A month after their first meeting and at least fifteen cups of coffee later, Kurt finally asks him out with an adorable note on his coffee cup written in red sharpie — Can you teach me how to sign "crush" and "date" so that I can ask you out properly? -Kurt. Blaine's still got the coffee cup stashed in the back of his closet where none of his friends can find it and tease him about it. He says 'yes' before he can even think about the implications of dating a hearing boy. Once he does, he simply doesn't care.

Kurt's different. He can't tell how he knows, but Blaine can tell. Besides, if he's serious about going to NYU in the fall, he needs to get used to living in the real world again. What better way to reacquaint himself with the hearing world than with an insanely hot boy with the most mesmerizing blue eyes Blaine's ever seen? Kurt's at least aware of the Deaf culture basics and he has been working extra hard on learning sign language just for Blaine. He can tell because Kurt's class is still only learning how to sign colors and Kurt's already mastered directional verbs and was asking him questions about classifiers.

Which is why Blaine is so defensive when Sebastian comes to his room on Friday night and begins arguing with him about Kurt.

YOU ALWAYS SAID YOU HATED HEARING PEOPLE. YOU SAID YOU'D NEVER DATE ONE, Sebastian signs, hands hitting each sign hard and angry.

I KNOW, OKAY? he signs, distractedly.

He doesn't want to deal with this right now. He's supposed to be focusing on his date and anxiously fretting about tonight. He should be debating the merits of kissing a boy on the first date and if the possibility of looking like he's too easy is enough to keep him from finding out if Kurt's lips are as soft as they look. He's supposed to change into a hundred different outfits until his friends finally push him out the door, assuring him that he looks great no matter what he wears. He's not supposed to be fighting with them.

He just wishes they could be happy for him. Jeff has been texting him about every single, gay, Deaf boy he knows about, including one that lives in Connecticut, assuming Blaine was just lonely. Nick hasn't looked at him since he delivered the news. Sebastian of all people shouldn't have cared… yet here he was. Trying to stop him from going by yelling at him.

He can't take it. He has a date he's supposed to be getting ready for. One he's been excited about all week. Kurt had gone through the trouble of finding a theatre playing a closed caption movie a few towns over and had promised to take him out to dinner as well.

Blaine's debating if he should wear a bow tie or not. He doesn't want to look like he's trying too hard, but he wants to look cute. While he's never seen Kurt outside of the standard coffee shop polo, he can tell by his many accessories that Kurt's got a strong fashion sense. Blaine wants to impress him.

HELLO! Sebastian waves in his face angrily to get his attention. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS.

KURT'S DIFFERENT, he signs.

He doesn't know how else to explain it to Sebastian. He knows that he's pretty much sworn off all hearing people ever since transferring to Dalton. He had a horrible mainstream experience before that lead to some rather nasty comments about hearing people… He gets that his friends are confused about his sudden change of opinion, but they don't know Kurt. They don't know him past that coffee boy that Blaine's always taking to. They haven't tried to get to know him. Kurt's not just some hearing boy… he's Kurt.

WHAT WAS THAT? Sebastian signs, looking more infuriated by the moment.

WHAT? He blushes, though he knows exactly what Sebastian is referring to and he'd rather not have to explain it.

YOU GAVE HIM A NAME SIGN? Sebastian asks.

I DIDN'T GIVE HIM A NAME SIGN. I WAS JUST… I WAS THINKING MAYBE I WOULD. HIS EYES ARE REALLY STRIKING SO I FIGURED IF I DID GIVE HIM A SIGN I'D JUST SIGN EYES WITH A "K"…

NO! NO! Sebastian snaps at him, throwing his arms up in disgust. YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M DONE.

He turns to leave the room, but Blaine catches his arm before he can step out the door.

SERIOUSLY? He asks, hurt. He never thought his friends would be thrilled about this, but he didn't think he would lose them over this. It has nothing to do with them. Aren't they supposed to support him and love him no matter what? Isn't that what friends are for?

NO. YOU GO ON YOUR DATE. GO HANG OUT WITH ALL THE DUMB HEARING SEALS AND TELL ME HOW IT WORKS OUT FOR YOU.

He can't really blame Sebastian for his rant because he's sure he's said far worse himself, but he still thinks he's being a bit ridiculous.

YOU'RE BEING DRAMATIC, he signs.

I'M BEING DRAMATIC? Sebastian signs with a bitter laugh. YOU SAID YOU'D NEVER DATE A HEARING BOY AND HERE YOU ARE. YOU'RE GETTING ALL DRESSED UP FOR HIM, TRYING TO MAKE YOURSELF ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT LIKE HE'S SOMEHOW DESERVING OF IT. LIKE YOU AREN'T PERFECT ALREADY. LIKE YOU HAVE TO CHANGE FOR HIM OR SOMETHING—

I'M NOT TRYING TO CHANGE— Blaine tries to interrupt, but he's on a rant that can't be stopped.

IT'S DISGUSTING! IT'S PATHETIC. DON'T YOU HAVE ANY DEAF PRIDE?

I HAVE A LOT OF DEAF PRIDE, Blaine finally snaps.

It's very rare that he loses his temper, but he can't sit there and listen to Sebastian act like he's mightier than him. Blaine's not the one that vocalizes and talks to hearing people all the time. He's not the one that had his father call the school and try to force all the students to take speech therapy to better prepare them for the "real world." If anybody's been dismissive about Deaf culture, it's Sebastian, not him. Not over Kurt.

THEN PROVE IT. DON'T THROW YOURSELF AT THIS HEARING TOOL THAT CAN BARELY EVEN SIGN, Sebastian signs.

SAYS THE BOY THAT VOCALIZES TO HEARING PEOPLE ALL THE TIME. THE BOY THAT LOVES TO TALK TO HEARING PEOPLE, he counters, crossing his arms and daring Sebastian to challenge him.

I DON'T SLEEP WITH THEM. I HAVE STANDARDS, Sebastian signs, storming off.

Blaine tries to wave him back, even going as far as to flash the hallway lights so he can in no way claim ignorance, but Sebastian just keeps on walking.

WHAT DID YOU THINK WOULD HAPPEN? Nick comes and speaks to him for the first time that week when Blaine won't stop flashing the lights, hoping in vain that Sebastian will come back and at least try and resolve things. He doesn't want to go on his date with this big, black cloud looming over his head.

NOT THIS, Blaine admits, slumping against the wall in defeat.

YOU'RE TURNING YOUR BACK ON YOUR FRIENDS AND YOUR CULTURE, ALL FOR WHAT? A BOY? IS HE REALLY WORTH IT? Nick asks.

MAYBE? HOW DO I KNOW, IF I DON'T GO OUT WITH HIM AT LEAST ONCE? he asks.

HE'S HEARING, Nick says, slumping against the wall with him.

I KNOW.

HE'S NOT A GREAT SIGNER, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A HARD TIME COMMUNICATING, Nick says, though he's started to look resigned to the fact that this was happening and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

I KNOW, he repeats himself with a small smile. Anything his friends have to say, he's already considered it and he still thinks it's worth it. Kurt's worth it.

YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED WHEN TRENT TRIED TO DATE SOMEBODY WHO WAS HEARING? Nick says with a sympathetic smile.

I REMEMBER, BUT KURT'S DIFFERENT, Blaine says, almost 100% sure that it's the truth.

JUST BE CAREFUL.

Blaine's phone vibrates in his pocket and he already knows that it's Kurt telling him that he's arrived. He hasn't picked out a bow tie and he doesn't feel completely comfortable leaving without resolving things with Sebastian, but he can't do anything about any of that now. He straightens up and smooths out his shirt.

HOW DO I LOOK? Blaine asks, nervously.

HANDSOME, he says, though Blaine can tell he's not thrilled he hadn't been able to change his mind.

He can only hope that this date goes amazingly so that he can come home and tell everyone that they were wrong and they'd worried for no reason. If not — if this date turns out to be a disaster — he would have fought with his friends for no reason.