Blaine's at the weekly Glee Girls (and Blaine) slumber party when Unique proclaims that they all need makeovers.

He assumes that he's not included in this activity and pushes down his disappointment, choosing instead to check his Facebook on his phone, when Unique herself plops down in front of him, a silver kit of makeup in her lap.

Blaine blinks in surprise, a smile beginning to tug at the corner of his lips, when Unique asks a bit hesitantly, "You okay with this, doll?"

He thinks he might nod a bit too quickly, excited at the thought of his eyes lined black, lips painted red, but Unique merely grins at him, her eyes sparkling.

Unique's hands are steady as she swipes her brushes and eyeliner pencil over his eyes, her touch comforting when she applies mascara to his long lashes.

Once she finishes with his eyes, she leans back, studying his face with narrowed eyes. Blaine swallows thickly, wonders if it would be odd of him to ask her to do his lips as well.

Thankfully, he doesn't have to say anything, because Unique purses her lips and rummages through her makeup kit, letting out a triumphant, "Aha!", when she procures a stick of bright red lipstick.

Blaine's heart beats wildly in his chest as Unique slowly applies the color to his lips, hyperaware of how the crème glides over his skin, thinking of how pretty his lips will look once Unique is done.

Finally, Unique caps up the lipstick and grabs a mirror, hold it up for Blaine to look at himself.

And he gasps at the image in front of him, a warm feeling settling in his stomach.

His eyes look so bright, lined in dark pencil, black mixed with purple powder on his lids, his eyelashes impossibly long, curling beautifully.

And hislips. God, he'd thought they would look good, but faced with the reality is breathtaking.

He just... he looks so pretty, hefeelsso pretty andbeautiful.

Blaine's breath catches in his throat at that thought. The last time he'd felt even remotely beautiful was the last time he was with Kurt just before Kurt left for New York. Kurt had fucked him slowly, whispered sweet words into his skin, had called himbeautifulandhisand had made Blaine come so perfectly.

Blaine smiles up at Unique, thanks her and asks her for a picture of the two of them, smiling with a blush when Unique takes a picture of just him too.

He feels like he's on cloud nine that night, though the disgusted looks Kitty throw him and the uncomfortable laugh that Tina gives makes him a little self conscious.

What's so wrong about him liking makeup? Just because he's a boy doesn't mean he has to fit into this predisposed box of 'boy' things and 'boy' activities and thoughts. He likes what he likes, and ever since he and Kurt have been broken up, Blaine's had more a chance to discover who he really is.

And he thinks it's about time that he embraces that person.

-

So on Monday Blaine decides to start out small, carrying around a tube of clear lip gloss he'd bought over the weekend, instead of his standard raspberry chap stick.

He takes in a deep breath as he stands in front of his locker, eyeing his reflection in the small mirror on his locker door for a minute before he uncaps the gloss, swipes the stick slowly over his puckered lips.

He lets out a deep exhale when he's finished, rubs his lips together and admires his work.

Sam saunters up next to him then, rambling on about the newest Star Trek film, and he's just getting amped up about it when he suddenly stops talking and runs a finger over his lips, eyes narrowing.

"Hey man you got some chap I can borrow? I gotta keep these luscious lips moisturized."

Blaine flounders for a moment and then sighs, giving Sam an apologetic glance, flinching subtly when Sam finally notices his shiny lips.

"No I don't, sorry Sam."

He expects some comment about his lips, expects Sam to give him a weird look, but Sam merely shrugs at him, throws an arm around his shoulders and begins his rant anew.

-

Blaine starts to wear eyeliner to school the next week, sharing a secret little smile with Unique when he passes by her.

John Teller, a baseball player with a mean scar over his right eyebrow, knocks his shoulder into Blaine's on his way to his to Advanced British Literature class, a scowl on his lips as he sneers at him, "Makeup's for girls, you freak."

Blaine trembles and steadies himself on the cool wall of lockers, takes in a deep breath and tells himself that John Teller's opinion doesn't matter. Blaine likes his eyeliner and he likes the way he feels when he wears it. John Teller doesn't matter, butBlainedoes.

However, as much as Blaine tells himself these things, it doesn't mean that the vicious words don't have an effect on him, and Blaine continues his day with slower steps, his head hanging low and he has to be nudged by both Sugar and Unique in Glee to get him to smile again.

-

He's at the mall with Tina, Marley and Unique when he sees it.

Blaine has been designated as the purse holder while the girls try on pretty little dresses and skirts and so to pass the pass the time he wanders about the store, eyes lingering over lace and silk bows.

And then he spots it.

'It' is a pinstriped collared blouse, with the shoulders cut out. Blaine's breath catches at the sight; it's just the perfect mix and feminine and masculine for him to pull off. And when he reaches his fingers out to touch the fabric, he sighs wistfully; it's soft and light, gliding over his fingers like silk.

He takes the hanger off the rack and holds it delicately up to his chest, sighing longingly at the thought of wearing it with his favorite pair of jeans, maybe some heels...

"You should try it on, doll. It would look lovely on those shoulders of yours."

Blaine jumps at the sound of Unique's voice behind him. He turns quickly, fumbling with the shirt and he flinches when she lays a comforting hand on his arm.

"Honey, it's okay."

Blaine sighs shakily and nods, looks up at her through his dark lashes. Unique gives him an understanding smile and takes the shirt from him, rubs his shoulder and says, "How about this: I'll get it for you and you take it home, try it on, and if it doesn't fit I'll return it and get another size for you, okay?"

He nods, shoulders relaxing, giving her a small smile of thanks. "Okay. And thank you, Unique. You've been so sweet about all of this; I don't know how to thank you."

"Blaine, baby, there's absolutely nothing to thank me for."

-

The blouse fits perfectly.

Blaine stands in front of his mirror in his room, smiling at the sight in front of him. He has the shirt tucked into his favorite pair of tight red pants, and he's also wearing Unique's surprise gift she'd bestowed upon him when she came over to deliver the shirt earlier in the day.

They're black heeled, peep toed ankle boots, laced up and tie in a bow, little cut out squares on the sides.

Blaine feels absolutely wonderful. Sure, he has to get used to walking in the heels, but he loves what they do to his legs, loves the feeling of his foot arching, toes pointing when he struts around in his room.

He takes a quick picture of himself and sends it to Unique, a smiley face and athank you!!!! <3attached.

-

He wears the outfit the next day at school, tries to keep his head up and ignore the stares, whispers and shoves, but it's hard, and unfortunately, it gets even harder when he gets to Glee.

Sam and Unique embrace his new look with open arms, as Blaine had expected, and to his surprise Joe and Sugar compliment him and treat him normally, but the rest of them are a mix of confused, angry and weirded out.

Tina especially. She corners him as soon as she spots him and demands to know why he's dressing like this, asks him if he's doing this because of her crush.

Blaine frowns in confusion at her. "Tina what are you talking about?"

She huffs in agitation, rolls her eyes at him and waves a hand at his outfit. "This! Is this some crazy scheme to get me to stop liking you or something?God, I can't believe you Blaine, I thought you were different."

Blaine gapes at Tina, his brow furrowed, as he starts to get annoyed with her.

"Tina, believe it or not, but 'this' actually has nothing to do with you, and everything to do withme. And like it or not, I'm not going to stop dressing like this, so you might as well get used to it. And you know what, I think I'm feeling like wearing a dress tomorrow, how does that sound?"

The room is silent around them then, tension thick, as Blaine stares Tina down, fuming and hurt deeply by her words. Tina takes in a deep breath then and nods sharply at him, turns in place to go sit back down in her seat.

Blaine lets out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding and follows after her, smiling slightly when he notices Unique's impressed face, Sam fighting a smile and Joe sharing a discreet high five with Sugar.

Glee practice resumes then, with a slightly awkward Finn trying to get the group to focus less on Blaine and more on their assignment of the week.

-

Blaine starts to spend more time with Unique and Sugar, and less time with Tina. It isn't that he's avoiding her per se; he just doesn't want to be around yet another person who judges him, who passes off his new clothes as 'just a phase'.

He'd rather be around people who embrace him, who don't bat an eye when he tries on skirts and dresses, heels and flats when they go shopping.

Tina doesn't get it, and as much as Blaine wants to apologize to her and push down his hurt in favor of making her feel better, he just can't, not anymore.

He's tired of putting other people before himself, and as Unique so aptly put it one day as they compared outfits, "if Tina can't accept you baby doll, then she doesn't deserve to be around you".

-

Blaine slowly grows more confident in his fashion choices as the week's progress, and with Sugar and Unique – and, surprisingly, on occasion, Sam – providing him with advice and options he starts to feel a little bit better about himself.

It's still not easy, not by any means, but when Blaine shows up to school one day in a metallic grey skirt, striped t-shirt, and his bare calves covered in knee high socks, feet snug in a pair of black heels , he feels amazing, not nervous anymore about what people will think about him.

Because he already knows what they think; weird, ugly, not normal, freak.

Blaine knows all of this very well, because these are the words that haunt him every night.