There was an undercurrent of excitement in the workroom after lunch. All the designers were looking forward to meeting their models and seeing how the clothes would fit. Kurt was a little concerned about the pants because the hip measurement didn't tell the whole story. He had assumed that anyone into extreme sports would have more leg muscles than average so he had allowed extra room in the thighs and seat. He had also used a split waistband, like the ones used in men's suits. It didn't look quite as nice, but it made the pants much easier to adjust and it would be covered by a belt. The reversible vest wasn't finished yet. It was taking longer because of the details Kurt was adding. Instead of lining the vest, he had decided to cover the seams with a narrow strip of the navy fabric from the pants. Since the seams would show if Lars wore it with that side out, he wanted the topstitching to be perfect. He planned to bind the edges with the lighter gray, and that needed to be done carefully as well.

Promptly at 2:00 Tim opened the door to the workroom. "Designers, your models are here. Come claim them." Suddenly the spacious room became crowded as the population doubled. The models lined up at the front of the room, and the designers rushed to greet them. Lori and Blaine stood in the background, ready to help if necessary. Blaine hadn't minded at all when Lori asked if he could stand in for Amy, who had called in sick.

Kurt didn't have any trouble identifying Lars; he looked exactly like his photo. Kurt held out a hand. "Hi, Lars. Kurt Hummel. Nice to meet you."

"It's my pleasure," Lars replied warmly, "and I mean that very sincerely, let me assure you." His eyes swept greedily over Kurt as he held the handshake a little too long. "Do you have pieces for me to try on?"

Blaine frowned. Don't look at him like that.

"Yes, I have pants and a shirt, and the vest is constructed but not finished. I don't know if they told you, but we are supposed to be making a weekend outfit for our models. I read your bio so I know you like extreme sports, but this weekend you're going dancing instead. Can you play to that a little as you go down the runway?"

Lars stripped down to his very skimpy briefs and Kurt handed him the navy trousers. "Sure, no prob. I love to dance. Am I dancing with a guy or a girl?"

Kurt was puzzled. Hasn't he modeled before? Shouldn't he know this stuff? "You'll be on the runway by yourself. I need you to turn around so I can fit the seat, please. Are you okay without the shirt for now?" He has a nice ass -- almost as nice as Blaine's. Oh, that was inappropriate, on several levels. Where did that come from? Kurt looked at Blaine and blushed.

Is he checking Lars out? Maybe he's just checking the fit of the trousers. Why is he looking at me? And why is his face red?

Lars turned his back to Kurt. "Oh, yeah. It's one of the first things you get used to when you're a model -- standing around nearly nude in a room full of people. I understand that I'll be alone. I just want to know whether you want me to imagine a guy or a girl."

Kurt marked the back of the pants. Now I'm really confused. "What difference does that make? Could you put these shoes on?"

Lars slipped his feet into the shoes, and Kurt knelt down to mark the hem. "You know  -- when a guy dances with a girl, it's a lot more reserved than when two guys dance. There's not nearly as much grinding." Lars moved his hips suggestively in a circular motion, then thrust forward, his crotch just about level with Kurt's face. "Or bumping either, for that matter. I'm sure you've been dancing at a bar or a club you know what I mean. Dancing is just a prelude to what goes on in the bathroom or the alley." Kurt shook his head in negation and moved around to mark the other leg. "Oh, wait, sorry. I just assumed you're gay. I shouldn't jump to conclusions like that, no matter what I'm hoping."

Blaine looked daggers at Lars. You don't have any business hoping at all. Back off. And stop all that pelvic thrusting! Kurt isn't looking for a hookup.

Kurt laughed as he stood up, handing Lars the shirt. "Do the pants feel okay in the thighs? They look good, but I don't want them to be uncomfortable. I'm gay, but I'm also nineteen and living in Ohio. I've never been dancing, except for high school dances and, believe me, nothing erotic goes on at high school dances in Ohio."

"The pants are fine." He wiggled his eyebrows. "I like clothes that display my … assets, if you know what I mean. You should go dancing with me. I'd make sure you had a good time. You're very … attractive, you know. Does the shirt go inside the pants or out?"

It was all Blaine could do to keep from marching over and telling Lars where to get off. Jerk! That's so unprofessional -- hitting on the designer.

"Let me see how it looks out first, and then we'll try tucking it in. I appreciate the offer, Lars, but I should concentrate on the competition right now. And please don't bump and grind on the runway. Maybe a turn or two, and a few steps. I think I want the shirt tucked in."

"Maybe you should do it. I don't want to wrinkle it or anything," Lars said coyly.

I'm gonna wrinkle you if you don't cut that out. "Lori, do you see how Lars is acting? Should we say something?"

"I think Kurt is handling it just fine," Lori replied. "If it gets any worse or he looks uncomfortable, we can step in. Who knows? Kurt might be enjoying the attention. I know I'd be flattered if a great looking guy like Lars was hitting on me."

Blaine was horrified. What if he does like it? What if he likes Lars?

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Sorry, my hands are full of pins. I might puncture something important. You'd better do it yourself."

"Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying," Lars returned, the cocky grin never leaving his face. Rejection didn't seem to discourage him at all.

Okay, this is getting old. We're going to change the subject. "So, are you performing in the talent show this weekend?" Kurt asked.

"I'm not into performing, at least not in public. I prefer a more private venue. My … talents are more suited for the sheets than the stage." Lars ran a fingertip down Kurt's arm.

Blaine started to intervene, but Lori put her hand out to stop him. "Let Kurt handle it. If he wants help, he'll ask for it. Why don't you get Tim some citrus water?" Blaine remembered Kurt's reaction when he tried to question him about the scoring incident and was suddenly glad Lori was there. He'd just get angry with me again. He headed to Tim's office.

Kurt tried hard to get along with everyone, but he had never been shy about speaking his mind when it was justified. "Lars, this is entirely inappropriate," he said firmly. "We'll be working together for several months and we need to have a professional relationship, and that's all we're going to have. Period."

Lars shrugged and smiled easily. "Okay," he said cheerfully.

"Okay? That's it?" Kurt was somewhat taken aback by the 180° shift in Lars' attitude.

"Sure. Look at it from my point of view," Lars explained. "I have to spend time with you, and for quite a bit of it, I'll either be in various states of undress or you'll be doing some fairly intimate touching as you fit the garments. It's not a problem with a female designer because I'm not interested, and it isn't a problem with the straight guys because they're not interested. When I work with a gay designer, especially if it's more than a one-shot, I like to get the ground rules established. Then we can both concentrate on our jobs without dancing around each other all the time. If the guy is attractive, I let him make the choice, but I'm cool with whatever he wants. If I'm not attracted to him, I let him know, in a nice way of course. This way, we know where we stand and we both know that if you happen to have your hand down my pants, it's just business and no one needs to be embarrassed about any accidental grazes."

Kurt laughed and looked at Lars in disbelief. "Okay, that actually makes sense. I've mostly sewn for myself; I never thought about what it was like for the models. I don't think I would be able to do that."

"You get used to it quickly, or you don't last long in this business. There isn't any time for modesty, right Leah?" he asked, drawing Ernesto's model into the conversation.

Leah's silvery laugh exactly matched her appearance. She was tall and slim, like most of the models, but she looked somehow otherworldly, as if she belonged in a faerie land or an enchanted forest. Her short blond hair framed her face, which was dominated by her enormous eyes. Ernesto had made an off-the-shoulder blouse out of the purple silk and the color set off her fair skin beautifully. Kurt could see what Ernesto meant when he said Leah reminded him of his sister. "You're never gonna let me forget that, are you, Lars?" she fluted. "He's talking about my very first modeling job. I expected private dressing rooms and when I heard we were all in a room, men and women together with no privacy, I just lost it. I almost quit, but Lars got me through it. He told me to close my eyes and weave a magic so no one could see me. The idea was ridiculous, but it made me laugh."

By the time Blaine got back, the dynamic in the room had completely changed. Kurt and Lars were visiting happily with several of the other designers and their models and there wasn't a hint of sexual tension anywhere. I guess Lori was right; Kurt handled it by himself. Blaine crossed over to Tim, who was conversing with Ernesto about the fit of the black Capri pants his model was wearing. "Excuse me, Tim. Lori suggested I bring you this," Blaine said quietly. "Would you like me to put it in the refrigerator?"

"You're spoiling me, Blaine. Thank you. Let me have some now," he said, reaching for the water and drinking half of it. "If you could put the rest in the fridge, that would be great." He moved on to talk to Andrew, and Blaine went to the break room.

As soon as Blaine was out of earshot, Leah giggled and asked shyly, "Who was that? He's cute!"

She's so sweet. I wonder if Blaine would like her. "His name is Blaine Anderson and he's one of Heidi's assistants," Kurt told her. "You should hear him; his voice is absolutely beautiful. We're singing together for the talent show this weekend."

"Look who's talking!" Annie teased. "Kurt's voice is just as good, if not better, and they are perfect together. You guys are in for a real treat. Are you coming to the talent show, Leah? I'll be sure to introduce you."

After the models left, the designers settled down to work in earnest. Seeing their creations on the models gave them new energy. Marisol was very excited. Her fears from earlier proved to be completely unfounded; her model, Lane, loved the casual two-piece dress Marisol had designed. She had cut flowers, fruit, leaves, vines, birds and insects from the grab bag fabrics, wrapping them around the skirt and extending them up into the bodice in a tree of life effect. The bright colors had been muted by the overlay of various shades of tulle so the garish combinations became elegant, and the effect was enhanced with ribbons and cords couched down with decorative threads. She still had quite a bit of work to do, but she was very pleased with the way it was coming together.

After seeing his outfit on Lars, Kurt knew he wanted to go with the vest instead of the jacket. Even though the fabric of the shirt was a little bright, it looked fantastic on Lars; he had the personality to pull it off. The colors were exactly right, and the asymmetric effect was precisely what he had hoped for. He had hearts in the turquoise fabric, but he decided to include one heart-shaped button in the group at the bottom of the pants leg. He reached for the box where he was storing the embellishments he had purchased at Mood. When he picked it up, he heard the tinkle of the set of tiny silver bells that he had been unable to resist. The three bells were tuned so they played a chord when they sounded. I don't know why I bought those. I really don't see Lars wearing bells, but I've never seen anything like them. The bells reminded him of his favorite Christmas carol, and he reached for his phone to text Blaine about adding it to their set list as part of the sing-along. Shoot no phone! How do I get a message to Blaine? Oh, yeah. Jo said we could e-mail the staff. He got out his laptop and quickly composed a message, but decided to check with Tim before he sent it. "Does anyone know where Tim went?" he asked of the room at large.

"He was in the break room a minute ago," Jonny replied. "He's probably still there."

As Jonny said, Tim was in the break room, helping Matt set out supper. "Can I help you with something, Kurt?" he asked.

"Hi, Tim. Blaine and I are performing together at the talent show. I thought of a song we could do, and I wanted to e-mail him about it, but I thought I'd better make sure that was permitted. I don't remember anything in the rules about it, and Jo said we could e-mail the staff, but I want to be sure."

"As long as you aren't trying to get him to help you with the challenge, it's fine. Listen, could you let everyone know that they can come eat now? Thanks."

Kurt went back to the workroom and made the announcement. He wanted to stay behind and finish his e-mail, but Andrew, who seemed to have made it his personal mission to make sure everyone ate regularly, insisted that he come to supper with the rest of the designers, so he saved the draft and went back to the break room. After supper, Tim left for the day, so he wasn't in the workroom when Annie organized the train at about 8:45, but Matt was there and gleefully joined in. The massage did everyone good, and they were much more lively on the walk back to the Atlas than they were the day before.

When they got back to the apartment, Kurt checked his e-mail and was disappointed to find that Blaine had not responded. Maybe he got busy and forgot. I'll just send him a little reminder. He clicked 'new message' and started typing.

When Blaine got home, he was still annoyed at Lars' behavior, but made a conscious decision to let it go so he could work on the song he was writing. He wrote down another verse, and regarded it critically. I don't want to be too obvious, but I don't think it's noticeable if no one sees it in print, and I like the idea of a secret message in the song, so he'll know it really was for him when I tell him about it later.

Karma brought us together
Underneath the stars above
Read between the lines and
Together we'll find love.

Something's wrong with the scansion in the first line. I'll let it rest while I work on the CD. He got out his laptop to look for more songs, and decided to check his e-mail in case Heidi wanted something done early in the morning. Kurt sent me a message? He clicked it.

Subject: Question

Blaine, you never answered my question. Top, bottom, or switch? If you're ignoring me because you're not sure we should e-mail, Tim said it was okay. ~K

What? When did we talk about that? Okay, I said I wouldn't lie to him if he asked me directly, but I'm not sure what to do with this. Can I just not respond? No, I don't want him bringing it up the next time he sees me. He hit reply.

Subject: Re Question

Um, top? Maybe switch? IDK. Why are you asking? I don't have any experience with this. Do I have to decide right now? B

A response appeared in his inbox almost immediately. Kurt must be in front of his computer. He clicked it.

I can do either, or we can take turns. I just wondered if you have a preference. I don't want you to be uncomfortable. And don't be silly -- you're obviously very experienced. You must have gotten plenty at Dalton, if Wes can be believed. No, you don't have to decide right now, but I think we should figure it out beforehand. K

Take turns? Did Lars' ridiculous behavior trigger this? I thought he said he hadn't dated anyone. Maybe this e-mail isn't meant for me. No, he used my name, so that's not it. He must be one of those people who are comfortable saying things on line that they wouldn't say in person. What on earth was Wes saying about me? I didn't do anything like that at Dalton. Why would Wes say I did? Why would he talk about this at all? I can't believe we're having this conversation. He hit reply again.

Beforehand? B

It wasn't long before the next message appeared.

Yeah, we might not have long to spend together and I don't want to waste a single minute. Are you busy Thursday evening? I feel like I should be paying you for your time. At least I can give you dinner first. K

Blaine stared at the message on the screen, feeling more and more agitated the longer he thought about it. Paying me? What does he think this is -- some kind of service I'm providing? This just doesn't seem like Kurt at all. This conversation would be hot if we were actually dating, but given the situation, it doesn't make any sense. He decided to be honest.

I'm really confused here, Kurt. I think I know what you're talking about, but I don't have any idea why. B

It took longer for the response to arrive this time. Blaine waited nervously for the notification to appear.

No wonder you're confused. I just realized I never actually sent the first e-mail; I got distracted by supper. *red face* I was asking you about another song I want to add to the talent show carol sing-along, whether you wanted the top part or bottom part or wanted to take turns, and if you could practice on Thursday evening. I've been singing melody on almost all the songs and it doesn't seem fair. What did you think I was talking about? K

I'll tell you exactly what I was thinking. In about 20 years. Yeah, that seems about right. Or maybe when we do have this conversation.

It's not important. Obviously, I was wrong. Thursday will be fine. I'll see you about 6:00. B