episode 2.14 -after their fight at the Lima Bean (Kurt's apology) -

Rushing, Kurt found Blaine at his locker the next morning before first block, his shoulders hunched strangely against his small frame. He hadn't answered Kurt's calls all night and at this point, Kurt was pretty much convinced he'd totally screwed things up with the best friend he's ever had.

"Blaine?" Kurt began, his voice tentative. Blaine turned to him with guarded eyes. Kurt immediately felt his stomach drop and his throat go dry but he forced himself to look at Blaine as he spoke. "I'm sorry about what I said, for how I treated you yesterday, I was wrong. It's just…" He took a long breath and nervously ran a hand through his hair, cursing himself internally for messing that up too.

The action was so strange for Kurt that it made Blaine smile despite himself. Since leaving the Lima Bean yesterday he'd felt like gravity was crushing him to the earth. He had thought he knew himself, thought he'd worked his way through all the questions of his sexuality, but now he was questioning everything all over again. He had agreed to a date Rachel Berry in a few days. He felt like a different person or like he was living out of his own skin and he couldn't seem to fit back in, and he didn't know how to fix it.

"It's just my issues with Rachel & whatever." Kurt choked out quickly, his nervous voice bordering on an annoyance that he was clearly trying to hide. "Look, Blaine, I want you to know that I'm really sorry. I'm sorry for judging you and snapping at you and all of it. I really don't want to screw up our friendship either."

Kurt took a deep steadying breath before he finished, his eyes on Blaine. "So I'm sorry, and you have every right to date whomever you want. Even Rachel Berry, if you want," he scoffed, shaking his head in a further attempt to hide his clear discomfort at the idea.

Blaine chuckled and looked up to meet Kurt's eyes for a moment before he nodded, letting himself smile just a twitch as the bell rang in a loud echo. Kurt met his smile briefly before turning to head to class, it took Blaine a few seconds to speak. His voice raising over the noise in the hallway, "Kurt!" He turned mid step to face Blaine, "Thanks, coffee later?"

Kurt nodded, his smile growing wider before turning back to rush off to class.

-After Rachel kisses Blaine at the Lima Bean, about a week later -

Blaine returns to the line expecting to find Rachel saving his spot, but is instead surprised to see Kurt. "Where's Rachel run off to?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, "I honestly have no idea, she said something about how dating a gay guy was songwriting gold or... I don't know… then she grabbed & kissed me." Blaine shot a look at Kurt and he clarified, chuckling. "On the cheek, then she skipped away."

Blaine laughed lightly, feeling better than he had in what felt like weeks. "She must be in a grabby mood today," he offered as explanation.

"I can only imagine why," Kurt visibly shuttered next to him and Blaine barked out a loud laugh while stepping up to place his order. They moved silently through the tiny crowd of waiting patrons to get his drink and return to the table Kurt had been sharing with Rachel.

"So um, are we okay?" Blaine asks as he pulls out a chair to sit down, nervous. Ever since he'd agreed to the date with Rachel, which admittedly had turned out to be not so much a date as just two Broadway freaks geeking out over show-tunes, the vibe between himself and Kurt had been off. Now that Blaine felt like he belonged in his own skin again, he was determined to make things right.

"I'm okay if you're okay." Kurt shrugs as he takes his seat, a small smile on his face. Blaine smiles easily, a sharp feeling of relief settling over the pit in his stomach as Kurt pulls the latest copy of Vogue from his bag, already going on about the brilliance of the designer photo spread this month.

Roughly an hour later

"I'm sorry too." Blaine said suddenly, breaking from their discussion about their favorite reality shows.

"What?" Kurt's neck jerked up, his eyes searching Blaine's face clearly taken aback.

"I'm sorry about this week, with Rachel. I should never have agreed to go on a date with her in the first place, and not just because I'm gay." Blaine admitted, his eyes intense on Kurt. "Because Rachel is your friend, Kurt. And I am your friend and that's just… fucked up. So, really I'm sorry, for my stupidity. I should never have dismissed your feelings or used your friend like that. "

Kurt nodded, averting his eyes to the counter behind Blaine. "If I know Rachel Berry, which I do, I'd imagine she was using you just the same. Besides, I'd be willing to bet my college savings that this won't be the last time she tries to date a gay guy."

Blaine chuckled in agreement, aware that Kurt still had something he wanted to say, simply by the way he was avoiding looking directly at Blaine.

Kurt shook his head slightly, staring down at his coffee cup and fidgeting in his seat before he spoke, "Thank you, Blaine."

"For what?" Blaine demanded, confused. Noticing as Kurt pulled on the lapel of his blazer and straighten his already perfect tie that this was the terrified boy he'd met all those months ago on the staircase, the boy across from him was alone, again. Something Blaine hadn't felt since the day he meant Kurt.

When Kurt didn't answer, Blaine spoke up; his voice harsher than he'd meant for it be. "For what? For acknowledging your existence?"

"Well, that's more than she did," Kurt stated, jerking his head toward the door Rachel had exited earlier. Then with a deep sigh, he learned toward the table and finally met Blaine's eyes; "Just please, um, please don't ever use my… feelings for you against me again… I can't, I mean, that's really not fair, Blaine. I can't help the fact that I like you."

Blaine cuts him off, his voice kind, "I know, Kurt and I'm sorry. It was just the thing with Rachel felt like the easy way out… ya know? Like maybe I could just be straight, be normal like everybody else. Maybe I could even make my father like me again. It was stupid, I honestly wasn't thinking when I agreed to go out with her. And when you called me out I knew you were right, I shouldn't have gotten angry but I just, thought, maybe… "

"I tried once too, with Brittney. Well sort of… I mean I've known who I was since I was five," Kurt shrugs, his eyes back on Blaine. "But I wanted so badly to just be normal for a change. It was right around the time that my dad and Carole were getting serious, so my dad was spending a lot of time with Finn. It just irked me, how easy it was for them to talk, to be father and son, ya know? It didn't matter though, everyone knew. I am gay."

"So am I," Blaine stated comfortably, proudly and without a shade of the doubt he'd felt when he'd entered the coffee-shop. After a moment Blaine caught himself starring as Kurt's eyes shifted to the table, suddenly focused on his food that has probably gone cold. Neither of them noticed it being delivered to them and for a moment he allowed himself the distraction of his admittedly gorgeous best friend.

Kurt's face was turned down as he was recrossing his legs, straightening his tie and checking his already perfect hair again before he sighs and picks up his fork. It occurs to Blaine that Kurt looks almost nervous before a resigned, defeated expression crosses his features and he turns again to his food.

As he noticed his own plate, he was overcome with the memory of Valentines and the moment, just a few feet from where they are sitting; when Kurt's eyes were terrified, admitting that he'd only gone along with the Valentine's serenade idea under the pretext that it was for him.

And if anyone asked, Blaine's honestly not really sure what or how he feels about Kurt anymore...

Kurt scoffs, breaking Blaine's attention with his fork clanging against his plate."Oh my god, how did this happen! I am friends with Rachel Berry!"

Blaine barks out a laugh, nearly dropping his coffee at the horrified look on Kurt's face.