A dreadful uncertainty settled over Blaine after his conversation with Kurt. The storm cleared up late Saturday morning, and after helping Burt clear the front walk and then unbury Blaine's car, Blaine set out for his house. It was a perilous drive since the streets were still packed down with several inches of snow, but he'd driven in a lot worse. His mother was relieved to see him when he appeared in the living room, and immediately started shoving him full of French toast and bacon.

Blaine was distracted, though. Kurt kept jumping into his thoughts at random moments, and his own chest ached oddly whenever he thought about how he'd put the brakes on their blossoming romance. He didn't have any idea if he'd made the right decision or if Kurt would still be willing to accept it by Monday or even two weeks from now. There was so much uncertainty regarding Kurt, and Blaine was putting his faith in almost nothing but his own hopes, and that wasn't enough. Not when he was looking for Kurt to give him something in return, something substantial that he could trust and that would prove Kurt really did care.

Blaine locked himself up in his bedroom under the guise of doing his homework and studying for two major tests on Monday, but really he just lounged on his bed, mind whirling as he tried to think up any other possible solution that wouldn't make him as unsure as he was right now. Nothing came to him no matter how long or hard he thought. There were a few moments when he thought about asking his mother for advice, but the idea of telling her that Kurt had kissed him, that he'd had his very first kiss and then several more, was a little mortifying. His dad wasn't a viable option either as far as Blaine was concerned. James Anderson might have expressed his love and acceptance, but Blaine didn't think he was quite ready for his younger son to come calling for love advice, especially not in a situation that was so complicated.

Miserable and feeling slightly ill from what he'd done, Blaine turned down Tina and Mike's offer to go sledding in the park on Sunday, but was then surprised to find the pair knocking down his front door twenty minutes later. When they saw that Blaine was just moping and wallowing for reasons unknown to them, they insisted on at least having a snowball fight in his backyard.

For a few seconds Blaine half-heartedly tried to refuse, but in the end Mike forced his hat over his curls and Tina shoved him into his coat and gloves. They promptly had a furious snowball fight across the swimming pool in Blaine's backyard, and even though Blaine had protested in the beginning it really was exactly what he needed. Someone to have a good time with without any awkwardness or complicated moments. Just three friends having a lot of cold fun.

By the end of the fight, which Blaine and Mike hotly debated the winner of, Mike slung Tina over his shoulder, then scooped an unsuspecting Blaine up and half-dragged him into the laundry room of his house so that they could strip off their soaked clothes. A quick change and then Blaine's mother forced steaming mugs of hot chocolate into their cold hands and made them curl on the couches in the living room.

Overall, it was much better than Saturday had been for Blaine. No awkwardness when he woke up on his own cot instead of nestled against Kurt's side, no funny ache at the fact that he'd wished he was in Kurt's bed again. Just a good time with two of his friends... who happened to be dating and had managed to navigate the McKinley social hierarchy despite their different standings.

Feeling a little silly, Blaine cleared his throat from his spot on the big armchair. Tina and Mike, cuddled up together on the couch glanced over.

"What's up, dude?" Mike asked, one hand stroking through Tina's dark hair. A pang shot through Blaine at the sight. If only he could have that, something simple and comfortable, without all the pain and drama that was between himself and Kurt. It wasn't wrong to want something that simple for himself, was it?

"I um, I wanted a little... uh, advice from you guys," Blaine began hopefully.

"Sure," Tina murmured, blinking her dark eyes open and twisting against Mike's chest until she could look at him. Her expression was concerned immediately when she caught sight of him. "What's wrong?"

"It's not– there's nothing... " Blaine faltered, and bit his lip. "You know Kurt and I have been... talking a little bit again," he said uncomfortably, because he already knew Tina's stance on this. It was the same as Rachel's, Mercedes's, and Artie's. "Look, I know you don't like that we're trying to work all of this out, but– "

"Because we don't want to watch you get crushed again, Blaine," Tina cut in, looking heartbroken. "I don't want to see one of my best friends in tears for weeks on end. He was always... so important to you, Blaine, and he broke your heart. Please, please, don't let him do that to you again. He's not worth it."

"He is worth it," Blaine said quietly. Tina's mouth had formed a thin, hard line at his words. "Look, you all hate him, and that's fine, but I knew him better than anyone and I know who he really is. That boy... he's still there, Tina. I just want him back."

Frustrated that this conversation hadn't even gotten to the questions he wanted advice on, and knowing that with Tina's anger towards Kurt that it wouldn't, Blaine shrugged roughly. "Forget it. I'll figure it out myself."

"Blaine– "

"No, just don't. All you're going to tell me is to stay away from him and that's not going to help this," Blaine told her.

"Or maybe it's just not the answer you want to hear," Tina argued, and Mike shushed her.

"So, shall we watch a movie?" Mike said into the awkward, angry silence. When neither of them answered he hopped up and headed to the television stand, popping open one of the little drawers and digging one out. "Rent sound good?"

Tina and Blaine both grumbled their agreement. As Mike put the movie in Tina disappeared to the bathroom.

"You think I'm crazy, too?" Blaine asked softly as Mike settled back onto the couch.

"No," Mike said immediately. "I didn't really know you that well back then, but... love's a crazy thing. I trust you to know him well enough to know what's real and what isn't. We all know how lonely you are without a boyfriend while the rest of us have someone. I can't blame you for at least trying to see if something comes from it."

Blaine nodded, but didn't ask anything else. He didn't talk throughout the movie, and when Tina and Mike left later that evening his goodbye to her was very stiff. What he really needed was someone with experience in love and complicated relationships, someone who was so honest with him that it was usually like a slap in the face.

His phone started ringing when he was halfway up the stairs to his room, and the familiar Duran Duran tune made his heart leap. Cooper. Who better to ask than the man with forty ex-girlfriends and counting.

"Squiiiirt," Cooper greeted, his voice a little static-y and muffled. "Guess who's commercial is going nationwide?"

Pushing open the door to his bedroom, Blaine smiled slightly at his brother's excitement and let the older man prattle on while he settled down on his bed.

"– then they're going to do a second one with the new jingle in a few months, and that's going to run local at first unless the other one really takes off, and I mean, it's my face and voice, why wouldn't it right?" Cooper boasted.

Blaine nodded to himself, then realized Cooper couldn't see him. "Sounds great. I'll get to see your face during commercial breaks."

"Yeah," Cooper agreed a little dreamily. Then he cleared his throat. "So what's distracting you? You're usually a little more convincing with your enthusiasm for my commercials."

"I– can I ask you something?" Blaine questioned nervously, shifting the phone against his ear and curling over onto his side. "Something big?"

There was a pause, and Blaine could easily picture Cooper's startling blue eyes glancing around wherever he was to make sure nobody was listening in. "Sure, Blaine. That's what big brothers are for, yeah?"

Nodding along with his brother's words once more, Blaine finally asked the question that had been on his mind since Friday. "Is love worth it?"

Silence greeted his words. In the background on Cooper's end he heard several car horns blare. "You– who?" his brother demanded, sounding amazed. "I mean, there was– but that was– "

"It's... complicated," Blaine answered.

"It's Kurt," Cooper countered in disbelief. "Again. Or still, knowing you."

"Just hear me out," Blaine told him, "please? I need someone to talk to and there's nobody else... "

"Yeah," Cooper said solemnly. "Go for it, you know I'm here."

It took Blaine a quarter of an hour to go over everything that had been happening since before Christmas. How Kurt was slowly becoming the boy Blaine had been friends with, and then the sudden kiss that had sprung up out of nowhere from what Blaine could tell.

A low whistle greeted the end of Blaine's tale. "So was he good with those lips or– "

"Cooper!"

"Right, sorry, just curious. Of course if he was bad you wouldn't really know, would you? No experience and all– "

"Coop, be serious!"

"All right, all right," Cooper laughed. The little pause made Blaine sure his brother had finally put a sock in it and gotten serious once more. "I think you did the right thing, for now at least. I don't think I could bare having anymore tearful phone calls from you like that one... "

A shiver ran through Blaine at the memory. Everything about that day made his insides seize up.

"If he's really worth it, he'll wait for you to let him in," Cooper decided. "After how much he hurt you... if he really cares now, he's prepared to wait for you to trust him."

The ache in Blaine's chest eased some at his brother's words, but he still didn't feel right. Now that he'd been that close to Kurt he wanted to stay that close every chance he got. The realization that he couldn't didn't seem to register with the rest of his body though.

"Tell you what. I finished filming earlier," Cooper informed him. "I've got some time off so I'm gonna come out and see you. Sound good?"

"Wh– no, you don't have to do that– "

"Sure, I do," Cooper said briskly. "You're my baby brother and you need me right now." Another pause, and Blaine closed his eyes for what he knew was coming next. "Besides, if you and Kurt do get busy I need to be there to walk in and ruin it."

Blaine groaned, and immediately regretted it when Cooper used the noise against him.

"Oh, come on now. You're supposed to sound like you're enjoying yourself, not like you're in pain. How are you ever going to convince an audience with that noise?"

When Blaine met up with Kurt after his Cheerios practice, his friend was incredibly distance. Much more than he had been at any point since the beginning of September. It worried him a lot, because even if Kurt didn't talk about it, Blaine knew about the pressure the other Cheerios, especially Santana, were putting on him, not to mention the general pressure from Coach Sylvester and perfecting all of those routines.

They made the short trek to Kurt's house in silence, and then holed up in his room to do the homework for tomorrow. The entire time Kurt kept glancing over at him nervously, and it was starting to distract Blaine. Maybe it wasn't Cheerios related, maybe... Had Kurt finally understood what he'd said with that song? Were all of his efforts finally paying off?

"I don't want to go to school tomorrow," Kurt said in a rush, sounding slightly hysterical as he tossed his pen down and tugged his knees up to his chest.

Surprised, Blaine said nothing for a moment. Not related to Blaine's feelings then. He sat up and scooted closer to Kurt. "Why not? W- what's going to happen?"

"I– they're trying to box me into staying a Cheerio," Kurt whispered.

Blaine looped his arms around Kurt's shoulders and eased the other boy back into his embrace, clutching him tightly to his chest. "Shh, I thought you were quitting Glee, not Cheerios."

"I won't have a choice," Kurt mumbled. "Santana knows I- I'm g- gay, and if I don't ditch you by tomorrow or make you a jock or something then her and Quinn are going to out me and– "

Blaine's heart slammed to a halt in his chest. His limbs went numb as Kurt clutched his chest tighter and started to cry. How had they found out? Sure, Kurt's voice was a little high, and his gestures were... well, not as masculine as the other guys, but–

"You won't be alone," Blaine assured him softly. "Don't– you've got me. I'll come out, too, and if they still want to mess with us, then they'll have to mess with both of us."

"But I'm n- not– I don't think I'm ready," Kurt gasped, eyes still streaming as he pulled out of Blaine's arms a little.

Blaine sat up some, too, and used his shirt sleeve to wipe Kurt's eyes. "I– you won't lose me. Your dad will kick them all in the face if they give you crap. So will Cooper. I wish I could give you more time, but we'll do this together, okay?"

Kurt hiccupped loudly, eyes red, as he gave Blaine a small, watery smile. "I'm so lucky I have you."

Blaine smiled shyly in return and ducked his head. "Maybe we'll be ready together since we're not ready on our own?"

Kurt dove back into his arms and hugged him tightly. There were no words as an answer, no nodding against his cheek or anything to indicate Kurt's agreement. But Blaine could feel it. In the warmth of Kurt's embrace, and the way the tremors coursing through the other boy's torso lessened as Blaine hugged him back. He wasn't ready for this, they both weren't, but they'd face it head on tomorrow, and everything would be all right.

It was Monday evening before Cooper arrived in Ohio. Blaine picked him up from the airport once school was out, and then they surprised his parents at home. It was nice to have his brother back, to have someone to horse around with, and talk to late at night when they were lounging on the couch with the television buzzing across the room. There was nobody quite like his older brother, nobody who knew he so well and completely.

He updated Cooper on how Kurt had acted upon their return to school earlier that day. The other boy had kept his usual distance, but there had been a brief moment in the hallway, where Kurt's eyes had sought him out and the pale boy has graced him with a tentative smile. Santana had caught the look though, and Blaine had turned away when she'd started making sexual gestures at the pair of them.

On Tuesday Cooper wanted to take him out to lunch, so after fifth block Blaine headed to the main office and had Cooper check him out for the day. Cooper drove them out to Westerville for reasons Blaine didn't entirely understand until they pulled in to a tiny little restaurant Blaine had never heard of.

"Been craving this place for a good six months," Cooper said as they climbed out of the car and headed inside. "Best cheese fries I've ever had."

Blaine perked up at those words. "And you've never brought me here before because?"

Cooper shrugged and cuffed him on the head. "Didn't want to share my favorite secret. Grab a booth."

Blaine slide into a dark blue one by the pool table in the back corner, glancing around at all of the decorations and antiques on the walls. "Dad would never set foot in this place."

"That's why me and my Dalton guys always came here," Cooper told him. "None of their parents would have either."

Blaine nodded, cast an eye over to the bar across the room and smiled slightly. "I like it. Better than the fancy suit and tie places Dad likes."

"Definitely," Cooper grinned as their waitress came over to take their drink orders.

It was refreshing to sit down with Cooper, talk, laugh, and eat their way through three plates of cheese fries, and several root beer floats. There was nobody else Blaine was this comfortable with, not since he'd lost Kurt. Maybe that was part of the reason he craved that relationship so much. It was familiar and to some degree felt safe.

"So I was thinking we could head over to Dalton, check out the soccer game?" Cooper asked, looking a little unsure for the first time since his arrival yesterday afternoon. "Need to check in on my legacy, see how the team's doing... "

"Sure," Blaine said a little cautiously.

He had the sudden feeling that Cooper had planned this out, but he didn't say anything. He couldn't really blame Cooper if he was trying to introduce him to Dalton and ease him into a possible transfer. Even now he was still debating with the idea of leaving McKinley, making the development of his friendship with Kurt easier because they weren't classmates. At the same time the idea of leaving felt like giving up and that thought always settled like an infection in the pit of Blaine's stomach. He'd once sworn to never turn away from Kurt or give up on him. He wasn't about to start now even if the other boy might deserve it.

The drive from the restaurant to Dalton was incredibly short, which made Cooper's earlier statement about coming here with the other Dalton boys more understandable. It was the cheapest and closest place nearby the huge grounds of Dalton Academy.

Immediately Blaine felt overwhelmed by the sight of the towering main hall at the front drive, but Cooper drove straight past it, slowing down some and pointing out various buildings and dorms, and even a few spots where he'd played soccer and football with the other boys on the weekends. They ended up at the back right corner of the campus, parking in a small lot next to a smaller, single story building. From the sounds of the whistles and announcer the game was almost over, but Cooper was thrilled to be there, and immediately lugged Blaine into the gymnasium and up the stands.

The last part of the game was a blur for Blaine, he barely understood anything that was going on, and was definitely more than a little distracted by all of the attractive guys both on the field and in the stands. If the game had been outside he might have been able to pass his blush off as his cheeks being numb with cold, but he couldn't inside the gym. Cooper kept nudging him and grinning slyly at every cut guy that passed by, and Blaine was horribly embarrassed by it all. He had absolutely zero experience with any sort of romantic interaction, except those few kisses with Kurt, and Cooper damn well knew it.

A crowd of boys in blazers spotted Cooper from across the stands as the final buzzer sounded.

"Cooper Anderson?" one of the boys shouted, waving his arm around over his head.

Cooper turned and beamed. "Blaine you're going to love these guys!"

Blaine was half- lifted off his feet next second as Cooper approached the boys. There were a lot of hugs exchanged, and even more confusion for Blaine, but it was the bond they all seemed to share that really caught his interest. These boys were his age and had definitely not been freshmen when Cooper had still been at Dalton. How could they possibly know him so well? Blaine knew those first few years after high school Cooper had stayed in-state, but he hadn't expected him to know so many guys at Dalton.

"Guys, this is my brother, Blaine, possible transfer next year," Cooper added, sounding more than little hopeful. He nudged Blaine with his elbow and jerked his head towards the group of five guys. "These are some of the Warblers."

"It's nice to meet you," Blaine said politely, shaking the closest's hand.

"Do you sing, too?" one of them, a tall blonde, asked, looking curious.

"Uh, y- yeah," Blaine stammered, feeling even more surprised when all the boys murmured in excitement instead of sneering at his answer. "Male lead in my Glee club."

There was even more murmurs, and then one of the soccer guys joined the group, sweating but grinning broadly. He was one of the boys that had caught Blaine's interest from afar, and close up Blaine found himself just as red in the face. His stomach didn't squiggle like it did around Kurt, though. Nobody had ever managed to make that happen, but the taller boy was certainly handsome.

"Nice game, Sebastian," one of the Warblers complimented the new arrival.

The tall brunette nodded his thanks, and with a gulp Blaine realized the boy's eyes had paused on him. "New recruit? Always nice to see a handsome face join us."

"Sebastian," one of the Warblers warned. He was Asian, a little taller than Blaine, and looked more serious than the others. "He's not interested– "

"Oh, ho," Cooper chimed in with a huge grin. "Blaine's got a thing for hot guys, and he's single."

Blaine turned swiftly and glared at his brother, but he couldn't ignore the blush creeping up his neck and face. So this had been the purpose of their trek west for the evening. Cooper was trying to push Dalton on him, and part of Blaine already liked the atmosphere. If they'd had this conversation with a group of boys at McKinley... well, Blaine didn't want to think about how many bruises he'd have by now.

"Is that so?" Sebastian said slyly. "So when do you plan on gracing the Warblers with your beautiful presence?"

"I'm not– I haven't decided if I'm transferring or not," Blaine said firmly, giving Cooper an angry look. "I've got my own Glee Club to lead, and my boxing class at the gym– "

"We've got a boxing team you could join," Sebastian cut in. "The Warblers are still trying to find a decent male lead. We all have a go at it, but... we don't quite have the charm for it."

Had Sebastian just winked at him? Completely thrown by the gesture Blaine stared at the group, feeling both welcomed and a little unnerved by the flirting. None of them seemed the least bit concerned by a gay man flirting with another, though, and that immediately put Blaine at ease. He wouldn't have to worry about his sexuality if he was at Dalton. There might even be other gay boys besides Sebastian that would flirt with him. Maybe even one that gave him butterflies like Kurt...

"You want to go out to dinner with us?" Sebastian offered, eyes still fixed on Blaine. "Once a Warbler always a Warbler, right?" he added to Cooper.

Cooper declined the invitation, telling them that they had just eaten, but the look lingered in Blaine's mind for the entire drive home. It wasn't that he had been instantly attracted to Sebastian, but hadn't that been what he'd wanted the other day? Something simple and easy without all the drama that was tied to Kurt. Someone who would shower him with affection instead of ignoring him in the school hallways. Maybe it wouldn't be with Sebastian, but Dalton...

Dalton seemed to open a whole new world of possibilities for him.