Kurt had desperately wanted to escape upstairs to Mercedes immediately after their guests had arrived and fill her in on the grandeur of their arrival. However, his mother grabbed his arm as he made to turn away and suggested he give Lord and Lady Anderson a tour of the house. Blaine had already been dragged off by Rachel up to his room and they could still hear her from two floors up prattling on about the brand new four-poster bed they had purchased just to make his stay much more comfortable. Kurt wanted the ground to swallow him whole at the suggestion and he looked at the Lord and Lady with wide eyes before his mother all but shoved him towards them.

Putting on a brave smile, he guided them through the ground floor, pausing at the dining room and the library. He knew it was much smaller than what they were probably used to, but they at least pretended to look impressed for his sake.

Upstairs he showed them his father's parlour, where he often hosted several of his friends for card games and whiskey, and the games room which was home to his father's prized billiards table, much to Lord Anderson's approval. He then took them to the other end of the hall where his mother's private sitting room was, beautifully decorated in all white and always smelling vaguely of his mother's perfume, it was Kurt's favourite room in the house. He had spent countless hours in there reading, writing or even just listening to his mother talk. His mother always appreciated a listening ear after spending the day with Rachel.

On the next floor, he purposefully led them straight past his and Rachel's room's and instead showed them to their own. He pointed out that Blaine's room was just opposite theirs, and to the left of their door was the prayer room. It didn't contain much, just a small window seat with a Bible on a stand in front of it. "We live quite far from the nearest town, so we don't often get to church on Sunday's. My mother would never let us get away with not praying, though. She always brings us here on a Sunday morning and we pray together," he explained. He could tell that Lady Anderson was slightly scandalised at the fact they did not attend church every week, and he wondered whether that would be subject to change during their stay.

At the end of the hall was his parent's bedroom, which again he skipped on past, and his father's study. As Lord Anderson admired the many knick-knacks inside there, including his father's new telescope, Lady Anderson wandered over to the small flight of stairs opposite. Four steps led down to a door which she hoisted open herself and revealed a dark room with all of the curtains drawn. It was an extremely long room and at the very end stood a lone grand piano. "Why is it so dark in here?" she asked. "If you opened those curtains and let a little light in this would be a wonderful room for a ball."

Kurt hesitated by the door, not sure how he felt about the woman being in his personal music room. "Lady Anderson, this room is mostly just used by me, I practice a lot on the piano and…"

"You play?" she turned to him, her hand stroking over the keys and creating a tinkling melody.

"Yes, my Lady. My mother taught both my sister and I," he answered. She hummed to herself before walking over to one of the windows and pulling open the curtains. Kurt couldn't quite believe the brazen acts of this woman, but he knew better than to say anything about it. The bright light after having darkness in this room for so long made quite the difference, Kurt had to admit. He always preferred being in the dark, lit only by a single candle when he practiced. He felt it gave the whole thing atmosphere, like he could get lost in the music and pretend he was somewhere – anywhere - else.

"You will have to play for us soon. My son loves music, I'm sure he would love to hear you," she said. And with that she walked out of the room.


Kurt was very relieved when he was finally granted permission to go to bed that night. It had been an exhausting day. And dinner had been intense. Kurt had spent the entire meal avoiding Blaine's gaze from across the table, not wanting to make a fool of himself which he knew he would do if he looked into those eyes again. He looked down at his plate, cutting up his meat into smaller and smaller pieces before quickly raising it to his lips and looking down again. He was sure the older man was watching him, too. Rachel had been talking his ear off all night, but he had only been giving her small responses. His eyes seemed to stay glued on Kurt and the constant staring made him uncomfortable.

Kurt scolded himself. Of course he's not watching you. Stop being so self-centred and ridiculous. He risked a glance up but low and behold, Blaine was looking at him with a fixed intensity that made Kurt dive right back into his meal. When his mother had announced that he could take his leave he had practically leapt from his seat and only just managed to turn back around and utter a good night to everyone on his way out.

He had stripped down to his underclothes and thrown himself under the covers, not even bothering with his nightshirt. He had still been able to faintly hear Blaine and his family downstairs, laughing joyously over something Burt had said. He could perfectly picture Blaine's crinkling eyes as he laughed, the way the little lines formed around his nose and the clear melodic sound that emitted from him. Just because Kurt had been trying to avoid Blaine's gaze for most of the night, didn't mean he hadn't permitted himself to look.

It had now been hours and still he lay in bed, staring up at the top of his canopy roof. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get to sleep. He was way too keyed up from the day's events. It wouldn't have surprised him if his sister was feeling the same just through the wall in her own room. After all, she had much more than he to be excited about. He reached over to his dresser, picked up the candle which he had still not blown out, and grabbed his sheet music from his bedside drawer. He opened his door very quietly and padded his way to the end of the hall, past the Lord and Lady's room, and Blaine's. He took the steps down two at a time and only once he was safely in his music room did he start to run over to the piano and threw himself onto his stool. He deposited the candle onto the piano before realising that something was different. The curtains were still open from earlier. He looked out of the nearest window and he could see some stars glistening in the sky. Maybe just this once… he thought.

He began to play, his hands forming over the familiar notes and before long he became lost in the music…


Just two rooms over, Blaine was still awake. He too was feeling overwhelmed by the day's events and had chosen to read before falling asleep. But every time he tried to read a sentence, his mind kept drifting back to Kurt. Kurt was the most intriguing person he had ever laid eyes on. When the boy had first looked up at him, he had been mesmerised by his blue-grey eyes. He had never seen so many different shades of blue in one person's eyes before. His hand had been so soft and when he had gasped upon looking at Blaine, the noise had planted itself in Blaine's head, ready to be played and played again on a loop. He had watched the boy throughout dinner, noting everything from the way his eyelashes swept onto his cheeks as he looked down to the blush that rose on his cheeks as he noticed Blaine was looking at him. He smiled fondly as he remembered and was just starting to doze off when he heard something. It sounded like… music? He checked the clock above his fireplace and noted that it was already past midnight. Strange. Wondering who could be playing music at this hour, he got out of bed and wrapped his robe around him and slipped his feet into his fur slippers.

He poked his head around the door and tried to locate which direction the music was coming from. It seemed to be coming from the right, so he left his room, taking the candle from the wall outside his door. He couldn't say he recognised the piece that was playing so it must have been an original. Blaine had an incredible love of music and he was fairly certain if it was a famous piece, he would have known it. He reached the door at the end of the hallway where the music was loudest and slowly pushed it open. It didn't creak but moved silently, allowing him the chance to look into the room without disturbing its occupant. It was Kurt.

He was sitting at a piano with his eyes closed, his hands deftly flying across the keys and producing the most beautiful sounds Blaine had ever heard. There was a content smile on his face, one that made him look as though he was where he truly belonged. Blaine watched as the light from a candle flickered and cast shadows across the young man's face. They danced on his skin in great contrast to his pale tone and gave an almost other-worldly feel to the entire scene. Blaine's breath caught in his throat and he quickly closed the door and headed back to his room before Kurt could know he had been interrupted.


The following morning, Kurt headed down to breakfast feeling much better than he had the night before. He had actually managed to complete the piece he had been working on after weeks of trying and was elated with the final composition. He couldn't wait to play it for his mother who was his constant supporter when it came to his music.

Everyone was already at the breakfast table and he took his seat directly across from Blaine. He was just tucking into his porridge and jam when that same uneasy feeling from the night before crept upon him. Blaine was staring at him again. And he wasn't subtle about it, either. He was watching as Kurt ate, his eyes following his slender hands and watching his mouth as he chewed. He had never had someone pay him so much attention before, with Rachel being as loud and all-consuming as she was, he had often been overlooked throughout his life. He honestly couldn't tell if Blaine's staring was an intentional act, or if he just had no clue what normal meal protocol was. He tried not to burn bright red under his intense gaze, but the more he tried to ignore it, the more he focused on it until he couldn't take it anymore. His stomach began to twist into knots and he couldn't stop himself from nervously fiddling with the tablecloth.

He looked up at Blaine and noticed that his eyebrows were furrowed together as he watched Kurt's trembling hands. Blaine's eyes drifted up to meet his own and he silently mouthed "Are you okay?" Kurt's mouth opened and closed before he quickly nodded and turned to his father.

"I'm finished. Can I be excused?" he asked hopefully. Burt frowned at his still full bowl but nodded in acquiescence. Kurt rose from the table and darted through a side door.

He ran through the kitchens to the back door, passing Mercedes as he went who tried shouting after him to no avail. His jacket and boots were by the back door and he pulled them on quickly, tripping over his feet as he was already out of the door and walking before he had finished securing them in place. He made his way around the house, huffing loudly as he struggled to regain his breath. When he reached the stable, he lifted up the piece of wood which served as a lock and swung the door open, positioning a brick at the bottom to keep it open.

He could hear his horse making little snorts in his stall as he acknowledged Kurt's arrival. He rounded the corner and saw the horse's head was perched over the gate and Kurt knew what he was waiting for. He reached into his jacket pocket, the cook always remembered to spare him a carrot or two and had slipped it into his pocket like usual. He fed it to the enthusiastic horse before dropping down onto a stool. He closed his eyes and breathed in hard, he was still fairly winded from the run from the house. He lay his head back against the wall and focused on keeping his breathing even.

Why was he feeling this way? He couldn't understand why one look from Blaine sent him spiralling. Yes, he knew he found the older man attractive, immensely so. And he also knew that those feelings were incredibly wrong and inappropriate. But he had never met another person who threw his entire equilibrium off balance before, and he didn't know how to deal with it. And why was Blaine taking such a keen interest in him? He was here to marry his sister, yet he only ever seemed to look at him. Stare at him. Make him blush and stutter and not know where to place his hands. It had only been one day, but Kurt felt like they'd been here for weeks.

His head fell into his hands and he rubbed at his eyes tirelessly. He heard as his horse started snorting again and his tail thrashed and hit the side of his stall. He looked up and saw that Blaine was standing right in front of him. He hadn't even heard him approach. His heart dropped into his stomach and he flew up from his seat. In his haste he accidentally threw his arm out and knocked over another stool upon which stood a bucket of water. It was almost like he was watching in slow motion as the bucket crashed to the floor and the water cascaded everywhere, including all over Blaine's legs. His trouser legs were drenched from the calf down, and his shoes were submerged in a mud puddle the water had formed.

Kurt was horrified, his hands rose to his face and he covered his mouth in shock. Blaine looked down at his legs and back up to Kurt. Kurt waited for him to explode, to yell at him and demand he apologise for ruining his clothes. He could feel himself tensing up as he waited for the man's response and so was surprised when Blaine's face broke out into a huge smile. He doubled over in laughter and fell forward with his hands on his knees. Kurt stood there dumbfounded, not at all sure how to react to this unforeseen chain of events. He didn't even know what Blaine was doing out in the stable in the first place. "I am so sorry. I'm so clumsy sometimes, I feel so embarrassed," he blurted, grabbing a towel from a nearby shelf and handing it to Blaine.

Blaine was still laughing as he took the proffered towel and used it to soak up most of the water on his shoes. Kurt continued, "Really, I am such a fool. Are they ruined?" he asked sheepishly, gesturing to his sodden hems.

Blaine handed him back the towel and smiled again. "It's just water, Kurt. I am sure they're just fine," he said teasingly. At this point after all of the commotion, the horse was stomping his feet and fretting in his stall. Kurt hurried over to him and tried to calm him down. "Woah boy. It's okay," he murmured, grabbing the horse's head to still him and patting him on his neck. It took a minute, but the horse began to calm down under Kurt's familiar influence.

For a brief second, Kurt almost forgot about the other man's presence. "He's beautiful," Blaine said, coming over hesitantly. The horse was completely black, and his coat shone to perfection, he was clearly well looked after. "Is he friendly?" he asked.

"Depends," Kurt replied.

"On what?"

"How much I like you," he answered smugly. The horse blew air out of its nose harshly as Blaine reached out to touch him. Blaine kept it very slow, closing the gap inch by inch until his palm was flat against the horse's face. He stroked gently down towards his nose, not wanting to spook him again. He noted the engraved sign on the stall gate which read 'Blackbird'.

Blaine continued stroking the horse. Kurt watched him curiously, he had never seen Blackbird take to anyone like this before. The first and only time Rachel had deigned to come out to the stable, he had kicked against his gate until she had left screaming.

"What brings you out here, anyway?" Kurt asked. He had left the dining room in quite a hurry and had not expected anyone to follow him - least of all Blaine.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed a little uncomfortable at breakfast."

Kurt struggled to hide the blush that threatened to rise upon his cheeks. "Oh… did I? Thank you for your concern but I'm fine. I just needed some air." He was trying to keep his voice steady, but he could hear the shakiness beneath his words. "You didn't need to come all the way out here just for me."

"I just wanted to make sure, it's no bother. And besides, I needed a little… space. Your sister, she's nice and all, but she sure can talk your ear off sometimes," he chuckled. "I suppose I have that to look forward to." Kurt knew very well what he meant. He had lived with it for the past fifteen years. Poor Blaine would have to deal with it for the rest of their married lives together, and once again he found he pitied Blaine.

"I also wanted to compliment you." Kurt raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I heard you last night."

Kurt's eyes widened in horror. What did he mean? "You heard me?" he asked, his voice a slightly higher octave than normal.

"Yes. You are very talented." Kurt felt his blush grow even stronger as he tried to figure out what on earth Blaine could have heard. "Was that an original piece, I didn't recognise it?"

Kurt felt a rush of relief, until he realised what Blaine was referring to. His music was a very private thing, he tended to do most of his practicing once everyone else had gone to bed. Only when his pieces were completely finished would he ever let anyone listen, and even then, it was usually only his mother. He looked into Blaine's eyes, seeing nothing but open curiosity. "Uh… Yes. Yes, it was."

Blaine smiled. "It was wonderful," he complimented. "Have you written many compositions?"

Kurt thought of the sheets upon sheets of music that were stuffed into every available space in his room. There were even some underneath his bed that he would pull out in the middle of the night and work on if the inspiration struck. "A few," he said, looking down and fiddling with a button on his jacket. "They're not very good. I don't really like to play them for anyone else, I am a little mortified that you heard actually."

"Don't be. There's no need for modesty. From what I heard last night, you have a gift. Hopefully sometime soon you could play for me again."

Blaine backed away from the horse. "I should really get back, I know my father wanted to speak with me," he said. He exited the stable and Kurt was left standing there, not quite sure if everything that had just happened was real.