In Nick's defence it wasn't his fault. He didn't mean to look out the window, and he didn't mean to look into the house across the way, and he most definitely didn't mean to stare. Okay, fine, maybe a little bit.

He'd been finishing on an English paper and complaining to himself about how much he hated the stupid book when he happened to glance out the window. Nick had never really seen the curtains open before; his family had recently moved in and he'd never bothered to go over and say hello to all the new neighbors. He noticed someone moving around inside, and leaned away from his computer, his brow furrowing as he struggled to look through the window.

A flash of gold bounded in front of the window, as a young blonde danced across his room, pausing to admire his reflection in the mirror. From what Nick could see, the boy appeared to be around the same age- 15 or 16- but had a good two or three inches on him. He giggled as the blonde continued to rock out, the faint strains of music filtering in through Nick's open window.

Nick grinned, and turned to return to his English paper when he saw a flurry of movement from inside the other house. He paused, spellbound, as the blonde drew his shirt over his head, tossed it on the bed, and processed to flex.

Nick unconsciously licked his lips, clearly enjoying the view. He stared for a few minutes, before shifting awkwardly in his chair, suddenly aware of a growing bulge. Shit, shit, shit, he muttered, looking down at his lap, you've really gotta control yourself Duval. You see a hot guy shirtless for two seconds and suddenly you're horny as fuck? What the hell. He glanced at the other house tentatively, only to find the blonde staring back at him, wide-eyed and frozen on the spot.

Nick felt his cheeks grow hot, quickly jumping off his chair and hiding behind his bookcase, praying that the other boy hadn't actually seen him and was just staring at his reflection or something.

When he finally worked up the courage to return to his desk, Nick peeked out the window carefully, his heart dropping as he saw the curtains in the other house closed. He had seen. The blonde had seen him. "Shit."

For the next four days, Nick was constantly checking the house next door. The curtains, however, remained closed, and the brunette found himself inexplicably disappointed.

On the fifth day, Nick was surprised to see the blue curtains parted halfway. He leaned over the side of his desk, homework temporarily forgotten, as he tried to catch a glimpse of his mysterious neighbor. For some odd reason, Nick hadn't been able to keep his mind off him. He'd never seen the blonde before, and his new school wasn't that big, which led him to believe that the mystery boy was either homeschooled or attended a school outside their district.

He took off his glasses and drummed his fingers on the desk, hoping to catch just a glimpse of the other teen, when his head suddenly popped out from behind one of the curtains. Nick was so surprised that he fell onto the floor with a dignified thump. He groaned, rubbing his arm gingerly, almost positive that he could hear the sound of laughter trickling in through the window. Still blushing, Nick stood up, before looking out into the neighboring house. To his surprise, the blonde was still there.

"Klutz," the boy mouthed.

Nick felt himself blush even more, "You scared me," he mouthed back.

The blonde laughed, "You were spying on me."

"Was not," he shot back, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

"Why, d'ya like whatcha saw?" he asked, winking.

Nick grinned, feeling extraordinarily daring, "Maybe."

The blonde grinned, then turned his head away from the window, nodding a few times before looking back. "I gotta go," he mouthed, pointing to the door apologetically.

Nick nodded, "See you later, then?" he asked, a hint of a pout on his face.

The blonde smirked, "Only if you're lucky," he replied, standing up and giving Nick a nice view of his ass before he whirled around and pulled the curtains closed.

The next day after school, Nick was once again at his desk, his eyes darting over to the open window every so often. He was halfway through his chemistry homework when he heard a door slam and a radio begin to blast. The brunette lifted his head up tentatively, then set his pencil down and opened his blinds, only to find the blonde sitting on the window seat, a pad of paper in hand. He grinned cheekily, tilting the page towards Nick. Hey.

A slow smile spread across Nick's face, and he scrambled to grab a notebook. Hi, he scrawled back hastily, before lifting it up for the other to see.

Over the course of the next few weeks, it became a sort of routine. Nick would come home from school, open his window to let other teen know he was home, and look out every so often to see if the blonde was there.

Nick had filled up perhaps three notebooks from writing to the other boy, who refused to tell him his name.

Guess¸ the blonde had written, wiggling his paper teasingly.

Nick paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. Apollo? He wrote back, a faint blush spreading across his face.

The blonde frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. Why Apollo?

Nick bit his lip. Being the history geek that he was, the Greek god Apollo had been the first thing Nick had thought of, seeing as the other teen's hair was bright blonde, and the god was generally associated with sun and light. Apollo was also the god of music and poetry and pretty damn hot for a deity, only adding to Nick's choice of names. Because of reasons, he wrote after a moment, holding up the paper to the window.

The blonde rolled his eyes and smiled. Can I call you Superman then? His eyes widened and he quickly pulled the notebook back into his lap, scribbling something down and holding it up again. No wait, Clark Kent. Cause you wear glasses and you're kinda secretive and I'd LOVE to see that ass in tights.

Nick blushed and, not knowing what to say next, chose instead to stick his tongue out and close the blinds. When he peeked out the window a few minutes later, Nick saw the notebook propped up on "Apollo's" windowsill. Catcha later, Clark ;)

He felt his cheeks burn once more, closing the blinds, taking off his glasses and leaning his head against the wall. He hadn't even heard the blonde speak, yet he was closer with him than he was anyone else. Apollo had even accidentally seen Nick in his glasses once when he'd forgotten to take them off. Nick had always hated how he looked in his glasses, choosing only to wear them at home, but when Apollo told him he looked cute, Nick had been sure to "accidentally" leave them on a few times after.

Nick laughed slightly at the memory, acutely aware of the blood pounding in his ears and the fluttering sensation in his chest. He laughed, playing his fingers against each other, before he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror, a stupidly happy smile spread across his face. The brunette groaned, burying his face in his hands. He didn't even know if Apollo was gay. Hell, he didn't even know Apollo's name. He leaned back, closing his eyes, images of the blonde filtering through his mind- how he scrunched his nose when he laughed, the way his face lit up when he smiled, that stupid smirk he wore that made Nick blush like a madman. As the brunette dragged his hand through his hair, he thought that maybe, just maybe, none of the other stuff mattered.

The following week proved difficult for Nick. He didn't understand a thing in math class, his soccer coach had upped the hours of practice, his parents were forcing him to fill out applications for some private school, and on top of all that he was still struggling with his newfound feelings for Apollo. He avoided the blonde for a few days- half on purpose, and half because of how busy he was.

Nick looked out the window, catching the eye of the blonde. Apollo raised his head, holding up his notebook. Did I do something wrong?

Nick blushed; he'd been seen. No, no, I've just been really busy with school and everything. Sorry.

Apollo nodded understandably. My school's crazy too. Don't worry about it.

Nick smiled slightly, where do you go to school anyways?

The blonde shook his head. Somewhere, he wrote back, shrugging. He paused, flipping over the page. I'm gonna go get a snack. I'll be right back.

Nick nodded as he watched Apollo get up from the window seat and wander off into his house. He returned moments later, a red popsicle dangling between his lips.

Nick swallowed nervously; the next few minutes were about to get very hard.

Apollo appeared to sense the apprehension in the boy's face and smirked, hollowing his cheeks and sliding the popsicle in and out of his mouth seductively. Like what you see? He wrote, winking slyly.

Nick felt his cheeks burn, shifting uncomfortably as Apollo pulled off with an audible pop, the popsicle staining his lips a dark red. He leaned forward, resting one hand on the windowsill, his ass swaying slightly. C'mon Clark, y'know you want me. Nick reddened even further. If only the blonde knew how true the statement was.

Apollo was in the middle of writing something else, when Nick saw a blonde woman enter his room and tap his shoulder. Apollo looked up and froze, his face turning as red as his popsicle. From his house, Nick could hear the muffled sounds of an argument, which ended in the blonde teen nodding submissively, before turning back to Nick, his face still burning.

This time, it was Nick's turn to smirk. Niiiiice.

Shut it, Apollo pouted.

Make me.

Maybe I will.

Apollo raised an eyebrow appraisingly. I'll be looking forward to it, he wrote before he winked and walked away from the window, leaving Nick to his thoughts.

So you ever gonna tell me your name?

Geez, I thought you'd know by now. I'm Apollo.

Nick fought the urge to roll his eyes. That's not what I mean and you know it.

The blonde shrugged. Guess you'll never know then.

C'mon, please? We talk every day.

Apollo smiled slightly. Let me hear your voice then.

What?

Your voice. I wanna hear you talk.

Nick blushed. Why?

Call me curious. I wanna see if the great Clark Kent sounds as good as he looks.

The brunette flushed further, causing a self-satisfied smirk to appear on Apollo's face. I'm sure you'd love to hear me screaming your name, Nick scribbled back, feeling much braver than normal.

Nick felt a small spark of victory as Apollo reddened slightly, then picked up his pen. Oh you know it.

You better tell me your name then.

The blonde shook his head. I told you already, it's Apollo.

I hate you.

No you don't.

Nick sighed, Kay fine. Maybe I don't.

Nick pulled open his blinds and looked out into the other house; it was nearly six o'clock and he hadn't seen Apollo all day. The other boy's curtains were open, but he didn't seem to be in his room. The brunette was about to return to his work, when the blonde strode in through the door. Nick moved to wave, but Apollo didn't seem to notice.

Whether he realized it or not, the blonde was in full view of the Nick; the floor length mirror along with the open curtains granting him a nearly 360° view of Apollo's room. He watched, intrigued, as Apollo closed his door, before clambering up onto the bed.

Was he sick? Nick wondered.

Apollo then kicked off his pants, shimmying out of them, before he leaned up against his headboard and began to palm himself. He slowly dragged his hand up and down his length, his head falling back against the wall.

Nick gulped, unable to tear his eyes away. This was Apollo, his friend! This was awkward, this was wrong; this was…really, really hot.

The blonde quickly began to get into it, his hips jerking forward as his thumb played over the tip. From what Nick could see, Apollo's cheeks were pink and his brow damp, his blonde hair sticking to his forehead. Nick felt his pants tighten and a small whimper escape him.

He looked away, quickly shutting his blinds, feeling incredibly ashamed for creeping on his friend like that. He blushed as he remembered the look on Apollo's face as he- no, no stop it! He screamed internally, before burying his head in his arms.

It was gonna be a long night.

Hey can I tell you something?

The blonde nodded. Of course, he scrawled back hastily, you can tell me anything.

Nick bit his lip; it was now or never. I'm gay.

Apollo tilted his head gently. And your point is?

I just thought you should know.

The impact of Nick's words finally dawned on the blonde, his mouth forming a silent 'o'. Since we're talking about it, I'm gay too.

Nick's stomach tightened and the familiar fluttering sensation returned to his chest. A flood of emotions filtered through him, ranging from "Oh holy fuck, yes!" to "But he'd never like someone like me". It took everything the brunette had not to jump up and scream. He instead ran his hand through his hair, a bright smile on his face. Cool.

Do you think a person could fall in love with someone without really knowing them?

Nick paused, his pen hovering over the paper, I don't get it.

Like you don't know what they look like, or what they sound like, or who their friends are, but you know what their heart is like- could someone fall in love like that?

The brunette couldn't help but internally aww over the hopeful expression on Apollo's face. A matching smile slowly spread across Nick's face as he wrote out his reply. Yes, I think you can.

The blonde nodded. I thought so.

Nick looked down at the acceptance letter on his desk.

His mom had been thrilled, "I'm so proud of you, Nick," she'd proclaimed when he'd read it aloud.

"Nice job, buddy," his dad had said, ruffling his hair.

"I won't have to leave though, right?" Nick had asked, toying with the edge of the paper, "Just cause it's a boarding school doesn't mean I have to board?"

She'd shaken her head, "No, of course not. We live close enough so you can live here and commute if you'd like."

A sharp rapping on glass brought him from his thoughts. Nick looked up and saw Apollo in his window, smiling concernedly. You okay?

Nick shrugged, I'm changing schools.

The blonde's eyes widened slightly, before he reigned in his emotions. Does that mean you're moving?

He shook his head. Nah, it's a private school not too far away. I can board if I want, but I told my parents I'd rather stay here.

Oh, okay. Good.

Nick felt his pulse quicken as Apollo smiled. Why, would you've missed me?

The blonde bit his lip slowly, before he tugged the notebook into his lap, scribbled something down, and held it up for Nick to see.

Maybe.

Nick rocked back and forth on his feet apprehensively. He'd only been at Dalton for three days when he saw a poster for the a capella group and auditioned. He'd gotten it, but had yet to meet anyone besides the Council.

"Okay everyone, I'd like you to meet our newest Warbler, Nick Duval!" Wes's voice cried from inside, before he opened the door and ushered the brunette in.

Nick waved awkwardly, "Hey guys," he greeted, before Wes dragged him around to say hello to everyone.

At the table in the back corner of the room, two Warblers, friends by the names of Jeff and Blaine, were goofing off, not really paying attention to the meeting. At least until Blaine dropped his sheet music, and Jeff bent down to pick it up, his gaze landing on the group's newest member in the process. He stared at the brunette for a moment, before his eyes grew wide in recognition. "Shit," he murmured, quickly ducking down and scrambling under the table.

"Jeff? You okay?" Blaine asked, raising an eye brow curiously.

The blonde shook his head viciously, "Just- don't say anything, okay?" he hissed. He was here- Clark was here- and while Jeff had always managed to play it cool around the brunette, he was desperately afraid of the brunette discovering just how awkward and weird he was.

Blaine shrugged, "Alright, whatever."

A moment later, Wes came over with Nick in tow. "Nick, I'd like you to meet Blaine Anderson. He's our main soloist here."

Nick smiled warmly, "Hey, nice to meetcha."

Blaine grinned bashfully, "Ah Wes, I don't get all the solos. Jeff and Trent get just as many as I do."

Nick turned to Wes, a trance of confusion on his face, "Trent? Jeff? Trent's the…sassy one, isn't he?"

Jeff let out a chuckle, which he quickly smothered, slapping his hand over his mouth.

"That's one way to put it," Wes replied, laughing, "And I don't think you've met Jeff yet. Blaine, have you seen him?"

Blaine's dark eyes twinkled mischievously, "Oh he's around he-ow!" he yelped, as he felt someone punch his leg rather hard, "No idea."

Wes frowned, "I swear, if he skipped practice to go flirt with that creeper kid again…"

"Creeper kid?" Nick asked curiously.

Blaine smirked, "Apparently Jeff found some guy staring at him through his window and struck up a friendship with him."

Wes's frown deepened, "It's not funny Blaine, who knows how old he is or how long he'd been watching."

Nick paled slightly, "Has he ever…y'know…talked to the guy?"

Blaine shook his head, "As far as I know, no. Buuuut, he's always talking about how- ow!" Another punch. "Never mind."

Nick bit his lip nervously, grateful that neither of the others noticed how anxious he'd become.

Wes glanced over at Thad who pointed impatiently to his watch, "Well we better get practicing," he began, motioning to Nick to follow, "If you see Jeff, tell him I wanna talk to him."

"Yeah, well tell Wes to shove that gavel up his ass," Jeff shot back.

The Asian boy froze, turning on his heel and walking back to the table, reaching down to pull Jeff out from under it. Nick felt his breath catch as the lanky teen crawled out from under the table, tossing his hair from his eyes with a practised flick of his head.

"Jeffrey," Wes muttered sternly.

"Wesley," Jeff half-sang back.

They matched gazes for a while before Wes finally gave up, rolling his eyes and backing away. "Behave Jeffster."

"Yessir!" The blonde replied, mock saluting. He turned back to look at Blaine, his eyes meeting Nick's as he did so.

"Oh, Jeff," Wes cried, gesturing Nick over, "This is-"

"Clark Kent," Jeff interrupted.

Wes raised an eyebrow curiously, "I guess? And Nick this is-"

"Apollo," Nick finished softly, a shy smile on his face.

Blaine looked between the two, confused, "Wait, do you guys know each other or…?"

Jeff bit his tongue to keep himself from smiling, "We're neighbors."