Author's Note: Hello again! This is the only fanfiction as of yet that I have written without my sister, so I hope you like my solo style. Feedback is awesome!

The story is a multi-chapter Klainefic, taking place shortly after Silly Love Songs, when I originally started writing it. Blaine and Kurt begin to develop their relationship, only to be met by an unexpected challenge. Will a friend's significant request be enough to tear the boys' newfound love apart?

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the show Glee. Song credits in this chapter go to Paramore: "Misguided Ghosts."

~Chapter 1~

Kurt dreamt of hazel eyes. And then there was that gorgeous hair. And…and the lips… And always, Kurt could hear singing. Something about the voice in his dreams was so irreplaceable, so completely perfect… He wanted it for his own. He wanted it to be singing just for him. He needed it. But how- Kurt wondered- would he ever reach the voice in real life, when even in his dreams it was so very far beyond his grasp?

x.x.x

I'm going to die. I'm going to die right now and I haven't even lived to meet Patti LuPone… Kurt's thoughts raced sporadically, his mind in jumbles. He knew he had to have been making that face again- Miles kept nudging him back into focus- but he just…couldn't help it. And he wasn't the only impressed Warbler in the room, right?

A quick glance around confirmed Kurt's suspicions; everyone's eyes were locked on Blaine as he sang. Maybe it was just the desire to beat Wes out for the chance at a solo. Or maybe it was the fact that this was the first time that Blaine had preformed an acoustic number for them all in weeks. But, whatever the reason, Kurt was blown away. He inhaled slowly, the longing to listen to this one song forever suddenly unbelievably overwhelming. And with the background pitter-patter of rain against the windows perfectly in time with every soft, lilting note and meaningfully expressed lyric, Kurt was sure he had only just now learned the true definition of beauty.

"Would someone care to classify

Of broken hearts and twisted minds

So I can find

Someone to rely on…"

Miles gave Kurt another playful jab in the ribs, his knowing grin a mixture of warning and amusement. Yes, Kurt was glad to have finally made a close friend at Dalton. But did Miles really have to be so… perceptive? Kurt was certainly having enough trouble admitting his feelings for Blaine to just himself. Nice as Miles was, Kurt truthfully didn't know if he'd ever be able to open up to him about the situation. In the meantime, however, it seemed as though Miles was perfectly content to make up his own theories about Kurt's emotions… none of which, so far, he could honestly deny.

"And there's no one road

We should not be the same

But I'm just a ghost…"

Kurt turned away from Miles, a sudden warm moistness threatening to spill over in his eyes. Something about Blaine and the song was driving Kurt's feelings up the wall, and he had to struggle to hold them back for fear of any embarrassment. Sometimes, his confident and collected façade seemed to be the only thing keeping him from melting into the hopelessly romantic puddle he knew he had become. Trying to pull off a tough outer shell never hurt anyone. Kurt could fantasize about the perfect relationship all he wanted and not have his heart broken in the process…couldn't he?

When at last the song came to a close, Blaine looked to Kurt, their eyes lingering on one another's for one, too-short moment. Kurt's breath caught, and the silence in the room seeming to press in on him from every side. The only other person in the room seemed to be Blaine in those few seconds. Kurt's every nerve ending tingled with the anticipation of what the next instant would bring. Strange, how one person could freeze his whole world like that. It didn't seem practical, and it was in no way something that Kurt wanted to admit was becoming a bit of an addiction.

Suddenly, the Warblers in the room burst into applause, snapping Kurt straight back into reality. Blaine smiled modestly, standing up from the stool that he had occupied at the center of the room. David gave him a congratulatory slap on the back, both then walking to sit in their respective seats.

"Well," Miles murmured cheerfully, leaning closer to Kurt's ear. "Looks like Wes' got his work cut out for him now, doesn't it?"

x.x.x

Blaine was pretty sure that mindlessly binging on coffee and biscotti was not the healthiest of ideas. Still, he had to think in private, and it just so happened that the Lima Bean was particularly empty at the moment.

There was far too much on his mind. Term papers were due soon and regionals were approaching faster and faster all the time. And then there was the solo he had been so focused on. All those hours spent planning and practicing… and now what did he have? He'd won the solo, but… what he really wanted was…

"Thought I might find you here. We've really got to get you shipped off to Coffee Addicts Anonymous one of these days."

Blaine looked up, nearly jumping in surprise at the familiar voice. His eyes landed on Kurt, who stood beside the table. He had turned in his Dalton uniform for a soft-blue sweater and dark jeans, and his eyes danced with a joking sort of mischief. Blaine felt hypnotized.

He swallowed, wracking his brain for a witty response of some sort. "Maybe," he choked out lamely, forcing a smile and dropping his eyes back to the table.

He was so confused. Since when was Blaine Anderson ever at a loss for words? The fact that it had been happening a lot lately was enough to make him worry. Maybe working out his current situation with Kurt wouldn't be as easy as he had originally thought.

"You were great singing today."

Blaine looked up again as Kurt took the seat across from him and then reached out to steal one of his biscotti. It was strange- the more comfortable and natural they became with one another, the harder it was for Blaine to comprehend his own feelings. Yes, he liked Kurt as a friend and yes, he definitely wanted more. But… he should have been able to recognize what was happening between them. He had been in love before, hadn't he? Or, at least he had thought that he was in love. Softly, Blaine let out a bitter laugh, the memory of serenading a rather frightened Jeremiah at the Gap rising to the surface. That couldn't have been love… but, at the time, Blaine had managed to convince himself otherwise. Maybe that was the reason why he felt so wary now; he couldn't make the same mistake again. Not with Kurt, anyway.

Blaine searched Kurt's eyes, all pure and blue and perpetually honest. He wanted so badly to tell him how much that simple compliment meant. And, even more so, he wanted to explain to Kurt how he really felt about the solo, how much he would give to trade it in for a duet. Kurt, I want you to sing with me. Just the two of us. I don't need a solo anymore, I just want to sing with you, he replied in his head, his tongue betraying him aloud with a different response. "Thank you," Blaine answered with a small smile. "I was hoping you'd like it."

Kurt's eyes abruptly became unreadable, and Blaine returned to nervously sipping at his coffee. "I did," Kurt assured him. "I really did. It was fantastic." These words were like a catalyst to all of Blaine's fantasies. He could almost hear the duet in his head, the way their voices would blend together into breathtaking harmonies, the way they would seamlessly fit together their solo lines like puzzle pieces.

Blaine's smile widened a little. "Thanks," he said again, eyes trailing down to Kurt's fingertips as they played absentmindedly across the edge of the table. What he wouldn't have given to take Kurt's hand right then- just that one, tiny gesture to show that he cared. But, no… he couldn't make that kind of move right now. After all that had happened to Kurt at McKinley, some fear or hurt still must have been lingering. And to be the one to bring those feelings back to the surface… Blaine just couldn't do it. He would have to wait, have to confirm that there was no way for him to lead Kurt into more pain and misery than he had already faced. Because, if Blaine knew one thing for sure, it was that Kurt mattered to him. A lot. And there was nothing that was going to change that feeling now.