Blaine's hair: it's complicated... A story with roots prior to canon, and definitely not limited to Blaine's beautiful mane. Sometimes, something as simple as a hairstyle can have unexpected significance. Blaine lost the arm wrestle... so the cards are all in Kurt's hands...

"Yes. You did win fair and square." Blaine pulled Kurt in close and started to kiss him, very quickly switching gears from merely affectionate to gee-I-hope-Burt-isn't-around-just-now intensity. Kurt pulled away, blushing crimson, and kissed Blaine's forehead as Blaine's breathing slowly changed back to normal.

"I think someone has been holding back," Kurt heard Blaine growl, and damn! His voice was going to drive him to distraction right there on the back porch! "I think I need to know a little more about your past, hmm?" Blaine murmured right next to Kurt's ear.

"Right now?" Kurt all but squeaked, as little thrills of pleasure sparked through his body as Blaine kissed his ear, and then wetly nibbled it a little. Think! He chanted to himself! What the hell was I going to focus on. Focusing was so difficult right now. Damn Blaine and his amazing ability to deflect... "Blaine!"

Blaine looked up at Kurt, and suspected he'd been caught. Damn. For a second, insecure thoughts skittered across his consciousness, especially the worst one of all – maybe Kurt wasn't that into him anymore if his blatant flirting, physically practically begging to make out, didn't put other thoughts out of his very beautiful head.

And Kurt caught it right away before it faded – Blaine's momentary look of fright; was he wondering if somehow his advances had lost their charm for him? Kurt cursed himself again for ever putting him through the pain he'd caused with the whole stupid Chandler debacle. Blaine's mask of the dapper, in-control leader type could so easily be dislodged, it was sad. And he felt awful knowing that he was the one most able to make it shatter, but not in a good way.

Guiding his boyfriend to the sliding loveseat on the screened-in back porch, Kurt turned to Blaine in the dim light. His face was full of love and concern, and he kissed Blaine chastely before talking, grabbing a moment to try to say it right.

"Blaine, you know I did win."

Blaine looked a little puzzled. Kurt was definitely competitive; more so than many people would ever expect. But not usually about a feat of athletics. And such a guy thing as an arm wrestle? Where was all this coming from?

"Kurt," Blaine said slowly, raising his eyes to meet Kurt's, "I'm not surprised you could do that. I've never thought of you as weak, in any way." He found Kurt's hands, and held them firmly in his own before continuing. "But, I think this was," and he paused here, choosing his next words carefully, "erm, maybe, a little, staged?"

"Maybe. A little." Kurt looked at Blaine, almost shyly, before continuing, "You're not mad?"

Blaine chuckled. His world was all right. Kurt was worried that his feelings were bruised, and they weren't, not over that. He bent down, kissed Kurt's hands tenderly, and looked at Kurt with his most loving, melted look; then chuckled again at how well it worked – Kurt was so cute sometimes. Well, practically all the time... "No. I mean, the glee club was amused as hell! Some of their faces were so damn funny! Kurt, you're" he paused, then continued, "amazing. I love it that you zig when everyone might expect you to zag, that even an experience like this" and here he lifted their hands for a moment, briefly miming his defeat at his lover's hands, "you somehow manage to conduct it in your very own way." Blaine noted happily the effect his words were having: Kurt looked relieved, visibly relaxing as he spoke. "Maybe, do you want to tell me why you had me lose this bet?"

Uh oh. Kurt knew now that Blaine saw that he'd been set up. However, he seemed to be taking it really well. Maybe his time at Dalton had helped: crazy practical jokes and embarrassment at the hands of your dorm mates was almost a daily occurrence there. Blaine could be oblivious at times, no question of that, but he had figured out this one, at least part of it. "Blaine, I really did like your hair at the prom... you, know, after – "

"After I'd been forced to wash it and try to blow dry it, all the while wearing a tux?"

"Um, yeah that. I did offer to try to help -"

"I know you did. It's all right; I think maybe it's better that I did it alone. I needed time to collect myself before going in."

Kurt felt a little heartsick at how Blaine had felt the need to gather his courage in silence for something that clearly pained him. "I just don't get why this seemed to be so hard ..." His voice trailed off. Blaine was now looking down, his hands shielding his face; never a good sign. Kurt reached over to rub Blaine's back, then drew him closer beside him, rocking a little bit on the swinging loveseat. "This is hard for you. Blaine, honey, it's all right. Don't tell me right now if you don't want to." He went on, voice rising in pitch even as he kept it quiet. "I never should have done that! I'm so sorry! Blaine, I'm dropping it. I will never manipulate you to change for me like that, it's just wrong..."

Then the worst did happen. Kurt looked on in horror as he saw Blaine's tears fall into his lap. He did the only thing he could think of to do, crushing him into a hug, murmuring into his ear as Blaine buried his face on his shoulder. "Ssshhh... no, don't talk just yet... it's all right... shhh... Blaine, I love you so much..." They went on like this, Kurt couldn't tell how long, until Blaine's breathing relaxed, and Blaine pulled away to look with love at this wonderful boy who loved him, despite how awfully fucked up he could be at times. Kurt hadn't minimized what this whole hair thing meant to him, and had given him permission to drop it. Blaine knew him well enough to know that Kurt meant it. Somehow, several minutes and however many tears later was all he'd needed, knowing that the choice was his. Blaine cleared his throat, prepared now to share this pain with Kurt; knowing that Kurt would know what to do, and that the boy looking at him right now with so much love and concern in his eyes would not use what he had to say to harm him.

A/N : Such a trivial thing, to some people, but Blaine's pain, and his attempts to manage it, have been focused on things he can control in some way. How did a makeover get this complicated? ...