Roses Dipped In Gold

Chapter Three


Ordinance 467

Upon completion of Academy education, students can choose to return to their family and maintain their Class status, or to participate in a Class aptitude test and stand before the Council, who will determine if the applicant is an appropriate fit to change Classes. If one selects to apply for a change in Class status, he or she agrees to excommunicate him or herself from all family members.

Dalton Bylaw II

Students will not speak of his own or any other student's Class status. Doing so will result in expulsion.


"The only reason I let Renna around is because she gives me no other choice."

Kurt wanted to take the words back as they were coming out of his mouth. He didn't know why he was saying them, it was basically giving Blaine a free pass to start hanging around him. The only thing Kurt could figure was that he subconsciously wanted Blaine around. On the surface, though, his brain screamed at him to shut up, that he couldn't let Blaine in like he did Renna, even if he hardly let her in.

Maybe Blaine wouldn't find any meaning in it. Or maybe he would. Maybe Kurt secretly hoped for the second option.

It was not long before Kurt realized that he would get what he hoped for.

When Kurt sat down in Class Studies or chemistry, Blaine was already in the seat next to him. When Kurt did homework in his favorite study room (favorite because it was tucked away in a corner of the building people rarely ventured into), Blaine studied there too. If he snuck away at mealtimes, Blaine was right there with him.

Blaine didn't push Kurt to acknowledge him, didn't talk, simply sat there. Kurt was surprised to find that Blaine's presence was weirdly satisfying. He was so used to being alone, and he had always seen the company of others in this school as daunting. But somehow, Blaine and all his silence, his sideways looks, his shy smiles when he thought Kurt wasn't looking, brought Kurt peace. Which was ridiculous, because Kurt was repulsed by the thought of what Blaine's family stood for. So why, oh why was he starting to feel warmth toward Blaine? Hey, not that kind of warmth. Although, Blaine definitely did give him those types of feelings, but look at him. And besides, Kurt was a teenage boy, it was a hormone-driven world and he was only living in it. No, as much as he tried to fight it, he was starting to like having Blaine around.

That night, when nightmares plagued his sleep, Kurt ventured down to his hideaway. He was only slightly surprised when he saw light peeking out from underneath the door. He pushed the door open to find Blaine seated at the piano, hands poised over the keys, looking expectantly at him. When Blaine processed that it was Kurt standing there, he broke into the shy smile that Kurt was learning to appreciate. Blaine started to stand, assuming based on their first encounter in this room that Kurt liked to be alone when he was down here. Kurt surprised him by shaking his head, walking over to the couch in the corner, pulling out a leather-bound sketchbook from under the cushion, and settling in to start working on some new designs. Blaine, realizing he wouldn't be dismissed this time, sat slowly back down and began playing quietly while Kurt drew, throwing him tentative looks every so often to make sure his presence was still welcome. They sat in harmonious silence, both lost in their art, very much enjoying being alone together.

Kurt and Blaine spent many nights this way, and after a while, Blaine broke his silence.

At first, Blaine started sharing trivial facts about himself.

"My favorite author is Jane Austen."

"When I was a child, I broke my arm 3 times."

"I love animals."

"If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go to Spain."

Kurt wood never admit it aloud, but he liked hearing Blaine talk about himself. He had a sharp, clear voice that was to die for, and he always spoke happily and optimistically. Kurt never reciprocated, but Blaine didn't seem to mind.

One evening, Kurt, Blaine, and Renna worked on their homework in a study room, papers and books sprawled out across tables and the floor. The trio had fallen into a comfortable distant companionship.

It was getting late. Blaine yawned. "I think I'll go to bed. I'll see you both tomorrow."

As soon as Blaine closed the door behind him, Renna jumped at her opportunity.

"Blaine has been hanging around you quite a lot," she observed.

"Yeah. He has." Kurt wasn't going to let on any information that easily.

"Have you changed your mind about…?"

"No," Kurt said firmly. "I still think it's wrong to make friends here. Blaine is just so goddamn...unexpected."

Renna smiled. "That he is. I'm really glad you're letting him in, Kurt. It's not wrong to want to be happy."

"No, it's not like that. It is wrong. It's wrong because of who he is and what he stands for. It's everything I've fought against and tried to shut out for my entire life."

"What his family stands for."

"What?"

"What you hate is what his family stands for. Blaine isn't his father. You sit here day in and day out preaching equality, yet you're writing him off based on what you think he could be because of his family."

She had a point. Why hasn't he seen it?

"Shit. You're right."

Renna looked conflicted. She opened her mouth and shut it again before finally speaking.

"I've known Blaine for a while. He struggles just like the rest of us, but he's got a really good heart." Renna never gave anything away about her home life, so Kurt knew this was important to her. He had always assumed that she was Low Class just from her quiet demeanor and tendency to serve rather than to be served, but if she knew Blaine, now he wasn't so sure. Then again, it could mean anything. Her family could know his socially or because they were housekeepers for the Andersons. Kurt tried to push it out of his mind, telling himself it didn't matter anyway. She continued. "I know how you feel about making connections here at Dalton, but I can see that there's something between the two of you. We only have a few months left. Maybe you could make an exception. I think the two of you could be really good for each other."

Kurt sighed. "That's exactly it. We only have a few months left. I've made it almost my whole school career without breaking my rule. I've successfully protected myself from the devastation that everyone else will feel when graduation rolls around. Most people here only get to keep an average of 20% of their friends after school ends, did you know that?"

"You may have mentioned it once or twice." She grimaced. Kurt knew he shouldn't remind her, that Renna was sensitive and that she too would face never talking to many of her friends again in just a few short months.

"I'm sorry, Renna." She gave him a smile letting him know she wasn't offended. "I've got to get to bed too." Kurt wished her a goodnight and tried to go to sleep that night with her words playing over in his head.


Blaine awoke the next morning to a disaster zone. His clothes were thrown about the room unfolded or taken off their hangers and crumpled up on the floor.

His roommate Calen was nowhere to be found.

Blaine threw a pillow over his face, putting off dealing with the mess for a few more minutes.

He thought back to his first day at Dalton and tried to remember what he had done or said to offend Calen. He couldn't find a single flaw in his behavior. Calen must have hated him simply for who he was. Most people, upon finding out that Blaine was the Chancellor's heir, wanted to schmooze him, to hopefully make connections and win his favor. But a few people, namely those whose family members had been personally affected by a punishment the Chancellor had ordered, wanted to make Blaine's life miserable. Calen appeared to be one of those people.

Blaine arose and dug through the pile of clothes. All of his uniform shirts had at least one tear in them, his slacks had been cut short, and his ties had been shredded.

He grunted in frustration. There was no time to try to fix anything (as if he would even know how!), so he did the only thing he could think of: he ran to Kurt's room.

Fingers crossed, Blaine hoped that Kurt hadn't left for breakfast yet. He knocked rapidly on the door he had seen Kurt disappear behind a few times now.

"Kurt! It's me, Blaine!" He called.

Kurt appeared at the door, narrowing his eyes at the surprise. Blaine couldn't blame him - it was 7:30 in the morning.

"This is going to sound weird, but my roommate destroyed all of my clothes. I need to borrow a uniform from you. I know it won't fit right, and I know it's only a temporary solution, but it's the only thing I can think of for right now. I don't really know what to do to fix-"

"Stop rambling, I'll get you a uniform," Kurt's eyes gleamed with humor, but held a hint of worry that made Blaine melt.

Blaine hovered in the doorway, not sure whether or not he was allowed in. He looked around and noticed the glaring absence of another person's things.

"Do you not have a roommate?" Blaine inquired.

Kurt looked back at him, now digging in his closet. "Haven't had one for two years. Apparently I'm not easy to live with. Aha!" Kurt pulled out what he had been looking for. He brought the uniform over to Blaine. Their hands brushed as Blaine reached to grab the clothes from Kurt, and he froze at the buzz he felt from the contact. Kurt's fingers reached out and ran down the back of his hand before pulling away. A wave of some unidentifiable but intense emotion washed over Blaine. He wondered if Kurt could feel it too.

When Kurt spoke, there was a slight edge to his voice, and Blaine knew that he could. "Sorry, I shouldn't have left you standing here. Nobody comes in my room. It's kind of like my sanctuary here. Plus, nobody has ever wanted to come in." Kurt turned away quickly, realizing he had said too much, made himself too vulnerable. He had his hands tucked into his pockets, but if they were anything like Blaine's, they were still burning.

Blaine spoke quickly. "It's okay. I can understand wanting a space to yourself. I did kind of invade your other space. I'm sorry about that. You can tell me to get out anytime and I'll-"

"Stop rambling," Kurt repeated, having recovered. He grinned. "I'll see you in class later." He shut the door, leaving Blaine flustered.

It seemed like Blaine was flustered around Kurt more often than not. He promised he was normally cool and collected. Something about the other boy just set his nerves on fire. There was Kurt's shocking beauty that nearly bowled Blaine over every time he saw him, yes, and the way that Blaine wanted to touch Kurt and kiss him and more, so much more, but it was really Kurt's spirit that called to him. His brain and his confidence and his uniqueness and the sense that he could accomplish anything he attempted.

It was exhausting being this drawn to someone, but it was exciting.


Kurt was fucking fired up. He was on his feet in Class Studies yet again, shouting at his classmates.

Mr. Brower had been discussing the process of changing Classes, and had opened up the floor to questions.

The law states that after graduation from an Academy, a student can choose to cut all ties with their family, never to return or speak to them again, for the chance to move up or down to a class of their choosing. The process involved a rigorous aptitude and personality test, and standing before the Council, who would ultimately make the decision of eligibility. It was nearly impossible to be granted an upward change in Class status, leaving the applicant in the same Class as before, but unable to return to his or her family.

"The most common reason people apply for a change is love," Mr. Brower explained. "Two Academy students fall in love in school, find out they are in different Classes, and would do anything to stay together."

"It's cruel," Kurt muttered.

"More commonly, the lower Class individual applies for a higher Class, instead of the other way around."

Kurt glanced at Blaine, who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He hadn't known Blaine long, but since he'd met him, Blaine had always been cheerful. It was one of the most comforting things about him. Today was a different story, though. It made Kurt feel uncomfortable, too, seeing Blaine so down, and it only added to his frustration.

"Yeah, because who would want to go down in Class?" A girl in the corner scoffed. "Why is it even allowed, anyway? People should just be happy where they are."

That was when Kurt rose to his feet. "Hey Mallory, you might want to cover up, your privilege is showing! God, do you even try to understand what other people must feel? The Class system sets us into an almost unbreakable cycle, but you don't care, because you're happy with what you were born into. That's the exact problem with our society. Nothing will ever get better because the entire Council is made up of 12 High Class old men who can't see past the tips of their noses. Have any of you ever considered how the laws affect someone else? Have you ever been told you couldn't contact a loved one ever again because they wanted to change Class? Have you ever thought about how your privilege takes away from others? No. You haven't. Because most of you are self-absorbed pieces of-"

"Okay, Kurt. It might be a good idea for you to go cool off in the hallway."

Kurt was already packing up his things.

"He's not wrong," a quiet voice came from beside him. Kurt's head snapped up to look at Blaine, who was looking down at his hands. "I think we could all benefit from broadening our minds a little bit, trying to understand someone else's point of view. Just because this law benefits you or doesn't affect you doesn't mean you should look past the detrimental effect it has on others." Blaine stopped abruptly, realizing he had slipped into his commanding public speaking voice that had been drilled into him since he was a young child. Blaine knew he had the power to influence people just because of who he was, but he hated to use that power. He just couldn't help but to speak out when he was feeling so personally affected.

Kurt looked around the room in amazement. Every student was looking at Blaine, and most were nodding in agreement. Something clicked for him, and his body calmed down as he sank back into his chair. What if Blaine was the answer to everything he'd been searching for? And in more ways than one?


Kurt, Renna, and Blaine ate lunch without saying much.

Blaine did not have bad days often, so when he did, they hit him hard. He was so drawn into himself today that he hardly noticed that Renna was speaking to him.

"Why aren't you wearing your own uniform? That one is practically bursting at the seams!" She said.

Blaine clenched his fists together, remembering the mess his clothes had been this morning. "Roommate…" was all he could say. Why was he feeling so emotional today?

Renna laid a hand over his forearm, sensing that he was worked up over something. She was so perceptive and empathetic. She was exactly what he had been talking about in Class Studies. If everyone could be as open and understanding as Renna, the world would be a better place.

Kurt stood and tossed the remains of his lunch in the trash.

"I'm going for a walk," he announced. Blaine expected Kurt to turn and leave, but his eyes remained focused on Blaine. Come along, they were saying.

"Oh!" Blaine jumped up and walked to Kurt's side. He waved a goodbye to Renna and followed Kurt outside.

The two boys walked across the grounds, letting the fresh air clear their minds and help them release the tension they'd built up in that last class.

They walked and walked, each lost in their own thoughts, knowing they'd be late for chemistry, but not caring.

When Blaine opened his mouth, Kurt expected to hear a new tidbit of trivia from Blaine's life, just like he'd been sharing all week. What he got was so much more than that.

"I used to have a brother," Blaine began, shaky already. Kurt stopped in his tracks. Blaine sat down on a nearby bench and Kurt followed suit. They were sitting close, close enough to touch if one of them shifted a couple inches.

"I still have a brother, I guess, but we haven't spoken in years." Blaine tried to even out his voice. He never talked about Cooper. It was a taboo subject in his family. "Cooper graduated 8 years ago, and his graduation day was the last time I saw him. He decided he wanted to descend Classes. Cooper was first in line to be our father's successor, but he didn't want that life. He was a simple guy, never one for politics, and the idea of having so much power...it just wasn't him. He would have just told my father that he didn't want it, but the trouble is that there was no choice. If my father were to die or step down, Cooper would become Chancellor. It was the law. So he did the only thing he could. And I haven't seen my big brother since. I like to imagine that he's happy out there...a small business owner, married with one or two kids...We were never close, with him being so much older than me, but now I'll never get that chance." Blaine quickly wiped tears from his eyes, embarrassed that he was crying in front of Kurt. "I can't even talk about him because my parents are so hurt and embarrassed by what happened. Plus, it's a sign of weakness to show emotion in our household anyway." There was bitterness in his voice.

Kurt understood what Blaine was saying. He had just been speaking out about how shitty the law was, after all. But on another level, he heard everything Blaine wasn't able to say. Now that Cooper was gone, it all fell on him. He couldn't disappoint his parents the way his brother had. His life's path was chosen for him.

In an act that surprised both of the boys, Kurt wrapped an arm around Blaine's shoulder to comfort him. His silent consolation telling Blaine Let it out. Blaine rested his head against Kurt's neck and cried harder than he'd done since he could remember. Kurt didn't need to say anything more, just simply tightened his hold on Blaine to anchor him to the present.

Blaine had never been more thankful for anyone before.


Well shit. When Kurt offered to walk with Blaine, he had not anticipated that Blaine would spill his guts, or that they would forge such a connection sitting there and understanding each other, seeing each other. He was in way too fucking deep for his liking. He knew he would find Blaine down in their hideout, and he knew he shouldn't perpetuate this relationship, but he went anyway.

Their hideout. He was freaking himself out with the level of comfort he felt with Blaine already.

Kurt opened the door to see Blaine with his back to the entrance, holding a Dalton uniform shirt in one hand and a needle and thread in the other.

Blaine grunted in frustration, throwing the needle down onto the desk he was working at.

Kurt walked over to the desk, picked up the needle, placed his hand over Blaine's, and said "let me help you." The tingle he had felt twice now when touching Blaine coursed through his hand and up his arm. It was dangerous, but Kurt couldn't get enough of it.

Something had shifted between Kurt and Blaine, and neither boy could put his finger on exactly what it was, but neither boy was shying away from it either.

Blaine watched Kurt as he worked, admiring Kurt's elegant fingers moving quickly, his long lashes brushing the tops of his cheekbones when he looked down, his perfect posture even when leaning over his work like he was. Despite the horrible day he'd had, Kurt's presence made him feel better. Joining Kurt at meals, in the halls, in their midnight hideout had started as a way for Blaine to get into Kurt's heart, to build a friendship with the boy who didn't want any friends. But Kurt surprised Blaine time after time. Blaine hadn't expected to feel for Kurt.

"I'm sorry that Calen would do something like this to you," Kurt told Blaine, surprising him yet again with his softness.

"Why does he hate me just because of who I am?" Blaine asked, finally voicing the question he'd been asking himself all day.

Kurt turned his stunning gaze on Blaine. "He hates who he thinks you are. If he truly knew you, he couldn't hate you."

Oh dear god, how did Kurt have the power to take Blaine's breath away like this?

"Here. I'm done." Kurt handed over Blaine's new uniform, breaking them from the spell of being in that moment. Kurt had patched up the torn parts of the shirt, cuffed the pants to make them ankle pants, and had transformed the tie into a bow tie.

Blaine exhaled heavily. This look was so him. "You're amazing, Kurt." He hadn't meant to say it. He was trying to find a way to take the words back when Kurt beamed at him.

"I know. Now go get your beauty sleep, killer. You've got a new look to debut tomorrow."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I know it was a bit of a buildup chapter, but still satisfying, I hope. Good things to come :)

I have one request from all of you lovely people. Please drop me a review or PM with your favorite Klaine stories. I'm on a reading frenzy and I can't get enough! Thank you thank you!

And thanks to my guest reviewer Hanna with the sweetest review in the world. It made me so happy. Glad you're enjoying it!

Until chapter four :)