The Hurt Locker, Part One

(Disclaimer: No ownership of Glee or Klaine.)

"Rachel, we seriously need to start thinking about how we are going to get more members," Kurt told her as he searched through the stack of sheet music, trying to get inspired for this week's lesson.

"I know, but I think we should just focus on the members we have until they feel comfortable enough to perform in front of people."

"Sectionals are coming-"

"I know," she cut in, standing up straight. He flipped her hair behind her shoulders before turning to him. "It'll be fine."

"You keep saying that," he shot at her, hands coming to his hips. "But what if they aren't? We have to start recruiting."

"Hey, gay boy," Becky called from the door in her obnoxious tone. "Coach Sue wants you in her office right now!"

Kurt ignored her, turning back to his best friend. He really didn't need to deal with her right now. "I'm sorry for snapping. I'm just concerned about it."

Rachel sighed and nodded. "I agree. We'll figure it out."

"Did you not hear me?" Becky yelled, coming closer to the two. "Coach wants you in her office, bubble butt!"

"I'd rather not," Kurt told her. "She doesn't have any control over me, so-"

"She won't take no for an answer." She crossed her arms and fixed a glare on him. "I'll scream until you go."

"You will not, Becky," Rachel said as she turned back to the sheet music. "Kurt and I are busy, so tell Coach Sue that she will have to come find Kurt if she wants to-"

"AHHHH!"

Kurt jumped back, hands coming up to block his ears. He shouldn't be surprised because this is Becky they are dealing with, but it was a shock. "Becky! Becky, stop it!"

"Coach Sue, now!"

"Okay, fine." Kurt threw up his hands and stalked towards the door. "I'll be back in a minute, Rachel."

Becky followed him out into the hall, speaking her mind like she always does. He tried to tune her out, but it was hard. "I heard that Gay Blaine broke up with you. Probably cause you're too girly."

He rolled his eyes. "I broke up with him, Becky."

"He doesn't want you because all you do is whine. Whine, whine, whine."

He shook his head and went through the office before stopping at the door. She had her back turned to him and so he cleared his throat. "You wanted to see me?"

She spun around, smile lighting up her face and she motioned for him to sit down. He didn't want to, but complied. He tugged his sweater tightly around himself as she spoke. "Oh, Porcelain, my sweet, shrill, fragile gelfling."

Kurt smiled softly, letting her continue. "I want to help you achieve your life's true purpose. I want to help you get Blaine back." The smile faded, and Kurt didn't really know why she cared or how she even knew. "Oh, that Karofsky character is a grade A no good neck. He is a heartless bully."

"Since when have you cared about me and Blaine?" he asked about her. He actually could count all the times that she had been so horrible to them right now. All the names and stories she created about him.

"Since like, forever." She sat up straighter, smile coming again. "You see you and Blaine are blouses."

"What are blouses?" he chanced to ask. None of this was making sense.

"A blouse is a breezy, femmy top. It's a term I coined for my favorite type of gay. You always know where you stand with a blouse, and they can't sneak up on you. Because for miles you can hear their gentle swish, swish, swish on the summer wind."

This was getting crazier by the minute, and that's saying something because this was Sue he was talking about. "Thank you? I guess, but I do not want to get back together with Blaine."

She looked heartbroken. "Listen to you. That's not the Porcelain I know." Kurt sighed as she looked down at her watch. "You better get to the auditorium. The teams have arrived to rehearse on stage for the invitational."

That was new. "What invitational?"

"The one I organized to destroy the glee club once and for all. I said that out loud, didn't I? I should have said that in voice-over."

Kurt shook his head and stood up. "I have no idea what you talk about most of the time, but just please stay out of my life."

"Blaine should be walking down the hall if my inside source is correct."

He shook his head and left through the office, stepping into the hallway, almost running into Blaine himself. Kurt turned around, looking at Sue through the glass. She was smirking and started making kissy faces. Kurt felt his face heat up as he turned to face his ex.

"Hey, Kurt," Blaine greeted with a soft smile. The Warblers standing behind him nodded in his way.

"Hi, Blaine." He started walking with them, feeling Sue's eyes on him. "When did you find out about this?"

"Sue called earlier today. She was really persistent about us coming today, right now at this exact time actually."

Kurt nodded, wincing a little. If Sue sent her mind to something, there was no getting away from it. This could only end badly, but he wasn't going to tell Blaine. He wouldn't get him involved unless he had to.

"Well, I guess we will see how it goes."

Blaine hummed in response as they walked into the auditorium. The Warblers moved around Blaine as the two boys stopped to face one another. It was still awkward between them, and Kurt wasn't sure if that was ever going to change.

"I have to go get them ready," Blaine said as he pointed behind his shoulder. It was like he needed permission to go. It wasn't his school anymore.

"Yeah, well make yourself at home," Kurt found himself saying with a small smile. With that Blaine turned and hurried up the steps to the stage.

Kurt was proud of himself. Sure he wanted to be with Blaine, but if Blaine didn't then there was nothing he could do but move on. He had been focusing on doing just that, talking to a guy he met online. It was slowly getting better, but he knew that she'd never get completely over Blaine, but he could try. Seeing him didn't help, but he was doing better than he thought he would be doing. He smiled softly and went to find Rachel. They had bigger things to worry about.

"So, was that 'the Kurt?'" Andrew asked as Blaine caught up to the group. The head Warbler was staring out across the auditorium at the boy in question before turning his attention to Blaine.

Blaine liked the kid. He reminded him a lot of himself when he was the lead of the Warblers. He was also nosey like he was as well. "Yeah, that was Kurt."

"I can see why you fell for him," he said quietly before his eyes widened. "Mr. Anderson, I didn't mean to say it like that. I just-"

"Andrew, it's all right." He smiled and nodded. "Kurt is definitely a good looking man, and I can't stop you from thinking it. That is one of the reasons I loved him. His beauty."

"You talked about him so much when you first started coaching us that I feel like I know him. Is that weird?" He turned to him and Blaine shook his head. "I don't want to overstep, but you still aren't over him, are you?"

He was overstepping. Blaine shouldn't be talking about this with a member of the team he's coaching, but Andrew was a good guy. "I'll always feel something for him, but there's nothing else. I'm seeing someone else now anyway."

The boy nodded and looked out at Kurt one more time. "I hope you don't let your past with him cloud your judgment on the competition."

"Oh, please," Blaine laughed. "You guys come first before anybody here at McKinley. By no means are we going to take it easy on Kurt and his team. They only have four members anyway."

"Ouch," Andrew cringed.

"My loyalty is here, so you don't have anything to worry about." He clapped his hands to get the boy's attention. "Now I want you all to warm up because we have to practice if we want to show these guys who the real threat really is."

The boys cheered, and Blaine nodded at Andrew. "I have full faith in you to lead our team to a victory. Don't let me down."

"No way, sir," he said before turning and taking lead of the group through their warm up exercises. Blaine glanced out at Kurt before looking down. He couldn't' think about him right now. He needed to get into coach mode.

Blaine saw Kurt and Rachel finally making their way towards him, so he took a second to get serious and walked over to them. Before they could say anything, he started.

"Okay, so let's go through the rules: Um, we decided there's no judges so this is really about bragging rights. But still, my guys are taking this very, very seriously. So I just want to make sure the order is picked fairly. And by fairly, I mean that we're gonna go second. By the way, how's the filling up of your roster going? Is that going okay?"

"It's an invitational," Kurt spoke up, avoiding the question "We don't have to follow the strict show choir rules."

"Has it occurred to either of you that this could be an awful idea for your team?" Blaine suddenly asked. He couldn't help it. He had to ask the obvious question.

"We just want to give them a sense of what to expect at Sectionals," Rachel said. "You know, we were also just hoping that maybe you and Mister Schuester would take it easy on us."

"Oh, no way. No, no, no. Absolutely not. No one's going easy on anybody. Nope." He didn't know how Andrew had called his alliance being tested, but he was proud of himself. "The Warblers are being rebuilt just like the New Directions. I'm sorry, but my allegiance is with them, and if that seems scary to you guys you should probably drop out."

His phone had gone off, and he pulled it out and took a glance at the message from Dave, panic settling in.

From: Yogi

HELP! THERE'S AN INTRUDER IN OUR APARTMENT!

"Oh my god," he said quickly, looking up. "Dave. There's an intruder in our apartment."

He didn't wait, he was immediately on the go, leaving the Warblers behind. He heard Kurt and Rachel following him, and he didn't stop them. They were all friends, and apparently they cared about what was going on.

"What does he mean?" Kurt asked him, rushing to catch up. "Like is he in danger? Should we call the police?"

"I don't know," he admitted. He rushed towards his car, Rachel and Kurt getting in with him. "I'm going to try and call him."

"Let me drive," Kurt told him, stopping him with both hands. Blaine went to protest, but Kurt's gaze stopped him. "That way you can focus on getting ahold of David."

Blaine gave up the keys and got in the front seat. He hurried and gave Kurt the address before dialing his boyfriend's number. It rang twice before going to voicemail. He tried it again, and it ended up the same outcome.

"Dammit."

"I'm sure that it's fine," Kurt told him gently. "If it was any real danger, David would have called the police."

"Try and call him again, Blaine," Rachel told him from the back seat.

Blaine nodded and held the phone up to his ear waiting as it rang. On the forth ring, it connected and Dave's voice came. "BLAINE! YOU NEED TO GET HERE NOW!"

"I'm on my way!" he told him, trying to remain as calm as he could. "What's going on?"

"OH MY GOD! NO! DON'T!"

The line cut, and Blaine tossed his phone on the dash. "Well that was really helpful, David. He's freaking out, and I can't get anything out of him. Just hurry, Kurt." "I'm going, Blaine," Kurt told him, reaching over to pat his leg. "It's going to be fine."

The touch was welcome and Blaine actually took Kurt hand. It shocked both of them, but he needed something to hold on to. He can't imagine what was going on at the apartment, and the worst-case scenarios were running through his mind. He just needed an anchor that held him down.

Kurt squeezed his hand, and they drove through the streets quickly. Blaine guided Kurt when he didn't know where to turn, and finally they were pulling up in front of the familiar building. He let go of Kurt's hand, panic rising as soon as he did. He hurried from the car and rushed through the building to get to his apartment. Kurt and Rachel followed, and soon enough he was throwing open his door to see what was going on. He wasn't prepared for the sight that he was met with.

Dave was standing on top of the table, chair in his hands. Blaine hurried to him. "Dave, what's going on?"

"BEAR! IN THE BED ROOM!" Blaine couldn't believe his ears. He wasn't prepared for that. "I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE!"

"What?" he asked, rushing to the room.

"NOOO! DON'T GO IN THERE, YOU'RE GONNA GET KILLED!"

His boyfriend was right. On their bed that they had finally gotten put together and made, a small bear cub sat square in the middle. He was so shocked that he took a step back.

"Oh my God! Is that a real live bear cub? Rachel asked from next to him, leaning closer to look.

"Uh…why is there a bear in here?" Blaine found himself asking no one in particular. They were nowhere near a forest or woods that a bear would just happen to walk in the front door.

"WHY IS THERE A BEAR IN HERE!" Dave cried from the living room.

"I think I have a pretty good idea," Kurt said, finger pointing up. Both Blaine and Rachel turned to him, waiting for an answer. "It's a long story. Sue is trying to get us back together."

Blaine wasn't expecting that. He thought Sue hated him and Kurt. "What does the bear have anything to do with it?"

"She is trying to create a rift between you and Dave." Kurt walked forward, stopping before he reached the bed. The bear let out a playful growl before it rolled on its back. "I'll tell her to knock it off tomorrow."

Blaine sighed and looked out the door to Dave. "Hey, its fine." He moved out and towards his boyfriend.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY ITS FINE, BLAINE?" he shrieked, pointing the chair at him. "THERE'S A BEAR IN OUR BEDROOM!"

He reached forward and took hold of the bottom of the chair. "It's a harmless little cub. I'll call animal control, and they will come pick it up. You need to just calm down because screaming is just going to scare it."

The boy nodded, letting Blaine put the chair down. He slowly climbed down, pulling Blaine in for a tight hug. Blaine went willingly and wrapped his arms around David to comfort him.

"I thought that I was going to die, Blaine. I'm so glad you came to save me. You are my prince charming."

Blaine smiled and pulled back. "It's what boyfriends do, isn't it? They come to their man's defense whenever they need to."

Dave leaned in and kissed his lips, and it took Blaine by surprise. He didn't think that he'd ever get used to the different feeling of David's lips. It's different, but he doesn't know if he likes it or not.

A throat was cleared, and Blaine pulled away. Kurt eyes bore into Blaine's, hurt laced through them. It wasn't Blaine didn't want to hurt Kurt by parading his relationship around, but sometimes things just happened. His ex waved his phone, before putting it in his pocket.

"I just got off the phone with animal control," he told them, eyes downcast towards the carpet. "They are on their way to get the bear."

"Thanks, Kurt," Blaine said. He pulled away from Dave and walked to him room again. Rachel was inching her way closer, and Blaine had to stop her. "Don't touch him just yet."

"But he's so cute, Blaine," she cooed. She turned towards him, her bottom lip jutted out. "I just want to pet him."

"We don't know where he came from, and Sue could have scared him so much that he could be defensive. You never know what he could be capable of."

"And we all know that if anything happens to you, it'll be the end of the world," Kurt commented as he came in again. "I also want to say that this is an interesting choice of decoration, Blaine. It's not something that I see you choosing."

Blaine blushed before dropping his head. "I didn't pick it out."

"Yeah," Dave agreed, peaking around the doorframe to look at the bear. "Your friend Brittany did it all. Actually, she did everything but the bed. For some reason she refused because she didn't want to picture us having sex."

A cough escaped Kurt's lips and he started choking a little. The blush was deepening on Blaine's face. This was something that they did not need to be talking about right now.

"It's ridiculous," Blaine said, voice cracking. "It's not like we do that yet for heaven's sake. We are just moving in together. That step is far down the road."

"I wouldn't say it's that far down the road, Boo Boo," Dave said. "I mean you already like to cuddle a lot."

"I think this is a conversation for us to have alone." Blaine shot him a look before turning to their guest. Kurt was doing anything in his power to not look Blaine's way. And Rachel was currently acting like she wasn't paying attention by watching the bear, but he could tell she was hanging on every word.

"Right." Dave gave him a short smile. "I'm gonna go out until that thing is gone. Will you call me?"

"Yeah," he agreed, and then Dave left.

The room was silent as Blaine tried to think of something to say. He watched the bear lift a pillow up before chewing on the corner of it.

"I'm sorry about that."

"It's totally fine, Blaine," Rachel said as she turned back around. "I'm sure you have experienced some of my relationship quarrels in the past. No harm done."

Blaine sighed and turned to Kurt. He knew that he was the one who would take it badly, but the boy surprised him. He met Blaine's eyes and nodded. "It's fine. It's not like we didn't do the same thing when we were arguing."

It didn't take much longer until there was a knock at the door. Animal control was very understanding about the cub, and took him in less than ten minutes. Rachel followed them out, begging to pet it at least once.

Blaine looked to Kurt as the door shut. There was still so much distance between them even though they were standing feet apart. Blaine took a deep breath before speaking.

"I'm still so embarrassed that you had to see Dave and I discuss that. I know it must be hard for you to hear. I know this much be hard." He pointed to the apartment in general. "I should have told you that we were moving in together."

"Brittany told me about it last week," Kurt told him. "It just came out when I was apologizing to her about interrupting their engagement celebration."

That was news to Blaine. "Wait, Brittany and Santana are engaged?"

"Crazy, right?" Kurt shook his head. "I snapped at them after it happened, and I was trying to make it up to her by helping. I may have mentioned you, and she told me about helping you guys."

"I'm happy for them. I'm glad that one couple from high school is actually going to stay together."

They held each other's gaze until Blaine looked away. He knew the bets were on them, but obviously that wasn't happening.

"I know that it may seem fast-"

"No, we just progressed at the speed of a tortoise," Kurt teased, a smile forming on his lips. "That didn't turn out so well, so I guess that going a little faster would be perfectly fine."

"He asked me," Blaine explained. "I said yes because my place was starting to suffocate me with memories and stuff. Plus my mom was, well you know how she is."

Blaine could never get used to Kurt's eyes. They were his favorite part of his ex, but they gave so much away: all the emotion and truth behind Kurt's words. That used to be how Blaine would tell Kurt was lying. Right now they were staring at him so intently, eyes a cross between hurt and curious.

"I am relived to know that you aren't throwing yourself to just anyone." Kurt took a step forward. "We waited, and I know we both know how special it was. Don't do it with him until you are ready, Blaine."

"I won't," he agreed. "Thank you for being so mature about this. It means a lot that we can discuss things like this."

Kurt nodded.

The door opened and Rachel strode in. "So now that the situation is taken care of-I got to pet the bear! - We should probably get back to the school."

Blaine agreed, and they started for the door. "I'll take you guys back and see if the Warblers are still there. I feel horrible for leaving them." He paused. "I'll meet you guys down at the car. I'm just going to call Dave."

They both agreed, and Blaine pulled out his phone to call his boyfriend to tell him the cost was clear.

"I know that was probably hard," Rachel said as they went down the stairs. "Seeing Blaine living with Karofsky."

Kurt shrugged. It may have been horrible, but it was also satisfying hearing that Blaine wasn't sleeping with Dave yet. "It's fine. I'm moving on from him, so it's good to see that he's already living with someone else. It may hurt a little though."

"It's just totally wrong. You and Blaine are supposed to be together, and seeing David with him is just…" She shivered. "Wrong."

"Tell me about it." Kurt shook his head as they pushed through the door to the parking lot. "I'm taking to someone else."

"Well good for you, Kurt."

He smiled and leaned against Blaine's car. "He's not happy with Dave, and I may be the only person that can tell, but he's not."

"There's not much that you can do about it though," Rachel told him. "You just have to sit back and watch."

"He's trying to move on so fast that he moved in with David for crying out loud. Did you see that apartment? There's not one thing of Blaine's in there." He sighed. "It just hurts seeing him settling for David. I'm sorry for unloading all of this on you."

"That's what best friends are for." She reached out and took his hand. "I know you've heard this probably a dozen times since being here, but if it's meant to be he'll come back to you."

"I know." He nodded. He really did understand. "I just don't want to sit around and wait for his to decide if he wants me. I think I'm going to actually schedule a meeting with Walter, the guy I'm talking to. No need in me hating myself for ending things anymore."

"Exactly." She hugged him then, suddenly. "I'm proud of how far you've come since that afternoon on my bed. You are a great catch, and this Walter guy is going to love you. Maybe something fresh will help you fully move on."

"Maybe."

Blaine then emerged from the building, heading over to them. The conversation was dropped, and they started back to the school. The conversation played over and over again in his head until he decided to message Walter as soon as he got home. He also had to worry about Sue and getting her to stop trying to get him and Blaine back together. It would only make things worse, and that's the last thing he needed right now.

-1-

Kurt strode into school the next morning, head held high. He was ready to give it to Sue. Trying to get them together by this invitational thing was one thing, but putting a wild bear in Blaine's apartment was overboard. Someone could have gotten hurt. He went right past Sue's inmate secretary, and barged through the door.

"If it isn't my precious Porcelain," Sue greeted from her seat behind her desk. "How long did you spend cuddling your sweet, naïve Blaine last night?"

"Don't start," he warned, giving her a look. "In what world is it okay to let a wild bear loose in someone's apartment? Someone could have gotten hurt! If anything, it only drove David and Blaine together judging by how big of a baby Dave was when we got there, and Blaine had to calm him down."

"Wait, wait, I'm very confused. I had it on good authority that Dave Karofsky was attracted to bears."

"Except in this case a bear refers to a burly, gay man. Not an actual bear. That would be really dangerous, and completely insane."

"Well my tenure at this school has expanded my horizons of what is or isn't considered insane. Will Schuester once submerged a loose site platform into the McKinley swimming pool so he could literally walk on water to propose to his girlfriend. Now that's pretty insane."

Kurt was fed up with her ramblings. "This has to stop. I don't want to get back together with Blaine." He was only being half honest. "I've moved on. I met someone online. His name is Walter."

"Oh, Porcelain," she said shaking her head. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. You will not come out of this alive. This person is obviously a cannibal. I mean look at you. You are exceptionally well marbled. If I were on a deserted island with everybody I knew, I would absolutely eat you first. It doesn't even have to be a deserted island. There could be any number of casual dining establishments and I would still opt to eat you. A mouth-watering, delicious corn-fed Porcelain rump roast."

"Okay, I'm leaving." He started backing up. "You just have to stop. Okay? I'm serious."

"But what about your fabulous, over-the-top, gay wedding!" she called after him as he walked out of the office. "I already told Becky…"

He didn't hear the rest of the sentence, moving down the hallway. He didn't need to deal with her on top of every thing else he had on his plate. He hoped she would stop now, but he couldn't know for sure.

Blaine walked into McKinley. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't miss it here. There were so many good times and memories that he cherished close to his heart. He started for the auditorium. Apparently, Sam promised Rachel that he'd help her learn the piano, and Blaine agreed to help teach them. It wasn't everyday that someone took notice in his piano skills. He didn't take lessons his whole childhood for his talent to be looked over.

The auditorium was empty, so Blaine set to work on labeling the keys on the piano that they were going to use for the lessons. This is how he was taught, and it really was the only way to start.

It wasn't long before chatter between two people came, and Blaine looked up to see Rachel and Sam walking onto the stage. "Hi, Blaine!"

"Hi, Rach," he called over to her, waving. "Hey, Sam."

They reached the piano and Blaine cracked his fingers before looking up at them. "Now I'm serious about this, so unless you are too, I'm not going to waste my time."

"No!" she said quickly. "I really want to learn how to play. It would help me with my performances."

"Well then, after my teaching, you should be able to play this." His fingers were moving instantly, playing the familiar melody of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. It was one of the first things that he set out to learn how to play after he learned.

"Wow, that's intimidating," Sam observed when he finished and looked up to his friends with a bright, proud smile.

"Blaine, thank you so much for taking time out of your extremely busy schedule to teach us," Rachel told him with a bright smile

"No, we were gonna ask Brad the piano player, but then I found this scrapbook that he keeps of women's feet." Sam shook his head.

"Okay," Blaine said to fill the awkward pause. He stood up, and Rachel took his place. "Have a seat. Don't just sit any each way. Sit up straight. Don't slouch. Elbows always ninety degrees away from the piano."

"Well, just so you know, I'm not really a beginner. My dads put me in lessons when I was four years old, and I just got bored, so I quit."

"Huh, that's so unlike you!" He didn't mean to let it slip, but it did, so he went with it. Her smile instantly fell as she turned back to the piano. "Um, I made this cute, little chart above the keys to help you guys out. So go ahead and find middle C for me."

"Got it!" she proclaimed as she hit the note. She looked back up at him proud of herself.

"Excellent." He leaned down closer to her. "Um, so I want you to think of middle C, also known as C4, as kinda a quaint little town between bass clef land and treble clef land. So it's kinda easy."

"No, I'm sorry. Wait. Can you just like slow down?"

Blaine understood the confusion that she may have had being a beginner and all. He didn't really have time to say anything before they were interrupted by a loud beeping noise. He turned around to see Sue lowering herself on a lift.

"My god, what time is it?" she said before a yawn. "I fell asleep hours ago when you were yammering on about good posture and a quaint little town."

Becky came out from nowhere as the lift reached the ground. Blaine put his hands in his pockets, not very happy with the coach right now. "Um-What are you doing up there?"

"Just loosening some bolts," she said nonchalantly.

"You have no business being here," Rachel shot back at her.

"That is exactly what I was going to say to you." She stood up straight again before getting down off the machinery. "I thought I was rid of you two years ago. Then you came limping back to Lima with your suitcase full of glitter and tears."

That was it. They obviously weren't going to get anything done, so Blaine turned to Rachel. "All right, I think we should probably reschedule this."

"No," she protested sadly, but Sue spoke over her.

"That is an excellent idea. Wouldn't you say so Sam?"

Blaine looked over to his friend and he suddenly looked up. "Awesome idea. Later buddy." The boy confused Blaine, and he turned to look at Sue to see if she had done anything before looking back. "Go. Get out of here. Come on."

He wasn't going to question it. Things at McKinley always confused him, so he turned and left the stage. This is just what you dealt with when putting yourself into the middle of everything. Sue had to be in the middle of everything, and after hearing that she was trying to get him and Kurt back together Blaine wanted to stay as far away from her as possible.

He navigated his way through the familiar halls, passing the choir room and stopping. He should just go. He really should, but something made his feet retreat his steps. He leaned against the doorframe as he gazed in, watching Kurt lean against the piano with a pencil in his mouth, chewing on the end of the eraser.

There had been a time when Blaine would have snuck up behind him, wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist and held him tightly. That was the type of thing that they used to do, something that Blaine never could do with Dave. At least not yet, and maybe not ever. He shook the thought away and focused on right now. He definitely wasn't thinking about the way Kurt's ass looked in those jeans. Definitely not.

"Hey."

Kurt glanced up from where he was; smile forming when he saw Blaine. It was that familiar smile he got whenever he saw Blaine. Lately Blaine hadn't seen it, but it was there now. It warmed Blaine's heart and gave him hope that things were going to be okay between them even if they weren't together.

"Hi, Blaine," Kurt greeted before standing up fully. "Are you here with the Warblers for practice?"

"No, actually." He walked a little further into the room, hands finding their place in his pockets. "Sam wanted me to come and teach him and Rachel how to play the piano. That was until Sue crashed it."

"Oh, no." Kurt turned around, leaning his backside against the piano and crossing his arms. "What did she do now?"

"Nothing yet. She was actually really weird. She kicked me out of the lesson, and she somehow has Sam agreeing with her. I don't know what he has over him, but he all but shooed me out."

"Who knows with her." Kurt shook his head. "I yelled at her earlier and told her to back off. I don't know if she is going to do it, but it was worth a try."

"Thanks. Dave is having nightmares about the bear." They both laughed together. "It didn't scare me as much as it scared him, but it was still uncalled for."

Kurt nodded slowly. "So piano lessons, huh?"

"Yeah. I mean it's about time someone has noticed how well of a player I am." He grinned confidently. "I've only been playing since I was four."

"That's because your brother was a performer then, and your parents needed something to keep you busy. You just happened to catch on really well. It may be a good talent, but your voice outshines it."

A blush started to form as Blaine ducked his head slightly. Whenever Kurt gave him a compliment, past and present, he always got like this. "What can I say? I'm just good."

"It's a shame that NYADA cut you."

There it was: the awkwardness. Kurt snapped his mouth shut, realizing what he just said, but Blaine nodded. "Yeah, well it happened. I like to believe that everything happens for a reason. I like to believe that I need to be here instead of there."

"I didn't mean to bring it up."

"No, it's fine. We can't avoid it forever." He shrugged, ready to change the topic. "So are you preparing for the competition?"

"Trying to. I'm worried though."

"I'd be if I were you."

Kurt gave him a look. It was a mix between hurt and shocked. "Excuse me, mister, but you haven't seen Vocal Adrenaline, Blaine. They are insanely talented. They are no match for the Warblers. Not only should Rachel and I be worried, but you should be too."

He had never thought of things like that, but it still didn't bother him that much. "I have faith in my guys that they are going to kill it."

"Don't come crawling to me with your tail between your legs after they perform first."

"Oh, I won't. You can cry on my shoulder after our performance though." He smiled teasingly, brushing his shoulder. "It's pretty comfortable."

"Oh, please," Kurt laughed, rolling his eyes. "There will be no tears coming from me anytime soon, so don't hold your breath."

"Well I wish you guys nothing but luck. The New Directions still have a spot in my heart, and I can't help but root on the underdog."

"If there's one thing we both know, it's don't underestimate the underdog. They always seem to pull out a win last minute."

"That we do," he agreed.

Blaine's phone chimed, and he pulled it out quickly. There was a text message from Dave.

FROM: Yogi

Hey, Boo Boo! Wanna meet me at BreadStix? I feel like treating you since you saved me yesterday.

Blaine quickly sent back a text saying he'd love to before looking back up at Kurt. "Sorry, it's Dave. He wants to take me out to dinner."

Kurt's smile falter before he recovered. "Well good. You deserve to be treated to dinner."

It was short and sweet. Blaine figured that it was probably time to head out before it got any more awkward. "I'll see you later."

"See you, Blaine," Kurt told him before turning around. "Oh, and have a good time tonight."

"Thanks, I will."

He left then, chancing one look back at the sad expression on Kurt's face. He felt somewhat bad, but it wasn't his fault that Kurt called things off. It was Kurt's. He moved through the hallways briskly, almost making it out. That was until Sue's arm stopped him mid step, almost choking him.

"If it isn't half of my favorite couple," she said, pushing him back and crowding his space.

"What do you want, Sue?" he asked harshly.

"Where are you heading? Porcelain is in the choir room. If you ask me, he's a little moody, so it would be great if you could just pop his cherry and get everything back to normal."

"We are broken up." He stood tall, well as tall as his small frame could get him. "I'm dating Dave now, and we are actually going out on a date tonight at BreadStix. So if you don't mind moving so I'm not late."

Surprisingly she stepped aside, a sly grin forming on her face. "Go ahead and have fun now."

He was scared of what she had up her sleeve, but he moved to avoid any more conflict. He didn't look back as he got to his car and left. Yeah, McKinley was a place where your past do come back to haunt you. And by past, he meant past principals and coaches.

-2-

Kurt had been so busy coming up with a plan for the New Directions invitational performance that he totally didn't realize how horrible shape the auditorium was in. He happened to find janitor Figgins, so he could voice his concerns. He didn't want to listen at first, as he tried, not very hard, to get the gum off the bottom on the seats.

"I know you're overworked," he started softly before jumping into it. "I'm just saying that this auditorium could use a little bit more of your attention. I mean, there's gum on half of these seats."

"Don't blame me, blame the parents!" Figgins yelled at him. "They let Jonny and Susie get unwind, but Jonny and Susie can't read. It's an American tragedy!"

Kurt was trying to sympathize with him when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Sorry to interrupt. I'm supposed to give Rachel and Sam a piano lesson, and I can't find them anywhere."

"I spotted them in the courtyard, sharing a hot soft pretzel with honey mustard. I'm no psychic, but I predict another tempestuous, sexy glee club romance. Speaking of which, I will leave you two ex-lovebirds alone, thank you very much."

"Thank you," Kurt said sarcastically as he left.

Kurt went to move, but Blaine fell into the seat across from him, letting out a sigh and giving Kurt the look. Kurt knew the look all too well. Something was up, and it wasn't something good either. He looked defeated, and that was never good.

"Uh-oh," he observed, sitting down on the wall top."Something's wrong."

"Everything," the younger boy snapped, holding up a hand. "Okay? Everything is wrong. Dave has dated every guy with facial hair in the Midwest. And evidently we're related."

"Wait, what?" Kurt asked, not sure he heard him right.

"Yeah. Sue went on one of those ancestry websites, and she discovered that Dave and I are third cousins."

This was ridiculous. Of course it was just Sue trying to get to Blaine. "Blaine, there is no universe where you and Karofsky are related. Sue is obviously just trying to get you guys to break up, so we get back together."

"Why can't she and everybody else understand that yes, you were my first love-"

"And you were mine," Kurt piped in.

"But I just think, like you always say, we're probably better off as…great friends, you know?"

Kurt didn't want to be friends. He really didn't, but he accepted it. "Well, I'm glad that we could be adults about this."

"Yeah."

"And-full disclosure-I've actually me a really nice guy online, and we have our first date tonight." It was the right time to tell him. He was actually really nervous about it, but telling Blaine made him relax a little.

"Oh, well, that's…awesome." An unknown look crossed over Blaine's face, and Kurt didn't recognize it. "That's um, I hope that goes really well. Yeah. Well, he damn well better know that he is on a date with America's most eligible bachelor. Uh, I gotta go. Um…I really gotta get going and find those guys…Um, it was good to see you."

He paused, and Kurt moved to hug him. "Oh, yeah. You too."

It was like they didn't know how to hug without kissing. It was awkward trying to find a way where they didn't get too close.

"Oh, hello." They hugged briefly, before Blaine pulled back. "Yeah."

"Yeah, the, um. You, too. You, too." Kurt sat back down on the edge, trying to push the tears away. He'd prefer not to go on the date and just be with Blaine, but that wasn't going to happen. He sat there until Blaine exited the auditorium. He didn't know how long he sat there after that, his mind running wild. It was the right thing to do, moving on. He just had to.

Blaine pushed into the bathroom, moving to the closest stall. He was trying to keep himself composed, but failing miserably. He locked the door and slumped against it, feeling the tears prickle at his eyes, threatening to escape.

He hadn't expected Kurt telling him that he was going on a date. It hurt. It hurt a lot. He didn't realize what he wanted until now. He liked knowing that Kurt wanted to be with him. That he'd try and win him back. It was thrilling, and he loved it. That was until now. Kurt didn't want him anymore. He was moving on, and it crushed everything in him.

Sure he had moved on to Dave, but Kurt was his first love. The idea of being wooed and chased after by him was so exciting. It may be because he had spent so long doing the chasing and pining, but now the roles were reversed. Now Kurt gave up. He had moved on and didn't want him anymore.

Blaine let the tear escape his eye down his cheek. He hated the thought of Kurt going out on a date with someone else, probably just as much as Kurt hated him and Dave being together, but it was different. He didn't do the breaking up. He shouldn't be able to give up so easily. Kurt should do everything he possibly can to win him back, that's what Blaine did when the roles were reversed. He guessed that it was because they were so different.

Something dawned on him then and he stood up straight, wiping his eyes. He was still in love with Kurt. He loved him after all the hurtful words that were said. He loved him so much that his heart ached when he thought of him. He had spent so much time trying to force himself to believe that he was over Kurt, but in reality he had just been lying to himself. There was no getting over Kurt. He was everything Blaine wanted and needed, but there was nothing to do. Kurt had moved on now.

He walked out of the stall, tugging his jacket forward. It was fine. Everything would be fine. They weren't going to get back together. He'd just have to live with the fact that he'd always love Kurt, and maybe he can just have him as a friend, a best friend. That should be good enough, should it?

-3-

Kurt slumped against the door after his failure of a date. It went so horrible so fast, and all Kurt could do was try and act like everything was okay. He didn't know if he'd ever see the guy again, probably not because he was not going to date a fifty year old, ever. He just didn't understand why his love life always seemed to fail. It wasn't fair.

"Hey, kiddo," he dad greeted. Kurt passed him and fell against the couch in the living room, closing his eyes tightly. "Bad date, I take it."

"The worst." He sat his head up, thinking about what all to tell his dad. He decided to just go for it. "Walter wasn't who he said he was."

"What do you mean?" Burt reached forward and muted the TV with the remote before turning his full attention to his son.

"He showed up, and he was fifty years old, dad. It was a nightmare. He then went on a rant about how he didn't want to scare me off because he liked talking to me, and I felt like I had to spend the rest of dinner with him. It was so sad."

"You aren't dating a fifty year old." Burt's brow creased. "I'm sorry, I have to put my foot down there, Kurt. I don't care if he made you feel guilty or not. No way in hell. I don't want you on those sites anymore either. I've only heard bad things about them anyway."

"Trust me, I'm done," Kurt said, tossing his hands up. "I just give up. I'm not dating anymore. I'll just be alone the rest of my life."

"Enough of that. I don't want to hear you feel sorry for yourself. You have to own up to your mistakes, kiddo. You going on that date tonight, it was you running away from your problems."

"Excuse me?" he asked, sitting up. "I am not running away from my problems, dad."

"No? Well it sure seems like it. I'm not trying to fight with you or anything, but you didn't try very hard to get Blaine back."

"What was I supposed to do? Make him a cheater once again? Plus, I don't think that he even wants to get back together with me, not after what I did to him. I don't blame him either."

"I'm not saying anything like that. I just thought that my son wouldn't stop at anything until he got what he wanted. I know you love the kid, and I do too. I miss him a lot. I also know how much he loves you. I know he is dating that Karofsky kid, but he's hurt and confused."

"I'm not going to push him." He sighed. "That's what he did to me, and-"

"It worked," Burt supplied. "He didn't stop trying to get you back because he loved you to death. I bet he still does. Answer me this, has he ever told you no? Has he told you to not win him back?"

Kurt hesitated, thinking of all the interactions that they had shared together, but he couldn't remember Blaine ever telling him that. "He told me he was dating someone."

"That ain't no in my book."

"I just can't focus on winning him back though. I have other things to worry about-"

"You don't have to focus purely on it. Go out of your way to talk to him. Be friendly whenever he's around. You aren't going to get anywhere if you guys are both awkward around each other. Become friends again."

"Okay."

"Then when you've got him, show him how much you care about him. Woo him and take his breath away. Do exactly what he did to you to get you back. We could go without the proposal this time though."

Kurt laughed, shaking his head. "It's just hard being around him when all I want to do is kiss him and-"

"Enough. I don't need to hear that. I've already walked in on you two doing it. I don't need to relive it."

A blush creeped its way up Kurt's cheeks. "Well until this invitational is over, I can't worry about anything. Thanks for the harsh love."

"That's what I'm here for," he dad told him before turning back to the TV.

Kurt sat back and let his mind wonder. He wasn't good at expressing his feelings when it came to it, but he'd go for it. He just didn't know how long he'd have to wait for that moment.

-4-

Turns out Mr. Schue didn't follow through with his deal of Vocal Adrenaline taking it easy. They were spectacular. It was like they weren't human, and Kurt didn't know how they were going to come back from this. Rachel was panicking next to him, and Kurt was holding it in. He turned, looking down the row of seats to look at Blaine. He told him that they were competition and Blaine didn't believe him. By the look Blaine gave him, he was concerned now. They were all screwed. Awesome.

Blaine peaked out his fingers to the performance going on in front of him. He brushed Kurt's warnings off, but this was absolutely terrible. They were outstanding. Never in his five years in show choir had he seen a group perform like this. His team was terrified, and Blaine had to admit that he was too. They were just going to have to step it up like one hundred percent if they had any chance. He didn't know if they could, but he'd try to direct as best as he could. That's all he could really do.

A/N: Hey guys! I've got the next chapter for you all! YAY! I really liked this episode. What am I kidding, I am going to love all these episodes! I wasn't crazy about the songs VA did, but hey. Whatever! The ep was so crazy and just completely perfect. I think we can all say we are Sue! I love everything!

I want to say something real quick. I forgot to say this in my last chapter, but I want to just say it. Can we all be friendly in the glee fandom? I mean, everybody is being so mean! I don't mean it's you guys, but I just want everyone to be nice. I know Britana shipper can be brutal, but lets all be happy for each other. I'm happy that Brittany and Santana get to have their special moment, just like Klaine has in the past. It'll all work out. Let's just be happy and accepting! :)

I also just want to brag a little because Klaine did win the Ultimate couple award on eonline poll! Yay! Okay I'm done.

Now that that is out of the way…I hope you all enjoy this! It was fun to write! I'm soooooooo excited for the next one! It's gonna be good! I've seen some spoilers, not meaning to :(, and it looks good. Not just for the next episode but for the next couple episodes! YAY!

Thank you to KatyCatGleek1694, Sarahamanda Klaine, ksgleeov12, GarethGlee14, Lulivatic, nomorecandles, Nightingale63, and Kittensmeow0914! I really would like to hear from more of you, so just take a little extra time to tell me what you think! To the ones that already do, you are totally awesome!

I'll try and hurry with the next chapter, but I really want to take my time and make it perfect! SO much Klaine! YAY!

Thank you guys so much!

Final Note: This elevator scene is going to kill me! I swear…give me a kiss, pretty please with cherries on top?!

-Chelsea-