“Kurt! Hey, Kurt!” Blaine weeds his way through the dining hall to the table in the far corner where Kurt takes his lunch every day. Kurt tends to sit alone out of personal preference. It gives him an undisturbed hour to eat his spinach salad and flip through his copy of Vogue, privately planning weekend outfits for when he gets to ditch his stuffy school uniform and wear something decidedly more Kurt Hummel-esque.

Wardrobe matters aside, he always has time for an intrusion from Blaine.

Kurt turns his head in the direction of his dapper friend.

His best friend…though boyfriend would sound so much better. Kurt doesn't even know if Blaine sees him that way, but he's willing to wait and find out.

Apart from the daily coffee dates, the flirty duets, the private practices, the Saturday night pizza/study/movie marathons in Blaine's room, they were, for the moment, just friends.

Bros.

Two guys hanging out.

God, Kurt hopes that changes soon.

At least Kurt managed to fall in love with an adorable, sweet, gay guy.

That shows some promise.

He watches Blaine excuse himself as he brushes past a cluster of tables occupied by other friends and classmates, waving at them with one hand, a copy of the school's newspaper clutched aloft in the other.

“Hey!” Kurt greets Blaine, clearing a stack of books off of the seat beside him and pulling it away from the table for Blaine to sit down. “What's up?”

“Have you read the school paper today?” Blaine asks, his usually cheery smile suddenly a tad suspicious.

“No, I haven't had the pleasure,” Kurt replies, but what he really means is Ugh, thank heavens, no. The Dalton Daily is the closest thing to a gossip rag that Kurt has read since he transferred to Dalton, and he was surprised to find it here considering Dalton's numerous policies with regard to morals and accuracy in reporting. If he didn't know any better, he would be certain that Jacob Ben Israel had been moonlighting as a Dalton Daily reporter, what with the kind of drivel that he's seen printed in its pages.

“Well, there's something in here I think you need to see.” Blaine opens the newspaper and lays it out flat on the table, pointing to the headline at the top of the page.

“Dalton's OTP of the Month,” Kurt reads out loud, rolling his eyes. “God, Blaine. Really?”

“Just…keep reading,” Blaine says, pointing back toward the article. Kurt shakes his head and continues.

“As you guys know, Dalton's OTP is usually awarded to a Dalton student and a Crawford Country Day student who exemplify the ideals of fostering interschool spirit…” Kurt pauses to sigh deeply, displaying his aversion to this type of garbage. My sincerest apologies to the trees that died to print this twaddle, he offers up silently before he continues. “But this time we have decided to choose a couple a little closer to home. So this month's Daltons OTP is Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel?” Kurt's jaw drops and his eyes snap up to meet Blaine's. “What the…but we're not…”

“Even dating,” Blaine picks up. “I know. Keep going.” Blaine motions back to the article.

Kurt swallows, his cheeks growing hot. He doesn't know how Blaine expects him to continue reading seeing as his mouth has gone as dry as the Sahara.

“More than once has this reporter been inspired by the relationship of these two kindred spirits – their easy friendship, their mutual and constant support of one another, as well as their overwhelming dedication to Dalton Academy…who in the world wrote this?”

“I don't know.” Blaine keeps an eye on Kurt's face as Kurt peruses the lengthy article. “Daltons OTP is written in round-robin and submitted anonymously. No one is supposed to know who writes it.”

“Wow,” Kurt says, his eyes jumping from photograph to photograph, “whoever this reporter is really went for the extra-credit on this one. I mean, don't they usually only go for two candids at most? We got a whole two-page spread.” Kurt feels his palms go clammy and he knows he's holding the edges of the paper too tight (he can hear it shaking in his hands) but what he's looking at is every daydream he's ever had of being with Blaine - drinking coffee together in the senior commons, singing together front and center on-stage with the Warblers, huddled close while they do their homework, Blaine holding a door open for Kurt, eating lunch and laughing, even one of them catching a nap with Kurt's head resting on Blaine's shoulder.

The photos don't lie. Kurt knows they spend a lot of time together, and since day one they have been very close. But looking at it laid out plainly like this, it's everything he's ever wanted – not two good friends hanging out together, but him and Blaine as a real couple.

This is definitely going in the scrapbook, he thinks, making a note to head to the journalism room to get a fresh copy…or seven.

When Kurt looks back at Blaine, Blaine has a poised smile on his lips, his hazel eyes melting into a color closer to honey-gold.

“What?” Kurt asks, self-conscious of his sweaty hands wrinkling the newspaper.

“You know, Kurt,” Blaine says, reaching down and taking Kurt's hand, stopping one half of the paper from shaking, “I don't really put much score behind what they print in this paper…”

Ouch. Well, that answers that question. Kurt drops his head and nods.

“But…” Blaine ducks his head to catch Kurt's gaze, “maybe people are seeing something that we haven't yet.”

Kurt's eyes perk up, and he fights not to chuckle with the nerves bouncing around in his stomach.

“What are you trying to say?” Kurt asks.

“I'm saying…” Blaine turns in his seat to look at Kurt fully, “maybe we should give us a chance.”

Kurt looks from Blaine's gold eyes down to the images filling the pages in front of him.

“We haven't really talked about it…” Kurt starts, folding the paper neatly with his free hand. “But you're my best friend…”

“You're my best friend, too…” Blaine sighs, “and I would never want to do anything to ruin that, but if I don't give what we have a chance, I know I'm going to regret it.”

Kurt looks at the paper folded with some of the photos still showing, then his eyes move to where Blaine's hand rested on his.

Kurt doesn't want to lose Blaine as a friend, but Blaine's right. Kurt will regret it every day if he doesn't find out what they could be together.

“Yes,” Kurt says, realizing it sounds kind of vague, but by the way Blaine's face lights up, Kurt knows he understands. Blaine leans forward, biting his bottom lip and smiling that confident yet shy schoolboy smile that makes Kurt's everything go weak.

“How about we find some place private to talk this over a little more?” Blaine suggests. “Maybe make us official.”

Kurt can't find a word to say, not even to agree, so he nods instead, standing from the table and gathering up his books with Blaine giving him a hand. They head out of the dining hall together with Kurt's messenger bag thrown over Blaine's shoulder, hands holding each other, mindless of what anyone around them might think.

From a table nearby, Jeff and Nick peek over a sea of blue blazers and watch their two friends walk out of the dining hall hand-in-hand, secret conniving smiles on their faces, while beside them, Thad raises his Canon Rebel and snaps a picture.