and Blaine took turns calling each other during the week and texting when something struck their fancy. Whenever Blaine was in town he would call and arrange dinner or coffee with Kurt and Mercedes. More often than not, they ended up meeting somewhere between Lima and Westerville to help cut down on one of them always driving two hours just for dinner. Plus, there was less of a chance of them running into someone they knew. There was something in Kurt that wanted to keep this thing with Blaine just his for a little longer.

Occasionally, Mercedes wouldn't be able to make it and Kurt would often pretend he was on a real date with Blaine. Or the nights when Blaine ended up coming over for dinner as Kurt was too busy to meet him out, he imagined Blaine was his boyfriend having dinner with his family. He knew it was foolish, but he couldn't help hoping.

It was really nice to see the way everyone accepted him so easily. Kurt knew Blaine didn't have the same relationship with his parents that Kurt had with his dad and Carole. It was good to see Blaine so happy and relaxed in those times.

There were times when Kurt would catch Blaine staring at him a little too long. He would always touch Kurt in some little manner, a hand on the shoulder or his arm to get his attention, a squeeze to his knee when something was particularly funny. He always insisted on inviting Mercedes along whenever they went out and the times she couldn't come, he seemed rather nervous and slightly withdrawn.

Even still, Blaine was well on his way to becoming Kurt's best friend, as much as it pained him to think that. Mercedes was wonderful and amazing and would always be in Kurt's life, but… Blaine knew what it was like to be Kurt. He could commiserate and comfort Kurt in a way no one else could. Kurt had confessed some of what happened to him at McKinley during the first three years. He tried to make light of it, not wanting to get into the gritty details of his daily life. Blaine, in turn, admitted that he hadn't always attended Dalton. He had transferred after his freshman year due to similar taunting.

There were a few nights they stayed up way too late on the phone discussing… everything. Their hopes and dreams; their fears and doubts.

"I mean, I'm still not sure this is something I want to do forever," Blaine confessed one night. "It's a lot of fun, sure, but doing this when I'm 40? Or 50? I just can't see it."

"Who says you have to?" Kurt asked. "A lot of musicians move on to behind the scenes stuff when they're done performing. Producing, talent scout, or even just being a songwriter for other artists."

"That's true," Blaine said. "What about you? What do you see yourself doing in 20 years?"

Kurt just sighed. He'd been asking himself this very question almost every day since his senior year started. It was so strange to think that his entire life could very well hinge on where he chose to go to school and what he wanted to study for the next four years.

"I've always said New York and performing, but lately... . I guess it's just that self-doubt everyone has. Will I be good enough? Can I do this and not starve? And the pressure is just increasing because applications need to be sent in soon and some of the application fees are insane. If the application is that expensive, can I even afford to attend for four years? And New York is just so far away. It's one thing to visit for a few days, but I don't know if I could leave my dad for such a long time. It was just us for so long…" Kurt trailed off.

"But now he has Carole and Finn, too."

"I know. But," Kurt took a deep breath before he continued. "He had a heart attack last year, and he's fine now, but if something else was to happen and I wasn't here… ."

"I can't even begin to imagine what that had to be like, but, Kurt? You can't let the fear of what might happen keep you from your dream. Your dad has to know that, right?"

"He does," Kurt admitted. "I can tell he's scared to let me go, but over the summer we sat down and talked about college. He told me he saw how happy and excited I was when we got back from New York and if that's where I wanted to go, then we would make it work."

"There you go. Everything will work out, Kurt. Have you narrowed down your choices yet?"

"I think so. I think it'll be NYU, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Oberlin and Northwestern. NYU and American Academy of Dramatic Arts are obviously my top choices, but the competition to get in there is so fierce… ."

"You can do it, Kurt," Blaine said. "Have you given any thought to what your audition pieces are going to be?"

From there, the conversation took on a much lighter, if still serious tone. They weighed the pros and cons of all the songs in Kurt's repertoire. He enjoyed the Beatles and always sang them well. Or he could really go for the gusto and do something from Gypsy or Wicked. He still had some time to think and Blaine offered his ear if Kurt wanted to rehearse when Blaine was next in town. Kurt was a little worried about the dramatic monologue. He hadn't done much straight up acting and was a little worried about which way to go – comedic or serious? If he did a song from Wicked, should he do a scene from it, as well? Or would that be overkill?

There was just so much to think about and Kurt's head was spinning with where to even begin.

Thanksgiving was coming soon and Blaine called wanting to take Kurt and Mercedes out to dinner while he was home as a celebration of New Directions' win at Sectionals. Since all of the nicer restaurants were booked up with reservations weeks ago, they once more descended on Breadstix for their meal.

"How was the competition?" Blaine asked.

"The Warblers were wonderful," Kurt said knowing that's what Blaine was really asking. "They did a fantastic cover of the new Kings of Leon song. Nick sounded great on lead."

"Nick's on lead now?"

"Actually, Nick sang lead on that one, and Trent and Jeff shared the lead on Come on, Eileen."

"They did what?"

"It was fantastic!" Mercedes said, laughing. "It was completely ridiculous and they knew it and they just hammed it up so much. They really looked like they were having so much fun."

"Well, good," Blaine said. "That's good. Those guys needed to loosen up a bit."

"Have you seen any of them?" Kurt asked.

"Some of the guys," Blaine said. "I keep in touch mostly with Nick and Jeff and we had coffee when I was in town a couple weeks ago. When the tour is done in a couple weeks, I'll be back probably until the beginning of January. I was hoping to maybe plan a bit of a reunion when they're done for the semester and some of the other guys are back in town from college."

"That sounds nice," Kurt said.

"What about you guys? Any big plans for the holiday?"

"Not really," Kurt said. "I think my dad mentioned…"

Kurt trailed off, his hand frozen in midair, half way to his mouth and he just stared at something over Blaine's shoulder. He looked absolutely terrified.

"I have to go," he whispered. "I have to go. I need to get out of here."

He scrambled out of the booth, almost knocking over everyone's drinks in his rush. Mercedes looked over to try and see what had frightened Kurt, but she knew only one person could have that kind of effect.

"Shit," she said when she saw it was indeed Karofsky standing in the lobby of the restaurant. She pushed off to chase after Kurt before turning back to Blaine. "I'm sorry. I need to… Can you take care of this?"

"Yeah," Blaine said. "Absolutely. Just go make sure he's okay."

Kurt ran out the side door, grateful it was there and he wouldn't have to run by Karofsky to get out of the restaurant. He dropped to his knees on the little patch of grass next to the dumpsters, trying to remember how to breathe. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Mercedes there.

"Why does he still…" he gasped. "Why can't I…"

"Shh," she said. "Just breathe. Come on, with me. In, one, two, three. Out, one, two, three. That's it. Nice and easy."

She rubbed his back as Kurt got his breathing back under control. When he was calmed down enough, he turned over and sat down properly, his head falling to Mercedes' shoulder and she rubbed his arm in comfort.

"Better?" she asked quietly.

Kurt just nodded, still not trusting his voice. He concentrated on his breathing, in through the nose, out through the mouth. He was almost feeling human again, when a pair of shoes stepped into his view. He looked up to see Blaine staring at him, a look of concern and confusion on his face.

Blaine. Shit.

"I'm sorry," Kurt whispered. "I shouldn't have just… ."

"Hey, no," Blaine said crouching in front of him and taking his hand. "Don't even worry about it. It's fine. Did you… do you want to go?"

Kurt just nodded. That would probably be for the best.

Blaine dropped Mercedes off first and he was about to head towards Kurt's house next when Kurt put his hand on the steering wheel.

"Can you just drive for a bit?" he asked. "I'm not quite sure I'm ready to go home."

Blaine just nodded. Kurt noticed Blaine kept glancing at him; his mind was no doubt whirling with whatever thoughts he had about what had just happened. Eventually, he pulled into an empty park and they just sat there, staring out the windshield at the abandoned swings.

"His name is Dave Karofsky," Kurt said quietly. "He is responsible for making my life a living hell. He shoved me into lockers so hard that sometimes I would have bruises for a week. Once he managed to push me just right so the vent cut into my shoulder. I still have a little scar from it. He slushied me at least three times a week. Occasionally, it was every day. I always had a change of clothes in my locker. I could never figure out what it was that I had done to make him so angry at me. I didn't have any classes with him; I never spoke to him. It was like one day he just decided I was the target. Then one day… It was just getting to be too much and I was getting so angry because no one cared what he was doing and what right did he have to do that to me?"

Kurt paused as the memories of what had happened almost exactly a year ago flooded his brain.

Regionals were in less than a week and glee rehearsals had been running longer every night. They had finally finished for the day and everyone was packing up to leave. Kurt double checked he had all the books he needed for that night's homework and realized he had left his history book in his gym locker. He quickly walked the length of the school; it was late and he just wanted to go home.

Luckily the locker room was empty when he reached it and he hurried over to his locker to grab what he needed. He closed it and was about to head out when someone shoved him from behind, sending him sprawling across the floor and banging his shoulder on the bench.

"Hey, lady boy," Karofsky said as he stood over Kurt.

"What is your problem?" Kurt spat as he stood up.

"I just don't want you ogling me, Hummel. The girl's locker room is across the hall."

"Right," Kurt said, dusting off his coat. "Because that's what every gay guy does in the locker room. Has it ever occurred to your Neanderthal brain that your virtue is perfectly safe because you're not my type?"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Dumb as a rock isn't exactly high on the list of attributes I look for in a guy."

"Back off, Hummel."

Kurt looked down and saw Karofsky's hands balling into fists. "You want to hit me?" he asked.

"I almost wished he would have," Kurt admitted to Blaine. "Maybe a black eye would finally be the proof the administration needed to have him expelled. But what he actually did?"

Kurt just shook his head as the memories washed over him. He'd tried so hard to forget what had happened.

"It's okay," Blaine said. "You don't have to tell me."

"He kissed me," Kurt said finally looking over at Blaine. "He just leaned in and kissed me. And, god, that was so much worse than him punching me. Hate, I can deal with, but that? The idea that he might have feelings for me? And I couldn't just leave it alone. I had to push and prod until he broke."

"Hey, no," Blaine said, reaching up to wipe the tears Kurt hadn't even noticed were falling. "It's not your fault. That? It's all on him. He's obviously not able to accept himself and he lashed out. Unfortunately, you got caught in the crossfire."

"I've never told anyone what happened. Not my dad or even Mercedes. I don't know why. It would serve him right, you know? But I couldn't do that. It's not my place to out him to anyone. That just pissed me off even more."

"You did the right thing, Kurt. Pushing him out of the closet wouldn't have benefitted anyone. It probably would have made things worse."

"I know," Kurt said. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For listening. It actually feels kind of good to get all that off my chest."

"You're welcome." Blaine took a deep breath, looking like he wanted to say something else.

"What is it?" Kurt asked.

"I came out of the closet rather spectacularly my freshman year just after the winter break. Every spring, my old school had a Sadie Hawkins dance. I asked a friend of mine, who was the only other out gay kid at the school, if he wanted to go with me. So, we went and had fun. It was nice, even if we didn't actually dance together. So, after, we're waiting for his dad to come pick us up, just standing in the parking lot, talking and laughing." Here, Blaine paused and Kurt could see he was struggling to continue. "Then these three guys came out of nowhere and just… beat the crap out of us. I was in the hospital for almost a week. He was in longer. They managed to kick him in the head in just the right place that he suffered severe head trauma. He's in a remedial school now for kids with learning disabilities. He was so smart, too. He was going to be a lawyer and he was going to be amazing. Now, his mom has to help him get dressed in the morning."

"Oh my god, Blaine," Kurt whispered.

"It's okay," he said. "I made my peace with it and they caught the guys that did. They did some jail time, so that's something, I guess."

Kurt was utterly speechless. Compared to what Blaine had just told him, McKinley was practically a cakewalk. Blaine had been gay bashed and he still had such a positive outlook on life? It was staggering. Blaine made him want to be better. He wanted to live up to the expectations Blaine had of him.

"I don't mean to belittle anything you've been through," Blaine added. "I just… I know what it's like to be so scared, to be so absolutely terrified and completely helpless to do anything about it."

"I think I'd like to go home now," Kurt said after a few minutes.

"Sure," Blaine said, putting the car in gear and pulling out.

They rode in silence to Kurt's house, each lost in their own thoughts. Kurt wanted to tell Blaine how brave he was and how much he admired his perseverance, but he just couldn't find the words. They pulled up in front of Kurt's house a few minutes later and Kurt just turned to look at Blaine one last time. He smiled sadly and reach for Blaine's hand that was resting on the gear shift.

"Thank you," Kurt said again. "For sharing that with me. You're an amazing person Blaine."

Blaine just smiled and shrugged, dismissing Kurt's compliment. He squeezed Kurt's hand in return and reached to unlock the doors. "I'll see you in a couple weeks."

"Yes, you will. Oh! Carole wants you over to bake cookies, apparently. It's something of a tradition we started last year with our first Christmas together."

"Oh, no. I couldn't intrude on your family time like that."

"Yes, you will. You know Carole won't take no for an answer and, well, you are family."

"All right then," Blaine nodded. "I'll give you a call when I'm back in town and we can arrange a day?"

"That sounds good."

"Okay. Good night, Kurt."

"Good night, Blaine."

Something inside Kurt tugged at him to lean over and kiss Blaine. He hesitated for a moment and heard Blaine pull in a deep breath in anticipation, but… Kurt just nodded and stepped out of the car. He couldn't risk the rejection and humiliation.

He turned around when he got to the front door and waved one last time before entering the house. When he got upstairs, he pulled back the curtain on his window slightly and saw Blaine was still sitting in the driveway. He wanted to run back downstairs and say screw it all and fall into Blaine's arms and never let go. Something was holding Blaine back, though, so Kurt would wait. He would wait forever if that's what it took.

It was almost a week before Kurt heard from Blaine again, which wasn't too surprising. Their last conversation had been pretty intense and Kurt was still trying to come to terms with everything. Eventually, Blaine called with when he would be in town and they arranged the time he would be over for holiday baking with everyone. To be honest, Kurt had never really enjoyed Christmas much since his mom had passed. Plus, being an atheist, even celebrating the holiday in a strictly secular manner still felt wrong. This year, he had to admit he was kind of looking forward to it.

Blaine's initial phone call seemed to finally break down the dam that had built between them. Their confessions that night seemed to only bring them closer together. Their phone calls increased to an almost daily basis, even if it was just five minutes at the end of the day to say hello and good night. Kurt wasn't too surprised then, to find Blaine showing up at his house periodically over the break to just hang out.

One Saturday in mid-December, he had managed to escape the chaos of his house and was over at the Hummel/Hudson residence trying to get his sanity back. Burt and Carole were both at work, so it was just Kurt, Blaine and Finn. Finn, though, was apparently in an epic Gears of War tournament with Puck, so Kurt and Blaine would be lucky if he came up for food.

"I mean, I love them all," Blaine said as he lounged on Kurt's bed while Kurt poked around on his computer. "Sometimes, though, enough is enough. There's suddenly all these aunts and uncles and cousins wanting to see me and pretending like we've known each other for years when I have no recollection of ever meeting them. It's just so ridiculous."

"Well, you know you can always come here whenever you need a break," Kurt replied.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"Well, what are friends for?"

Blaine just laughed and nodded. "So, what's going on with you? How's glee club?"

"Oh, you know," Kurt said passively. "Rachel's being a diva about the Regionals set list, Finn keeps leaving his dirty socks all over the house, and Mr. Schue is crazy."

"So, nothing new then?"

"Nope."

Blaine just laughed at Kurt's sour expression. "What's the assignment this week?"

"It's so ridiculous; I don't even know where to start."

"Well, start at the beginning and when you get to the end, stop," Blaine said sitting up and giving Kurt his full attention.

Kurt just rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You think you're so cute."

"I think I'm adorable," Blaine replied, a ridiculously huge grin on his face.

Kurt just ignored him and launched into the tale of this week's glee drama.

"So, Holly Holiday is back. I think I've mentioned her before?" Kurt asked, glad to see Blaine nod in response. That would save a lot of explanation. "She's been hired on as the part-time sex-ed teacher and the whole school has gone safe sex crazy! Even Mr. Schue. Our assignment this week – sexy."

Kurt just stared as Blaine burst out laughing.

"It's not funny," Kurt said seriously.

"I'm sorry," Blaine said, composing himself. "I just had the sudden mental image of Finn trying to sing 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy'!"

"Oh, ew!" Kurt exclaimed, swatting Blaine on the arm. "Why'd you have to say that? I'm gonna need brain bleach to get rid of that mental picture!"

Blaine, at least, had the decency to look properly chastised for inflicting such horrible imagery upon Kurt.

"So, what's the problem?" Blaine asked.

"What's the problem? For one thing, if we're trying to learn about safe sex then shouldn't we be performing the least sexy songs we know instead of purposely trying to titillate each other? And two, I don't know how to be sexy, Blaine! I have all the sexual knowledge of a baby penguin."

"Seriously?"

"Um, yeah. Why would I lie about that?"

Kurt just stared as Blaine paused, as if waiting for Kurt to continue. When Kurt didn't, Blaine eventually spoke.

"So, you really have no idea, do you?"

"About what?"

"Kurt," Blaine said calmly. "You are probably one of the sexiest guys I know."

Kurt just scoffed and rolled his eyes. Yeah, right, he thought.

"I'm serious," Blaine insisted. "You want to know what being sexy is all about?"

"Sure, what?" Kurt asked blandly.

"It's just confidence," Blaine replied. "It's not about showing yourself off or even knowing about sex. Knowing who you are and being confident in that? That's the sexiest thing you can do." Blaine paused and Kurt could see him thinking about what to say next. "It's one of the things I admire most about you."

Kurt just sat there for a moment, unsure of what to think of what Blaine had told him. "You admire me?" he asked quietly.

"I do," Blaine confirmed. "You're so sure of who you are and you're not afraid to just… live that."

"Well, what about you? I mean, you came out in your first interview with a national magazine. That could have stopped your career before it even started."

"Maybe I am confident, or maybe I'm just stupid and don't know when to stop talking," Blaine said. "You know what happened to me in high school. I ran. I didn't have the courage you did to stay and stand up for myself."

"Yeah, and look where that got me."

"I know it's not always easy for you, but things do seem to be getting better, don't they?"

Kurt nodded. With Karofsky gone and Kurt's status as a senior this year, the bullying had pretty much stopped. There was the occasional comment, but the physical abuse was definitely no longer an issue. Most people just seemed to ignore him now. Sometimes, though, Kurt wasn't sure which was worse.

"So, anyway," Blaine said. "Back to the assignment. What songs did you have in mind?"

"Um, nothing?" Kurt replied. "As I said, I can't do sexy."

"Yes, you can," Blaine insisted. "Now come on, give me sexy."

"What?"

"Show me sexy."

"No."

"I'm not going to leave this alone, Kurt. Show. Me. Sexy."

Kurt just rolled his eyes before relenting. He knew Blaine and there was no way he'd be able to escape this. He screwed up his courage and tried giving Blaine his best come hither look. He narrowed his eyes and curled his lips, snarling at Blaine like some kind of sexy animal. That worked, right?

Blaine's response was not what Kurt was expecting. He looked vaguely nauseated and quirked one eyebrow at Kurt.

"I told you," Kurt said dropping his face to his hands. He was so embarrassed, he wanted to die.

"No, stop it. It wasn't that bad," Blaine said.

"You looked like you were going to be sick," Kurt replied.

"OK. Come here," he said, holding his hands out to Kurt.

Kurt slowly walked over and joined Blaine on the bed, sitting cross-legged, they faced each other, knees touching.

"Now, what were you thinking about just then?"

"Well, nothing really," Kurt admitted.

"That's your problem right there. OK, let's try something. Close your eyes."

Kurt just looked at Blaine like he had three heads.

"Do you trust me?" Blaine asked.

Kurt paused before nodding that he did. He probably trusted Blaine more than he trusted anyone, and that was kind of scary to think about.

"Then just… close your eyes."

Kurt took a deep breath before closing his eyes. Feeling Blaine's hands still holding his he squeezed gently and received a small squeeze in return.

"Now, imagine yourself at a party," Blaine said softly. "Maybe it's in college or little later. But you're standing with your friends, laughing, having a good time. Across the room, you see this guy you've had your eye on for awhile. Do you see him?"

Kurt nodded as an imaginary Blaine immediately filled his mind's eye.

"Good. Maybe you've known him for a few weeks and maybe you've even flirted a little, but neither of you have made a move yet. But tonight, that's going to change."

Kurt's breathing sped up as he imagined everything Blaine was saying. He could see his imaginary Blaine on the other side of the room. They kept trading glances and smiling at each other, but neither of them moved away from the group they were with. He could feel the excitement in the air of something possible, something new.

"He sees you," Blaine continued. "He smiles and you smile back."

Kurt smiled as Blaine seemed to be reading his mind.

"You see him move away from his friends towards the backyard. You follow, knowing that now is your chance. He's alone when you catch up with him on the deck. It's quiet and peaceful out there, so you don't want to say anything and ruin the moment. You know he likes you, so you just… look at him. You let everything you're feeling show in your face, all the desire, all the want."

Kurt's breathing became rapid. He felt himself practically panting as he imagined the desire coursing through him.

"Open your eyes," Blaine whispered.

Kurt slowly opened his eyes and immediately locked onto Blaine's. He saw Blaine's breath catch in his throat and felt him squeeze his hands in response.

"Kurt," he whispered hoarsely and he started to lean in close.

Kurt knew what was coming. His already shallow breathing quickened and he licked his lips in anticipation. Kurt saw Blaine's eyes flick to his lips as he licked his own in preparation. Kurt wanted to lean in and close the distance and finally have that kiss he'd so long desired, but he was frozen to the spot, not quite believing that this was really happening.

"Hey, guys. I was going to order pizza. Did you want…" Finn said as he barged in the door.

Kurt quickly pulled back from Blaine, dropping his hands and the contact between them. He watched Finn look between the two of them, noting the blush that was certainly still visible on Kurt's face and Blaine's awkward body language.

"Sorry," Finn said. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No," Kurt said quickly standing up. "No, it's fine. Pizza?"

"Um, yeah. Do you guys want anything?"

Kurt looked to Blaine whose gaze was locked on Kurt's comforter. "Blaine?" he asked.

"Um, yeah," Blaine answered, clearing his throat. "Pizza's fine. Whatever you want is good."

"Okay. Um, we'll have half cheese, half sausage and mushroom," Kurt said turning back to Finn.

"Right. I'll let you guys know when it gets here," Finn said, pausing before closing the door. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," Kurt insisted.

Finn just nodded before finally leaving them alone. Kurt stood up from the bed, needing some space from Blaine. He went back to his computer and opened up his iTunes, idly flipping through and seeing if anything struck his fancy. He was about to give up when one song caught his attention.

"So," Blaine said. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking Adam Lambert," Kurt said, purposely ignoring Blaine's intended meaning.

"I think that sounds like an excellent choice," Blaine said.

Kurt looked over and saw Blaine smiling at him, looking like nothing had happened. Which, nothing had.

"Want to rehearse before dinner gets here?" Blaine asked.

"Sure," Kurt said.

He started the song and walked to the middle of the room, random choreography running through his head as he waited for the vocals to start. He would definitely need to find a top hat and cane for this performance and he had an old black, pleather raincoat he would probably tailor for his costume.

Adam's voice started and Kurt improvised some moves as he sang through the song once. He might have to look up the video to get a better idea of some choreography he could incorporate into his performance. He ended with one hand in the air, his head tossed back and the other hand leaning on an imaginary cane.

"That was great!" Blaine said applauding. "I've got a couple ideas, if that's okay."

While they waited for the pizza, the worked through some ideas and got a solid start on the choreography. Blaine agreed that the video would be a good place for some more ideas. By the end of the evening, the awkwardness was mostly gone and they were back to just being Kurt and Blaine. Though, once more, Kurt was left dangling with a thread of hope that Blaine really did want more, but there was something keeping him from giving in.

A few days later, Kurt strutted onto the stage in the McKinley auditorium, ready to perform his assignment for the week. He was dressed head to toe in black, complete with top hat and cane. He'd cut the knee length black coat off in the front, making a rudimentary tailcoat that had been decked out in studs and rivets and glitter. He'd squeezed into the tightest black pants he owned and finished it all off with his knee high black Doc Marten boots. His back was to the audience and he couldn't help but smile at the catcalls and whistles he heard from his classmates.

The synthesized beat started, the bright white lights flashed and Kurt moved his hips, thrusting in time to the music. He turned around just as he started singing.

So hot
Out the box
Can we pick up the pace?
Turn it up,
Heat it up
I need to be entertained
Push the limit
Are you with it?
Baby, don't be afraid
I'mma hurt ya real good, baby

He moved all around the stage, dancing with the cane, kicking it over his shoulder and flipping the top hat. He rolled around on the floor, gyrating with an as yet unseen animal ferocity.

Let's go
It's my show
Baby, do what I say
Don't trip off the glitz
That I'm gonna display
I told ya
I'ma hold ya down until you're amazed
Give it to ya 'til you're screaming my name

He ripped off his coat revealing a tight sleeveless, black and white splatter printed t-shirt. The girls and a couple of the boys in the audience whooped as he threw the coat at them.

No escaping when I start
Once I'm in I own your heart
There's no way you'll ring the alarm
So hold on until it's over

Oh, do you know what you got into?
Can you handle what I'm 'bout to do?
'Cause it's about to get rough for you
I'm here for your entertainment

Oh, I bet you thought that I was soft and sweet
Ya thought an angel swept you off ya feet
But I'm about to turn up the heat
I'm here for your entertainment

By the time he reached the last chorus, Kurt was panting from the exhilaration. He tore the top hat off his head, throwing that out into the audience, as well. He had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand. He'd never felt this kind of power before and it was kind of heady. As he had in rehearsal, he finished the song with his right hand raised in the air, his hips cocked to the side as he leaned on the cane in his left and dropped his head back.

For a second, there was no applause and Kurt was worried he had overstepped the boundaries. Just as he was about to rush off stage in disappointment, the auditorium erupted in applause. Kurt never knew fifteen people could make such noise.

"Wow, Kurt!" Mr. Schuester said coming up on stage. "That was amazing. Truly. I don't think we've ever seen that side of you before."

"I honestly wasn't sure I had it in me," Kurt admitted.

"Honey," Santana yelled. "You definitely got something in you. Or maybe it's someone."

"Santana!" Mercedes yelled.

"Hey. I just call it like I see it," Santana said. She said nothing else but just looked at Kurt with a knowing glint in her eye. No, nothing had happened, but maybe Blaine was having a bigger impact on Kurt that even he knew.