"I cant believe this…." Kurt muttered to himself as he stalked towards the elevator, fumbling with his burgundy dress shirt which was missing a button thanks to his new step-brother. Kurt had tried to spruce up the otherwise plain costume choice for sectionals by putting a clip on that particular button which Finn had mistaken for a bug and tried to swat off Kurt, leading him to this predicament where there was no entirely too much of his pale chest exposed for his liking.

He needed his sewing kit, and quickly. He had left it in their prep room up on the seventh floor of the hotel sectionals was being hosted in, and was regretting not bringing it down with him. How many times had his sewing kit saved his buns at the last minute before? He should have anticipated this kind of situation.

"Hold the elevator!"

Kurt looked up and stuck his hand between the closing doors to get them to bounce back open, letting in another boy who was either here as part of that prep school who was supposed to be competing against them in sectionals or as a part of the catholic school group that was meeting in another room downstairs given the uniform he was sporting.

"Thanks." The boy huffed, pressing the button for the ninth floor and leaning back against the wall of the elevator to catch his breath.

"No problem." Kurt said quietly, glancing away before he could be accused of staring. The boy was much too good looking to be wasted on Catholic school Kurt decided. Hopefully he wasnt a part of their competition either, he could probably win over the judges on good looks alone with that dapper schoolboy crossed with disney prince look.

Silence ensued as the elevator beeped as it passed each floor. Just as they were coming up on Kurts floor and he readied himself to step out, the elevator jostled softly and then kept ascending.

He glanced to the panel, sure that he had pressed the button for the seventh floor. Oh well. Hed get it on the way down.

There was another jostling as they passed the eighth floor, and then the elevator stopped. Instead of opening up though to expose them to the ninth floor where the other boy had indicated he was getting off, nothing happened.

"Huh…" The boy pressed the door open button after a second, which resulted in much the same nothing that had preceded it.

"Maybe…" the boy murmured as Kurt watched him press the ninth floor button again, and then the door open button. Nothing happened.

"Must be just a glitch." Kurt offered, "Im sure itll wake up in a second."

So they stood there, listening to one another breathe and staring at the door as it it held the secrets of the universe. Still it didnt open, and the elevator had stopped moving.

It was apparently too much for the boy to handle, and he started pressing buttons at random and madly, not even getting so much as a ding in response to his panicked actions. "Come on… come on…."

"Hey… hey… "

Kurt waved a hand to get the attention of the man, whose amber eyes seemed to be spinning in his sockets, so upset by their predicament. "What?"

"Im sure its nothing. Look. Theres a number to call over the buttons in case of an emergency…." Kurt pulled out his phone as the boy glanced to the phone number in question and nodded. "Ill call and Im sure well be out in a minute."

The boy nodded, slumping back against the wall of the elevator and staring at the buttons and the door in turn. He looked so defeated, Kurt noted to himself, sneaking another peek over as the phone rang in his ear until a voice on the other end picked up.

"ello?"

"Hi! I...er.. two of us are stuck in the elevator."

"Where at?"

"Uh… I think between the eighth and ninth floors…"

"No. I mean what building."

"Oh. The Conference Suites on Second."

"Okay. Ill call a tech and give you a call back on this number when I get a time estimate."

"Wait!" Kurts breath quickened as he realized this was clearly not an easy fix. "Im supposed to be competing in a show right away! I need to get out!"

"Ill do what I can, but I aint an elevator tech so youll gotta hold out."

There was click and Kurt pulled his phone away, staring at it in disbelief, and, for the moment, forgetting that he wasnt alone.

"Its bad isnt it?"

Kurt looked up, the urgency in the other boys eyes reflecting exactly how Kurt felt. "Yeah…. I mean… I dont know. He said hed call a tech and then call me back…."

"Cant they just… pry open the doors?"

Kurt shrugged and looked over the door, smoothing his fingers over the seam where the door came apart. Surely it couldnt be that hard to open….

He slipped his phone back into his pocket and dug his fingernails into the small crevace, mentally promising them hed give them a full manicure later to make up for this indiscretion as he grunted and tugged, trying to wedge open the doors to no avail.

"Here. Let me try." The boy offered and Kurt stood back as he made an attempt with similar results, or rather, lack thereof.

"Oh god… I cant believe this." The boy whined, letting his forehead thump against the metal of the door. "This is so stupid…."

Kurt sighed, knowing he couldnt disagree as he pulled his phone out and began typing out a message. "Im letting my glee club know the situation. Do you want to borrow my phone afterwards so you can let whomever you need to let know - know?"

The boy nodded, waiting until Kurt was finished and greedily took his phone to make a call.

"Hey! Trent!... Its Blaine…. Yeah… Yeah… I know! Look, Im stuck in the elevator….. No Im not joking….. We called someone…. Well no, obviously Im not alone…. I know the competition starts soon!... What do you want me to do? Explode the elevator?... Yes I tried pushing all the buttons…. Look, all I can do now is wait…. well thats all I can do!... Tell the guys please…. Okay… okay…. okay…. bye."

The phone was handed back as the boy ran a hand back over his hair in exasperation, making them bend down and spring back up in turn under the hold of whatever was keeping them in place. "Thanks."

"Youre welcome. Kurt, by the way."

"Blaine."

Kurt smirked asymmetrically, "Yeah. I go that. Youre apparently one of my competitors."

The boy, Blaine, perked up his dark caterpillar eyebrows, "Oh yeah? McKinley?"

Kurt nodded, "Yeah. New Directions. Youre a Dalton Academy Warbler?"

The boy nodded in turn, pointing a finger to the embroidered D emblem on his blazer. "Yeah. Thats me. This is crazy huh?"

"To say the least…." Kurt sighed and leaned back against the opposite wall of the elevator. "Well hopefully they can get us out before the competition…."

His phone dinged and he looked down at it, a message from Finn flashing across his screen.

Dude! Thats insane! The lead singer of the Bird group is also stuck in an elevator! Weird!

Kurt chuckled at the message and peeked up at Blaine, who was averting his eyes just as Kurt looked his way. "Youre the lead singer?"

Blaine nodded, "Yeah. Howd you know?"

Kurt held his phone up, "My brother, another member of my glee club, said the Warblers were missing their lead, also coincidentally stuck in an elevator."

Blaine shrugged modestly and nodded Kurts way, "You the lead for your group?"

Kurt shook his head, looking away as the question prompted an automatic coolness in his blood. "No. I excel at swaying in the background."

"Im sure thats not true."

Kurt snapped his eyes back to Blaine, "Youre right, its not. Im an exceptional performer, but I fail at being as demanding of the spotlight as some other group members who end up hogging it."

"Countertenor?"

"Voice gave it away?"

Blaine shook his head. "No. The show choir blogs mentioned that McKinley had an underused countertenor."

"Oh."

"You dont check the blogs?"

Kurt shook his head, gripping the top of his buttonless shirt together tighter, "No. I get bullied enough for being in glee club as it is…"

"Glees not cool at your school?"

"It is at Dalton?" Kurt perked up a skeptical eyebrow.

Blaine nodded, "Yeah… the Warbler are like… rockstars."

Kurt chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. "Wow. How does that happen?"

"Zero tolerance policy on bullying for one."

That got Kurts attention, and his eyes were set on Blaine from that second forward, "Really?"

There was a tip to the side of Blaines head as he regarded Kurt for a silent, thoughtful moment that sent a shiver up Kurts spine. "How bad is the bullying?"

Kurt let out a shaky breath and let his eyes dart about for a split second before letting them fall back onto Blaine. "Are the Warblers all… gay?"

Blaine chuckled at that and Kurt went flush in the cheeks as he mentally chastised himself. Of course they werent all gay. That was stupid. He was the only gay guy in his glee club, why should it be different anywhere else?

"No… no… I mean, I am. But the rest of the guys… no." Blaine grinned, mouth full of tiny, well placed teeth that he flashed Kurts way before letting his smile fall flat. "You get bullied for it hey?"

Kurt nodded, realizing he had all but admitted he was gay himself with the question. "Theres this one guy… makes it his mission to make my life a living hell…."

Blaine sighed at that and Kurt looked to the floor, focusing on the linoleum covering it and tracing the pattern with his eyes. "I transferred to Dalton because I was bullied too… but its not an option for everyone… its pretty pricey."

Kurt nodded. He knew it was a ridiculous idea to even imagine anything outside of McKinley - especially with his dads recent heart attack, the medical costs, and the money spent on the wedding. His family was financially stable, but definitely not making any kind of profit to justify a private school.

He listened to Blaine sigh again, "Look… I know you dont know me, and probably dont trust me since Im your on stage enemy… but bullying is bred of ignorance. I ran away from my bullies, but maybe you have the opportunity to stand up to them. To do what I didnt… to have courage."

Kurt smiled towards the floor, slowly raising his face until he was eye to eye again with the other boy, smiling back towards him.

"They teach you some pretty sweet words at that prep school of yours huh?"

Blaine laughed and nodded, about to reply when Kurts phone rang. For a moment he had forgotten where they were and the situation they were in, but the unknown number that matched the number above the elevator buttons was flashing on his screen and urgency set itself into his bones one again as he picked up the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey. You the one stuck in the elevator?"

"Yeah. Thats me."

"Okay. I called the repair guys and left a message. Ill let you know when they call me back."

"But… what… how long are we going to be stuck in here?"

"I dont know. Sorry. Call you back soon hopefully."

Another click and Kurt pulled the phone away from his ear and stared daggers at it. How could the guy be so nonchalant about this? He was trapped in an elevator for gods sake!

"Bad news huh?"

Kurt nodded, looking back at Blaine and slipping down the side of the elevator with his back until he was sitting on the ground. "I have a feeling were going to have to be patient… or in my case, learn to be patient."

Blaine followed Kurt motion, sliding down until he too was sitting. "Glad Im not claustrophobic though."

Kurt forced up a smile, "So. Tell me more about your school for dapper young men."

Blaine laughed at that and began speaking at length about the policies at Dalton, how the Warblers often shut down the school with impromptu performances, how the other Warblers were like brothers, and how Dalton had a strong academic reputation on top of it all. Kurt got lost in it, pretending he could go to a school like that where Karofsky didnt exist and he could be free to be who he was without fear of repercussion. Regardless of the threats though, Kurt tried to be himself at McKinley, but he felt his strength dwindling each and every day. There would come a time he would snap, and he knew it.

Dalton though. Dalton seemed like a safe haven. Blaine certainly seemed to like it, and, alpha gay demeanor aside, he was accepted as gay there by the sounds of things. If only the blazer didnt cost so much….

The phone rang again, and as Kurt looked at the same elevator contact number on the screen, he noted how fifteen minutes had passed since the last call. At least Blaine had helped to keep his mind off things.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Elevator guy?"

"Yeah. I guess thats me."

"Okay. Guy called me. Hell be at your site in about thirty minutes he figures and then itll just be a few minutes more after that to pry you out."

Kurt groaned, but acknowledged the wait time before finishing up with the man once more and then shooting a text out to the New Directions to inform them of his status before holding the phone out to Blaine. "Thirty minutes plus. Sorry. Hope you have a back-up in your group."

Blaine frowned as he dialed a number and then, once again, Kurt listened to the one sided conversation.

"Hey Trent….. No were not out…. Thirty minutes or more…. Yes Im serious…. No, its not a prank….. Well figure it out….. I cant solve this from where I am…. Yes Ive seen Resident Evil…. Please dont say stuff like that…. Okay Trent….. Okay…. Yeah…. Yeahyeahyeah… Bye."

Again Blaine handed the phone over and sighed as Kurt took it and set it on the floor in front of him, watching the random messages come in from his glee mates. "Whats Resident Evil?"

"A horror movie about zombies… the first one was the best… anyhow… theres this elevator scene where -"

At the mention of horror movie coupled with elevator scene, Kurt plugged his ears with his fingers and went "La, la, la!" to tune out the information. He was never good with horror movies, and the last thing he needed was anxiety gifted from a zombie movie.

To his surprise, instead of looking at him as if he was insane, Blaine laughed once he saw Kurts reaction and Kurt freed his ears of his fingers. "Sorry. Not a horror fan."

"Its okay. I get it. So…. Ive told you about Dalton. Tell me about you."

"How is that even? Shouldnt you want to know about McKinley?"

Blaine shook his head, "From what youve told me about the bullying, McKinley sounds like a carbon copy of the school I left to come to Dalton. Tell me about Kurt though. Kurt seems interesting."

It was a recipe for disaster, because it had been such a long time since anyone had truly asked Kurt about himself and Kurt had been waiting for such a moment that he had several dialogues prepared in his mind. He went with the most familiar one though, telling Blaine all about growing up, his mom dying, coming out to his dad, the football team, cheerleading, fashion, setting up his dad and Carole, the heart attack, and even the crush he had on Finn.

"And now the guy is your step-brother?"

Kurt nodded, "He is."

"Wow… isnt that a little… awkward?"

Kurt burst out into a little giggle, hastily bringing his hand up to cover his lips as his cheeks burned red. "Yeah… but walking in on him… uh… doing stuff… with his hand…. oh god…. Well it made things even more awkward, but more on his side now I think."

To that, Blaine burst out in reciprocal laughter, feeding Kurts bout of giggles until he was completely red in the face and hunched over on himself gasping for air. Blaine faced the same malady, and for a moment they were silent, just gasping for air as they overcame their laughter.

"So… can I ask then… whats with the shirt?"

Kurt looked down at where his knuckled had burned white clutching the top of his shirt together and tipped his head to the side. "A button came off."

"So why the death grip?"

"I dont like to show skin."

"Do you have… gruesome scars…?"

"No."

"A bad tattoo?"

"No."

"A giant, hairy mole?"

"Ew! No!"

Blaine shook his head, "Then why are you so worried? Its just an extra inch of flesh."

Kurt shrugged, looking down at himself, "I guess… clothing acts as something of a shield for me. I feel better when I have the layer of protection. Without it I feel too exposed… even if its just a slight exposure."

There was no mocking, no judgement, just Blaine nodding solemnly and Kurt sighed inwardly, glad to have someone who just accepted that piece of him, even if it was someone he had only just met and talked with out of being trapped in an elevator.

"So look, Kurt, when were out of here… maybe youd like to -"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Kurt skyrocketed to his feet at the noise that sounded like it was coming from the side of the elevator, within the shaft. "Hello?!"

"Hey!" A muffled voice called through the elevator, "Ill have you out in just a second! Hold tight!"

"Hold tight? Hold tight?" Kurt looked towards Blaine with eyes gone wide, "What does he mean hold tight?"

"I think its just an expression used in poor judgement given where we are…." Blaine said calmly as he too stood up just as the elevator wobbled for a moment and then there was a creaking and the door slowly pulled open to the eighth floor.

Kurt was quick to exit, spinning in place and texting quickly to his friends downstairs. Blaine followed him off, yelling back to the unseen elevator shaft man that they were off.

"They delayed the performances for us Blaine! But we need to be there… now!" Kurt said, watching the messages flash over his screen and grinning back to the other boy.

Blaine smiled and nodded, reaching for Kurts hand. "Come on. Lets take the stairwell."

"But… my button…"

"I happen to have a friend down there that always carries two sided tape with him, and up until today we didnt know why. If you can handle the fashion faux pas of the fix, I think itll be faster and easier for you to use that if theyre waiting on it."

It was all explained as Blaine led Kurt to the stairs, running down with Kurt in tow until they reached the main floor and exited into the lobby where members of both their teams were waiting, calling out to them and immediately separating them to be cared for by the group. At some point some tape was sent Kurts way, making for a temporary fix that made him feel more comfortable, and then they were each on stage, both giving it their all. Blaine was a masterful lead, and certainly a natural entertainer. Kurt only wished he could have done more than make "ohs" and "ahs" in the background.

When it was over, and a tie was declared between the Warblers and New Directions, Kurt was finally able to go over and shake Blaines hand.

"Hey. It was nice to meet you… and you have a great voice."

"It was good to meet you… and hey…. can I give you my number? Itd be good to have a new friend…"

Kurt nodded, entering it into his phone and sending Blaine a message immediately so hed have his number as well before he was corralled onto the bus and forced to retell his not-so-epic tale of being trapped on the elevator to the group who apparently didnt have enough drama in their lives. Part-way through the tale, his phone buzzed and as Kurt pulled it out, he beamed.

Courage. - Blaine