Kurt chased his boyfriend out of the choir room, not having to run far to find him. Blaine had momentarily slumped against a locker, but when Kurt caught his eye he stood up straight and sighed as he patiently waited for the excuses he knew would come.

"I didn't mean to get this competitive."

Blaine angled his body so that he was facing Kurt. Even when he was furious, he was always so composed when he spoke to people; making eye contact, speaking at a regular volume, avoiding harsher language than necessary. Kurt hoped it would be in his favour that their conversation would be calm. Until Blaine responded.

"Of course you did, Kurt, it's what you do."

Kurt was taken aback and the only thing he could think of to say filled him with regret the second it was out of his mouth.

"I never thought I'd actually win."

Blaine looked at Kurt for a long moment, the hurt look on his face reminiscent of only a handful of their other encounters, none of them recent. Kurt had forgotten just how big and sad Blaine's eyes could get- and just how quickly- when his boyfriend and best friend offended him so deeply.

"I'm sorry." Kurt could think of nothing else but told himself that, as it was a phrase he said so rarely, it had to mean something now.

Blaine nodded slowly as though every movement of his head was hurting.

"That was a really beautiful song, Kurt. I think it would work better if you sang it alone though."

Kurt's heart seemed to burst into flames in that moment, melting and searing the inside of his chest.

"Blaine, don't leave."

The other boy grimaced, his handsome face so perfectly suited to looking disappointed.

"I think if you thought about it, you'd realise you didn't really want me to stay."

Blaine gently pushed past Kurt to walk slowly but deliberately across the hallway and down the stairs. Kurt watched him until, eventually, he was out of sight.



Two weeks previous.

Blaine sipped his coffee, the appreciation and relief all over his face as he set the paper cup back down on the table. Kurt smiled one of his smaller smiles, all smug satisfaction and quiet amusement.

"I'm going to miss watching you wake yourself up at noon with caffeine and biscotti."

Blaine continued to drink his coffee and take a bite of his midday breakfast as he replied.

"I don't know. We still have weekends."

His eyes met Kurt's and they both laughed.

"It's not the same though, Blaine." The slightest hint of a whine had entered Kurt's voice at the end of the sentence but it disappeared into a facade of reasonableness and practicality as he kept talking.

"I mean, this summer has been amazing. But what do we do now that we won't see each other every day? It's going to suck. I'm sorry, but it is."

Blaine looked mildly perturbed by the way his boyfriend was talking and searched his face for any sign that it was more than Kurt's usually melodrama. He wasn't conscious enough for this sort of talk yet. Trying to joke away the anxiety, he made what he thought was a harmless suggestion.

"You know, you'd be welcome back at Dalton any time. Next to me, you're the best soloist the Warblers have ever had."

Kurt gave a little smile of acknowledgement that became a sigh. How could he be so in love with two such irreconcilable things at once? Kurt knew he couldn't go without New Directions- last year had almost killed him, burgeoning love affair or not- but a summer of seeing as much of his boyfriend as he wanted left him bereft at the thought of part-time access. And yet...

"What if you came back with me?" Kurt wasn't looking at Blaine but into some unknowable distance, the look on his face denoting a plan he was forming as quickly as he spoke. His eyes turned back to Blaine's face and he looked expectant.

"Back where?" Blaine's voice was hesitant.

"McKinley, of course." Kurt looked excited but Blaine couldn't suppress a groan. A year's worth of intensive self- examination had unfortunately neglected to relieve Kurt of his tunnel-visioned focus on his own goals. Blaine could see that Kurt was about to power through all of his protests with reasons he was rapidly accruing in his mind. So he stayed silent and picked up his coffee, ready to be somehow persuaded.

"Now I know that the Prom Debacle probably didn't give you a great sense of the overall merit of the place but it's a pretty good school, Blaine, and Glee Club could use a talent like you! Come on, it'd save your parents a fortune and the Bully Whips'll make sure nobody tries anything. We could be together all the time, no more waiting for weekends or sneaking out for mid-week movie dates!"

Blaine took the opportunity of Kurt pausing for breath.

"I don't know, I-"

But Kurt was already off again.

"I mean, don't you want to walk down the hallway holding my hand?"

Blaine sighed and looked down. By now he was used to being worn down like this and had his answers ready.

"You know I do."

"Then will you try this for me? I spent six months at Dalton with you."

Blaine didn't mention all the ways that this was different, though they strengthened his resolve.

"I'm not going to transfer."

Kurt's eyes narrowed at Blaine's final refusal. His respect for his boyfriend battled his overwhelming desire to get his own way.

"You're right. I don't know what I was thinking anyway; it's better to be a big fish in a little pond."

"What?" Blaine asked, almost choking on his coffee. His cup was still covering his mouth as his eyes widened.

"Do you think I only get solos at Dalton because the Warblers is a small talent pool?"

Kurt was careful to play the next moment perfectly, pretending to lose his words in a hurry to clarify his meaning before casually shrugging his shoulders.

"No," he said finally, making sure it sounded unconvincing. The word came out sounding more like a question than an apology- entirely Kurt's intention- and it stoked Blaine's building anger.

"Kurt, I'm a great singer- you've said so yourself. Being in the New Directions wouldn't alter that, one way or the other."

"Theoretically, you're right," Kurt said slowly, keeping his tone cautious and doubtful. He resolved to finish his game with his next sentence.

"Oh well, we'll never know."

Blaine set his his coffee cup onto the table harder than usual, sending small droplets of liquid into the air. He was annoyed at himself for getting so worked up. But then Kurt assumed a pose of shock- recoiling back in his chair, eyebrows raised -which led Blaine to redirect his irritation at its rightful source.

"Blaine-" Kurt started, never expecting to finish the sentence. He understood his boyfriend- hell, he understood people- enough to know he'd won.

"I'll see you on Monday," Blaine replied calmly, before standing up and walking out of the Lima Bean. He knew he'd just been manipulated beyond belief in around four sentences but Kurt's ability to access his emotions was what had brought them together in the first place; he shouldn't be surprised. Blaine resolved to win at this little bet they'd just made, if only to prove to himself that he should ignore the insecurities Kurt had playfully uncovered. After all, how hard could it be?

Kurt thought for a moment, too distracted to revel in his success. He suspected Blaine was already planning the best possible audition song. He smiled to himself.

Good.


*


"Wow, thank you, Blaine."

Mr. Schuester's face was covered in a smile and he gave a few token claps before turning to the Glee Club that had nestled itself in a pocket of seats toward the back of the auditorium, a few steps up from where he stood. Every one of the members had relaxed into their chairs, elbows on the arm rests and bodies slumped into comfortable, almost sleepy poses.

"Any feedback gang?"

Blaine waited expectantly on stage, a little out of breath from his performance but smiling. Schue gave a meaningful look to the group but it was a few moments before finally Santana slowly raised her arm, her dark eyes half-closed in a look of casual boredom.

"Is that it?"

Blaine looked surprised and Schue went to answer but Finn leaned forward in his chair and spoke first.

"It's just that when Kurt sings girls' songs he changes it up a little- dances around- acts it out- you know. You were kind of just... making out with the microphone."

Rachel, sitting next to him, piped up: "Vocally, it was a little bombastic for my tastes. You don't really have the range to show off like that. Ultimately, I think that detracted from what would otherwise have been an entertaining albeit mediocre performance."

Puck's input was short. "What about doing some Dylan?"

Blaine put his hands over his eyes for a moment, frustrated and surprised at what he was hearing. Looking back up at the group from the stage, he found his exasperation coming through in his words.

"Well, maybe if some of you guys had agreed to do a simple two-step behind me like I asked you to, I wouldn't have had to pull out all the stops."

As one, the male club members scoffed and looked at each other in disbelief, except for Kurt who was looking increasingly uncomfortable. Schue turned to Blaine, his voice gentle but firm.

"That's not really how we do things here."

Tina and Brittany exchanged looks.

"Guys," Schue continued, "go easy. Maybe it'll just take some time to get used to Blaine's... different style."

The group immediately began muttering and talking amongst themselves and Blaine's shoulders slumped as he turned to stare up at the ceiling, his voice audible to those still listening in the audience.

"I can't believe I left Dalton for this."

Kurt looked at the ground. Santana, however, took the opportunity to call out to Blaine.

"How is Munchkinland coping without you? Aren't you their mayor? I mean-"

"-Santana," Kurt spoke for the first time, driven to action by her needless adding of insult to injury; "shut up."

But Blaine had already walked off stage. He didn't see all the apologies clear in Kurt's eyes. And he didn't hear Brittany's review as she leaned in to whisper to Tina.

"I liked it."


*


Blaine was seated at a corner table in the empty cafeteria when Kurt found him and quietly sat down next to the smaller boy, just waiting.

"Lunchtimes were always the best at Dalton- you remember. So many people. So many performances."

Kurt gave a small smile and Blaine turned to him.

"I know what you were doing at the Lima Bean, Kurt, but I didn't move here to prove you wrong. I'm here to prove me right. You were just playing, I know that, but I need to know the voice telling me that I can make it is right."

"It is, Blaine. I was stupid to make you doubt yourself even for a second- I'll never do that again. I'm not good at letting things go; I'm used to getting my own way."

"Me too," Blaine said kindly, his eyes offering everything Kurt still wasn't used to receiving.

"Thank you for understanding," Kurt said, feeling strange for needing to say it but stranger still for having someone to say it to.

"Thank you for challenging me," Blaine countered with a playful look before getting serious again.

"It's what I love about you."

Kurt felt himself warm as he always did when Blaine said those words. Kurt looked into the depths of Blaine's eyes as he said with certainty;

"We're going to have so much fun this year."


*


The boys walked into the choir room the next day, sitting down in time for Will to give out the coming week's assignment.

"Now I know we may have gotten off to the wrong foot last week with some of our new members-" Schue gave an apologetic look to Blaine- "so this week's theme is going to be a little different, hopefully shake us up a little, get us thinking about some new styles."

The emphasis he placed on the last word made Kurt roll his eyes and Blaine look down. Undeterred, Will turned around to scrawl on the whiteboard and reading aloud:

"Female pop icons of the eighties."

Kurt turned to Blaine, excitement illuminating his face.

"Let's do it together."

"Sure," Blaine grinned.

This would be good.


*


Kurt watched his boyfriend storm out of glee club for the second time in two weeks.

He had won, the club had voted unanimously that his performance had outdone Blaine's in the duet and, honestly, no one else had ever really been in the running for first place here. The glee kids preferred him, they loved him, and they had let him know. Blaine had lost their bet and the competition and felt as Kurt had done so many times before; infuriatingly average.

But Kurt didn't feel victorious. He felt empty and ashamed of himself and suddenly completely aware of how his previous behaviour had been unacceptable and foolish. He didn't even hear the congratulations from his friends. He followed Blaine out of the room so fast that Finn's hand missed him as his step-brother went to pat him on the back.

*

Blaine had momentarily slumped against a locker, but when Kurt caught his eye he stood up straight and sighed as he patiently waited for the excuses he knew would come.

"I didn't mean to get this competitive."

Blaine angled his body so that he was facing Kurt. Even when he was furious, he was always so composed when he spoke to people; making eye contact, speaking at a regular volume, avoiding harsher language than necessary. Kurt hoped it would be in his favour that their conversation would be calm. Until Blaine responded.

"Of course you did, Kurt, it's what you do."

Kurt was taken aback and the only thing he could think of to say filled him with regret the second it was out of his mouth.

"I never thought I'd actually win."

Blaine looked at Kurt for a long moment, the hurt look on his face reminiscent of only a handful of their other encounters, none of them recent. Kurt had forgotten just how big and sad Blaine's eyes could get- and just how quickly- when his boyfriend and best friend offended him so deeply.

"I'm sorry." Kurt could think of nothing else but told himself that, as it was a phrase he said so rarely, it had to mean something now.

Blaine nodded slowly as though every movement of his head was hurting.

"That was a really beautiful song, Kurt. I think it would work better if you sang it alone though."

Kurt's heart seemed to burst into flames in that moment, melting and searing the inside of his chest.

"Blaine, don't leave."

The other boy grimaced, his handsome face so perfectly suited to looking disappointed.

"I think if you thought about it, you'd realise you didn't really want me to stay."

Blaine gently pushed past Kurt to walk slowly but deliberately across the hallway and down the stairs. Kurt watched him until, eventually, he was out of sight.

*

Kurt walked back into the choir room and fixed his eyes on the girl responsible for Blaine's humiliating defeat.

"Santana!" he burst out, "Lay. Off." He had lost his trademark self-control, eyes brilliant with anger as he jerked his head as if to ask why.

"Kurt's right," Quinn said carefully, "You're being even more of a bitch than usual. What's Blaine done to offend you?"

"Nothing," Santana replied sulkily, crossing her arms in a way that looked bizarrely like a self-hug.

"I just want to let him know that if we're going to have a resident Dancing Queen-not you, Britt-" Brittany looked perplexed-"it's going to be Kurt."

Kurt looked at Santana incredulously but said nothing. Mr. Schue stood up from his chair, his sternest look on his face.

"I'm sure Kurt appreciates your loyalty, Santana, but your behaviour was completely inappropriate."

At this point Will stopped speaking just to the sour-looking girl in the Cheerios uniform and directed his words generally toward the students dotted around the choir room.

"We need to welcome new members, guys. You won't be here forever. New Directions could die after you all graduate if we can't generate new interest."

The club members looked sheepish.

"Sorry, Kurt," they murmured together, each grimacing in apology.

"It's not me you need to make it up to," Kurt replied, though his usual haughty look let them know that he would be alright.

"Okay, gang," Schue said, clapping his hands together, "what are we going to do?"


*


"There he is," Kurt said to Mercedes under his breath, and she gave the signal to the other glee kids to creep into the cafeteria and take their positions surrounding the back corner table. Blaine sat there alone, picking at his lunch with a plastic fork and a glum look on his face. It broke Kurt's heart to see him so alone, used to being surrounded by Warbler team mates all the time. But it was all going to work out. This was one of Blaine's favourite songs; it would make him feel at home. Behind him, Puck began playing Schue's borrowed ukulele; his cue.

Softly, Kurt started to sing;

"Don't you worry there, my honey
We might not have any money
But we've got our love to pay the bills,"

Walking slowly toward a shocked-looking Blaine who had just looked up to see his boyfriend serenading him, Kurt ignored the amused and blank stares of the other students in the cafeteria and continued with his plan and song;

"Maybe I think you're cute and funny
Maybe I wanna do what bunnies do with you
If you know what I mean-"

Here Kurt gave a suggestive smirk, surprised at his own confidence and encouraged by Blaine's reluctant smile.

"Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France
Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance
Let's get rich and build a house on a mountain making everybody look like ants
From way up there; you and I,
You and I,"

Kurt had reached Blaine's table now and was standing right next to his chair. Taking his boyfriend's hand, he pulled him gently out of his seat and melted inside as Blaine took his rightful part in the song;

"Well, you might be a bit confused-"

"And you might be a little bit bruised," Kurt replied, mouthing a silent "sorry" after his line.

"But, baby, how we spoon like no one else," Blaine gave a knowing smile before going on;

"So I will help you read those books
If you will soothe my worried looks,"

And together;

"And we will put the lonesome on the shelf,"

Their harmony was more comforting to Kurt even than Blaine's hand in his, and as the entire glee club's voices joined theirs, the joy was too much to keep from covering his face.

"Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France
Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance
Let's get rich and build a house on a mountain making everybody look like ants
From way up there; you and I,
You and I."

As the song finished, some of the kids in the cafeteria started clapping and Blaine threw his arms around Kurt in a fierce hug. When they finally broke apart, Kurt felt Puck's hand on his shoulder and looked at him in wordless thanks. Blaine however, looked like he was going to cry, as he looked at all the members of New Directions gathered around him.

"Thank you. All of you."

"Does this mean you'll stay with us?" Mercedes asked expectantly, smiling encouragingly.

Blaine paused a moment and turned to his boyfriend.

"Can I talk to you for a second, Kurt?"

Off-put but not deterred, Kurt smiled awkwardly.

"Of course."

The boys walked out into the hallway together, the same hall that had witnessed so much of their collective pain. Blaine knew Kurt would want to talk first but refused to let him this time.

"I'm going back to Dalton."

Kurt's face fell.

"Blaine-"

"Kurt," Blaine said firmly, smiling as he went on, "It's not you. It's not New Directions. I just think I should be with the Warblers. And you should be here."

"But just then, out there-" Kurt gestured toward the cafeteria where students were trickling out the doors toward their lockers and afternoon classes. He was running out of time to have this conversation. To convince Blaine. All he could say was;

"We were perfect."

Blaine leaned forward and took Kurt's hands in his, tender eyes not leaving his boyfriend's.

"We are perfect. No matter where you are, or where I am. We are going to be just fine. This just isn't my home. I belong there. And you belong here."

Kurt felt himself tearing up but couldn't break eye contact.

"I'm going to miss you."

"Me too."

Blaine pulled him into a hug and kissed Kurt gently on the cheek.

"Thank you for today. Walk me out?" Blaine cocked his head toward the exit sign at the end of the hall. Kurt gave a conceding half smile and as they wandered slowly through the crowd. At the doors, Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand before letting go and moving away.

"Blaine!" Kurt choked out before Blaine was completely out of reach. The boy turned around.

"I'm really looking forward to Sectionals."

A massive grin burst across Blaine's face, one of the best Kurt had ever seen.

"Me too."