AN: Hi there! (:

This is my first fic ever, and it's a klaine fic!

Now, I know what you're thinking, ANOTHER Klaine fic. But trust me, this is not your average Kurt-meets-Blaine-they-fall-in-love-and-live-happily-ever-after story. So, give me a chance. (:

This chapter is just a introductory part, with lots of background information, but I promise the next chapter will contain more plot and elude to the upcoming issues of this story.

But I'd like to see what the reaction is to this story (if there even is one?) before I publish a second chapter, (which is yet to be written anyway.)

But for now, enjoy! (:

Liv.

(Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my imagination.)

Wes brought his gavel down with a loud thwack in an attempt to silence the room of murmuring Dalton Academy Warblers. Blaine thought to himself that by now, after a whole year of attending Dalton, and being in the Warblers with Wes using is beloved gavel so frequently and unnecessarily that he would eventually become accustomed to the shock that the loud noise subjected him to, but every time the council member banged his gavel down onto the hard wood, causing such a sharp noise, Blaine couldn't help but jump a little. He had come to realize that it was partially his fault, as he often found himself zoning out during Warbler meetings. Lately he had begun to find them boring and tedious, and it was just too easy to daydream. He usually paid attention, but as the end of the school year drew closer, there were less and less items to rehearse, or events to organize. Yet the council still insisted on having their weekly Warbler meetings, which were becoming more and more ridiculous, as people were practically making issues and subjects up to talk about. Blaine, being one of the leaders of the Warblers, was one of those people. He was always looking for ways to liven up meetings, which was difficult due to the strictness of the council.

Blaine raised his gaze to where his good friend and council member, Wes, was seated. Wes looked down on him with the severity and seriousness of a court judge, as though he had just been charged with murder.

"Junior Warbler member Blaine Anderson has proposed that the Dalton Academy Warblers perform a selection of festive Christmas themed songs at the Westerville shopping centre this weekend." Wes announced the blatantly obvious. Blaine nodded in confirmation, and was tempted to roll his eyes. The way everyone at his school was so formal and so… perfect was unnerving to him. He felt like he wasn't in the company of twenty-or-so teenage boys, but in a room full of serious, mature adults. He knew these boys outside of the Warblers too—he had classes with some of them, or sat with them at lunchtimes on occasion, and no of them acted this seriously then, which was what confused him most. He couldn't comprehend why everyone took a show choir so seriously, Blaine thought that singing in a group was supposed to be about having fun and enjoying himself with other people who had a passion for what he did—music. Yet every time a Warblers meeting was on, it was all business.

"The council will discuss your proposal now, Mr. Anderson, your input is appreciated." James, another council member, said as he and the two boys sitting next to him stood to leave the room.

As soon as the doors closed, the room was filled with the boys chatter. No one really cared whether or not they performed at the mall, (although everyone had agreed that it was a great idea), as they were too excited to finish school for the year. Boys were animatedly discussing their plans for the holidays and for Christmas, or what they were looking forward to for next year, or about what college they were planning on attending, or about their final year of high school. Personally, Blaine was dreading coming back to Dalton next year. To all of Blaine's friends and family, Blaine was a free spirit, someone who loved excitement and hated blandness and formalities. Blaine knew it would sound slightly absurd to most people if he told them that the thing he hated most about Dalton was how perfect it was. Nothing out of the ordinary or exciting ever happened, which was what Blaine missed about his old school, and what was a main characteristic of most public schools. With just a couple of weeks left at Dalton, Blaine couldn't wait to be free again.

After a few minutes, the three Warblers who made up the council returned. Blaine knew what their answer would be even before they opened their mouths to speak, but it was worth a try.

"Blaine," Wes began to address the room of expectant boys as he stood, "We have considered your idea, and although it is definitely a good one-"

"Yeah," someone from up the back chimed in, "That place definitely needs some livening up, I can't believe they don't play music in there, it must be the only shop in the mall in the world that doesn't have background music! Like what the-"

"Thankyou, Michael." Wes interrupted the sophomore member in a stern tone over the murmurs of agreement coming from the rest of the boys. "Anyway," he continued, "After much deliberation, we have rejected your proposal, Blaine. The Warblers have enough on their plate, with the performance at the nursing home next week."Somebody groaned quietly as Wes finished before sitting stiffly back in his chair and clasping his hands on the table in front of him. Blaine pretended to look disappointed as he wondered how Wes seemed to have two different personalities. There was Mr Serious-Dalton-Academy-Warbler-Council-Member Wes, and then there was just Blaine's friend, this really cool guy who came up with hilarious one liners and loved singing to himself while strolling through the halls on his way to class. Blaine just shrugged, as a sign of acceptance before taking a seat on one of the brown leather couches next to his friend David. David glanced at him, with a look that Blaine thought might have been slightly sympathetic. This wasn't the first time one of Blaine's ideas had been rejected. The bell rang to signal the end of the period, and Wes brought his gavel down with another sharp thwack. Blaine flinched.

"Meeting dismissed." He declared, before exiting the room as the rest of the group was doing.

"Thankyou, Captain Obvious." David muttered under his breath, and Blaine smiled. At least he knew one other person shared his feelings about Wes, and Warbler meetings… to a point. David and Blaine made their way to their lockers to gather their books for their next classes.

"So," David said to Blaine excitedly, "Pumped for the holidays? Hell, I know I am! Can't wait! Christmas this year is gonna be awesome! I love holidays! Mind you, every year they seem to go quicker and quicker for me… is it like that for you? I plan to make the most of it anyway! Because before you know it, we'll be back here again!" He finished with a tone of displeasure. " I don't know about you, but I'm most certainly not looking forward to that!" David babbled on and on. Blaine wondered how he did it sometimes. Sure, Blaine could be a chatterbox when he wanted to be, but it seemed as though David just never stopped! Blaine even envied him a little; he seemed to have endless amounts of energy, reminding him of the nature of a seven-year-old girl. He should mention that to David sometime…

"Blaine! Are you even listening to me, I've been talking for like, five minutes, and you haven't said a thing!" David was standing in front of Blaine expectantly.

"Huh—What? Oh um, sorry David, you were saying?" Blaine blinked and muttered hazily in reply.

"Dude, you have been so… out of it lately! Are you getting enough sleep? Because you know, Mom always says it's important that guys our age sleep a lot. I was just saying how I'm dreading coming back here next year! Aren't you?" David impatiently explained.

"Oh um, sorry I'm just tired…" Blaine replied, receiving a sceptical look from David. "And I've been meaning to talk to you about that. Next year, I mean. Here, at Dalton…" Blaine felt like he had to tell David, after all, he was his best friend so he was entitled to know what Blaine was planning.

Blaine was so caught up in his thoughts, wondering what would be the easiest way of explaining his intentions, that he didn't realize David was still waiting for his answer until the impatient boy was waving his hands in frantic gestures in front of his face.

"Blaine, come on! Look, we've gotta go to class, but we'll talk about this later, okay? I've known you long enough to be able to tell when something is bothering you, and judging by the way you've been acting lately, there's obviously something on your mind." David placed his hands on his friend's shoulders in a comforting manner.

"Oh okay, thanks David, yeah, that'd be great." Blaine muttered. He couldn't help that his mind was elsewhere, it seemed to be wandering off of it's own accord as of late. He collected his books and waved David goodbye as he trudged off to his next class.

By lunch, when he had organized to meet up with David, Blaine was even more tired than before, after all his final tests, exams and assessments for the year. But he at least he had now thought about what he wanted to say to David. He didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, he really loved that guy, as a best friend. Sometimes he felt like David was the only person in the whole school who really got him.

When he entered the cafeteria, David was waiting for him at their usual table along with a couple of Blaine's other friends. They appeared to be animatedly discussing what exotic destinations they were travelling to over the break. Blaine knew for a fact that he wouldn't be going anywhere exciting this Christmas, much to his dismay. As soon as Blaine sat down, David immediately diverted his attention.

"So, what's up?" David immediately began, looking concerned.

"Before, when you asked me about Dalton next year… I don't think I'm going to be coming back." Blaine replied in a hushed, almost sheepish voice.

"What?" David exclaimed, a little too loudly, drawing the attention of a few more boys at their table.

"Hey, hear me out." Blaine responded calmly. "When I first moved here, from my old school, I loved it. But, now, I've started to miss…" All of what Blaine had planned to say just went out the window. It was so hard to explain, without sounding like a petty, selfish, kid. "I feel like—Like, I'm searching for something. It's not here. Oh God, I must sound like an idiot, but I don't want to come back here next year because everything is just so, perfect! It bores me, it really does. I want something exciting in my life, coming here everyday just drains me. Maybe, some people like how everyone is so neat and tidy here, so formal, so immaculate. But I just can't stand it. I just want a fresh start, David. I want my senior year to be the best it can. This must all sound so corny, but I want my senior year to be magical. David, I'm thinking about transferring schools next year. I miss the craziness of my old public school, I don't miss the bullying, of course, but I miss how much fun I had everyday there with all my friends, and how crazy we could be, without anyone caring…" Blaine trailed off and dropped his head into his hands. Maybe he was going crazy. He shyly glanced up to view David's expression. He was relieved to see that he didn't look mad.

"You know," David began in a casual tone, "I saw this coming. You always look so angry in Warbler meetings, and you never smile for no reason anymore, like you used to. I think a change would be healthy for you. I totally get how you feel, half the people here can't take a joke, and this environment doesn't suit you. You're such a cool, happy-go-lucky, funny, relaxed guy and…" He caught himself, laughing at how corny he was getting. Blaine smiled at him. "If you move schools, sure, I'll miss you, but if it makes you happy…" He shrugged. Blaine hugged him with one arm, and smiled.

"Thanks David, you're the best!" He grinned.

"So, where are you thinking of transferring to?" David asked, trying to sound nonchalant. He really didn't want his best friend to leave him, but he knew that Blaine would be better off moving and finding the fresh start he craved.

"Actually, I have no idea." Blaine said thoughtfully. He didn't know of any other schools in the area that were half decent.

"But hasn't your Mom-" David began to ask but only to be interrupted by Blaine.

"I'm yet to broach the subject with Mom." He replied to David's unfinished question.

Blaine planned to tell her when he got home that afternoon, and he knew she would understand. Blaine's mother, Cerina, was one of the kindest people he knew. Her personality was so similar to Blaine's and she was very caring towards her only son. After all, Blaine was her only real company now that she was alone. Blaine's biological father had an affair with another woman when he was three years old, leaving his mother heart broken. He had hardly bothered to contact his son after he abandoned his family for a new life, though Blaine did receive the awkward obligatory birthday and Christmas phone calls. However, Cerina was a strong woman, and determined to move on, so two years later, when Blaine was five, she re-married to another man, David, who had two sons of his own. With David, Cerina had a daughter, Delilah. Blaine grew up with David as his father, who was a kind man, but he worked ridiculous hours, as he was CEO of a major company. He was always busy with some kind of work, so he never really had time for Blaine. He did favour his two biological sons though, who were older than Blaine by three years. They were twins, but not identical, whose names were Benjamin and Robert. Benjamin became friends with Blaine, as they got along well, but the same could not be said about Robert, who was awful to Blaine for no reason. Late one Friday night, when Blaine was nine, David was speeding down what he thought was a deserted road, trying to get home in time for the twins' birthday dinner. He collided with another car, and was killed. Cerina was, once again, heart broken. With David gone, a grieving Robert began to bully Blaine more, blaming his father's death on Blaine. Cerina, who was too depressed and stressed about raising four needy children, didn't have the time or strength worry about the possibility of a negative relationship between two of her sons. She didn't even notice before it was too late…

"Well, good luck with that." David replied, forcing Blaine's state of mind to snap back to reality.

"She's pretty good about this kind of stuff, she'll understand." Blaine said almost to himself. David wasn't the only one who needed assurance of his mother's reaction to Blaine's… proposal.

Nowadays, many years after David's death, Cerina was a fairly calm, co-operative woman. Blaine suspected it was because she suppressed her emotions, which he knew wasn't good for her mental health. Blaine hated causing her stress, and he was reluctant to bring up the smallest of issues. She loved her son very much, as they had been through many highs and lows together. Cerina meant a lot to Blaine, as Blaine meant a lot to Cerina. They had a strong mother/son bond.

The rest of the day passed very quickly for Blaine, and before he knew it, the weekend had arrived. It was a three-day weekend, so Blaine planned to pack up some of his necessities from his dorm room that he shared with David and travel to Lima to visit his family—or what was left of it; his mother and his half-sister.

Blaine was a boarder and Dalton, his mother had sent him to the finest school she could find in Ohio that wasn't too far away. He didn't get to see his family much, but when he did, he always had a great time with them. They all got along really well, unlike some families, where the siblings constantly squabbled and the busy parents cracked under the strain of stress. He was excited to see them again, and he sang along with his Katy Perry CD the whole two-hour car trip, repeating the tracks when the album had finished. He almost surprised himself with his cheerfulness, he had been so downtrodden lately that he had forgotten what it felt like to be in a positive mood.

When he pulled up in the driveway of his home and turned off the ignition, Blaine nearly tripped as he leapt out of the driver's seat, ran round to the back to snatch his suitcase from the boot of the car, and swiftly dropped his suitcase onto his toe.

"Shit!" He swore loudly without thinking.

He was rubbing his foot vigorously and hopping around, looking quite peculiar, when his mother's wary face peaked from inside the house.

"Blaine?" She called.

At the sound of Cerina's voice, Blaine immediately jumped up from where he was crouched behind the car nursing his injured foot.

"Mom!" He cried with delight, limping over as quickly as he could to her, and promptly tripping over a crack in the cement.

"Oh, Blaine!" His mother sighed almost patronisingly as she helped him up. Blaine looked up at his mother with his big light brown eyes fondly. It had been too long since he'd last seen his mother. He stood up next to her and grabbed the handle of his suitcase, simultaneously clicking the lock button on his car keys, before pulling his mother into a tight hug, breathing in her scent, which he missed so much. She smelt of faintly floral perfume, and he detected a hint of what seemed to be… cookies. He smiled into his mothers shoulder, before realizing how hungry he was. He remembered how he'd hardly eaten any lunch as his stomach rumbled.

As his mother pulled out of the hug Blaine saw the disapproving look on her face. His mother was very particular about food, and she often told Blaine how she missed cooking for him every night. Cerina was an utterly fantastic cook.

Blaine smiled in apology goofily.

"Haven't they been feeding you properly at that school of yours?" She laughed, a beautiful open mouthed laugh.

Blaine shrugged exaggeratedly.

"Oh my Blaine, I've missed you." She smiled up at him. Despite Blaine's short height, Cerina was even smaller in size than Blaine.

Blaine sighed happily when his mother insisted on carrying his bag for him, and followed her to the steps leading up to the front door, where he prised it from her grip and easily lifted the heavy suitcase. As he wheeled it inside he was greeted with the familiar smells and sounds of home. Someone was tinkering on a piano in the background, the radio playing the jazz channel could be heard from the kitchen, along with the faint sound of something sizzling away on the stove, sending a warm, mouth-watering aroma into the hallway. At the sound of Cerina closing the door behind her, the piano abruptly stopped and frantic footsteps sounded until he was greeted with his eleven-year-old smiling sister, who was sprinting towards him.

"Blaaaine!" She cried and threw her thin arms around his neck.

Blaine lifted his sister off of the ground, holding her tightly and whirled her around in his arms.

"Hey Dee." He said softly, smiling. He didn't know why, but he almost felt like crying.

It was good to be home.

Thanks for reading! Please review, I don't mind criticism, as long as it's constructive, I really wanna know what people think!