Author's Note: Thanks for bearing with me! Exams will be over soon enough and I will be posting more regularly. If I had to estimate, I'd say I've got probably around...6 chapters left. There's a firm end in sight. I've got two fics, both Klaine, planned for after this one, which I will let you all know about closer to posting them. One might end up being a sexual of sorts to this one. I just really like Cora and I don't know if her story will be touched upon enough in this fic for my satisfaction, so I might make the next fic a sequel. Anyways, hope you enjoy this!

A Diamond and a Tether

(Death Cab for Cutie)

I've got this habit I abhor.

When we go out I'm always watching the door.

'cause if there's someone I'm gonna see

who could outdo the things you do to me.

And I know you can't hold out forever

waiting on a diamond and a tether

from a boy who won't fly

but who will take to the skies if he thinks you are about to say goodbye.

Pity, take pity on me.

'cause I'm not half the man that I should be.

And I don't blame you,

you've had enough,

of all these empty promises and countless bluffs.

'cause I know you can't hold out forever

waiting on a diamond and a tether

from a boy who won't jump when he falls in love.

He just stands with his toes on the edge

and he waits for it to disappear again.

Dalton was different from McKinley, in more ways than one. Firstly, Kurt blended in. That had never before been something he'd been able to do. Kurt stuck out in appearance and attitude at McKinley. Though still flamboyant in personality compared to many of the people he'd met that day, he no longer felt out of place. He could move through the throngs of his peers without attracting unwanted attention. Nobody shoved him or called him names. Though he was now a complete unknown, he did not mourn the notoriety with jocks and bullies that he'd lost, and instead reveled in his newfound anonymity.

Blaine had been nothing but a spectacular host, helping Kurt find his classes and introducing him to all his friends. It was during this day that Kurt realized that it was possible to have close male friends without them being secretly terrified of him being attracted to them. Blaine was as close with Wes and David as any person could hope to be with their friends. His sexuality wasn't an elephant in the room. In fact, they joked about it casually. Kurt wasn't used to such open and uninhibited lunchtime conversations.

"He didn't tell us why he'd changed schools, so we didn't know right away. I think I finally figured it out when I took his iPhone when he went to the bathroom once," explained Wes, who was regaling Kurt with Blaine's coming out story over pizza. "The background was a picture of Clay Aiken...naked." David burst out laughing as Blaine smacked Wes in the arm.

"That is such a load of crap!" Blaine protested. He turned to Kurt, defending himself. "I promise you, that's a lie."

"Okay, okay," Wes admitted. "It was a shirtless Zac Efron. Either way, that's when I knew."

"It took me a little longer. It was the gay porn at leadership camp that did it for me," joked David, as Blaine laid his head in his hands in embarrassment. "No, I'm kidding, I had no idea until Blaine told me."

"How did he go about telling you guys?" Kurt inquired.

"Well, he just sort of spilled one day. We were just talking about something stupid, I don't remember-"

"We were talking about whether you could send a cat to space successfully," David corrected Wes in a matter-of-fact tone. "You said they would need special cat spacesuits and I said it wasn't possible to begin with-"

"Doesn't matter," Wes cut him off, shaking his head. "Anyways, Blaine interrupted us. He looked all shaky and nervous. Then he just blurted out, 'I'm gay.'"

"It was both smooth and charming," chimed in Blaine, winking.

"We kind of stared at him for a moment. Then we went back to talking about space kittens," finished Wes.

"He repeated himself a few times like we hadn't heard," David told Kurt. "So eventually I just looked at him and said, 'So what?'. He seemed a bit confused, but I think he got the point that we didn't care, so he joined in the great space cat debate."

"They made me feel really comfortable about it," Blaine explained, sounding thankful. "Like it was no big deal, you know?"

Kurt nodded, smiling. Blaine was lucky to have them.

"Damn, I'm late for calculus," Blaine grabbed his books, waving David and Wes goodbye and giving Kurt's shoulder a squeeze. "I'll meet you at the front doors after school." With that, he ran towards his classroom.

"He'll meet you at the front doors, will he?" questioned David once Blaine had disappeared from view, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Kurt rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, he is so hot for you. And you know it!"

"David, don't ever use the phrase 'hot for you' again," scolded Wes, who then turned to Kurt. "But it's true. He hardly ever stops talking about you. It's obvious."

Kurt turned crimson as he shook his head, but he couldn't help but grin stupidly.

"No, we're just friends. He's just a nice guy."

"Yeah, Blaine's a real nice guy," David rebutted. "But he's extra special super nice to you. What does that tell you?"

Kurt shrugged, humiliated by the conversation. He grabbed his books, and waved the boys goodbye as he walked to his class, laughing at the kissing noises they made as he departed. They were silly boys, yet their insistence that Blaine had feelings for him had significantly brightened his already positive mood.

Kurt and Blaine were making a brief stop at Blaine's house so he could change before the two went to Kurt's for dinner. Cora had greeted them at the door, tackling Kurt in the biggest bear hug he'd ever received.

"Kurt! I missed you! Where were you all week? Your eye looks better. It's still a bit gross though."

A seemingly never-ending waterfall of words poured out of Cora as she followed to two to up the spiral staircase.

"I learned a new song on the piano, do you want to hear? I can sing it too. I need some help with the pitch, could you help me? Oh, I got some new clothes! Do you want to see?"

"Not right now, Cora," Blaine dismissed her. Kurt thought it was a little harsh, so he stopped walking for a minute.

"Next time I come over, I promise. We have to leave really soon," he explained.

She nodded, smiling sadly and giving him a hug.

"Come back soon then, promise?" she asked, then turned to Blaine. "Promise he'll be back soon, Blaine!"

"Fine, I'll bring him here again, just for you," he agreed, winking in Kurt's direction.

Cora seemed satisfied with this, so Blaine pulled Kurt towards his room. He closed the door behind them and made his way over to his drawer, pulling out piles of clothes, as if he was digging towards the bottom for something specific.

"I have clothes saved for times like this," Blaine explained with a mischievous grin. "Times when it is crucial I make an unforgettable impression." He made a sound of recognition as he found what he was looking for, pulling a plastic bag out of the bottom of his drawer. He turned, waving the bag at Kurt with a playful smile. "Jackpot."

"What's so special about it?"

"Oh, you'll see. You'll see."

Kurt was curious as to what kind of special outfit he had in there. He wondered about it as Blaine took off his blazer and tie, and began unbuttoning his dress shirt. He began to suspect that Blaine's dramatic build-up was all a clever ruse to keep Kurt paralyzed in anticipation, and that it was nothing more than a classy, business casual outfit in there.

"Hey, Kurt?"

Kurt's eyes shot up to Blaine, who was sliding his dress shirt off his shoulders. For the first time in his life, Kurt was in a boy's bedroom while said boy was shirtless. It was a big step, but Kurt barely thought on it. He was too busy staring in a mixture of admiration and surprise. Blaine didn't have a perfect body, in the stereotypical sense of the word - he wasn't an Abercrombie model with a flawlessly tanned, oily 8-pack. He was slim; toned, but not brawny by any means. He possessed an attractive quality that Kurt could not help being drawn in by. Perfection didn't apply to Blaine, in Kurt's mind, because he transcended it.

"Kurt, I'm going to be honest with you," Blaine began. Kurt focused on his face, nodding weakly as he waited with anxiety for what was to come. "I'm about to get naked. So maybe you could just turn around?"

"Oh. Oh!" Kurt spun around, embarrassed. He mentally smacked himself for failing to consider that his prying eyes may have made Blaine slightly uncomfortable. Then again, never had he stared at someone's body so much, at least in person. When in locker rooms and the like, Kurt was more uneasy than anyone else. He felt horrible for making anyone feel that way. He shook with anger at himself, both for the creepy way he perceived himself to have stared at Blaine, and for having to resist an urge to peek. Never in his life had he felt more disgust with himself.

Kurt was suddenly startled from his thoughts by Blaine, who had grabbed him by the sides. Kurt, who was unbearably ticklish, nearly fell over at his touch, which was evidently amusing to Blaine. He laughed, surprised by how dramatically Kurt reacted. Still, he proceeded to pinch Kurt's sides again. This time, Kurt tripped over his own feet while trying to escape and fell on the bed. Blaine leaned over him, biting his bottom lip, and Kurt's quickening heart rate indicated to him that something spectacular was about to happen. For a moment, Blaine lingered, before exhaling deeply and offering Kurt a hand.

"Come on, we'll be late for dinner."

Kurt felt his heart drop a little, but he nodded, taking Blaine's hand. As Blaine helped him up, Kurt noticed for the first time what Blaine was wearing. He had on grey pinstripe dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and an open vest in a darker grey. For a pop of colour, he had on a loose forest green tie. Kurt had no doubt Blaine would impress his family.

"By the way, I was screwing with you. That bag was empty. I just wanted to seem mysterious."

Kurt smirked.

"I totally called that one."