Chapter 10 ~ Of Warblers and Epicenters

1. Insightful

Maybe it's because he's new to Sunshine, maybe it's because he has better instincts than most—but Blaine suspects that there's something she's hiding from day one. There was just something—familiar, about her playing the guitar on the road, even though the can reads "Jacob's Heart," and Puck is strumming a harmony besides her. He doesn't tell Kurt, but two days later he returns to the coffee-shop and sees her playing alone, and the can at her feet has no name on it.

She doesn't see him, and he's glad, because suddenly he feels like he's on the brink of discovering something she might not be comfortable with him discovering—and so he leaves. But he does pay extra attention to the things that she says and more importantly, what she doesn't say.

2. Contract

When Sunshine sees Blaine for the third time, she knows that he knows—or at least suspects—her secret, and is surprised at the emotions the discovery stirs within her. She spends a night tossing and turning, before deciding there's only one thing she can do. The next time she spies him semi-hiding as he watches her play, she calls him over.

Blaine looks a little guilty, but only a little. Sunshine looks at him straight in the face and offers to set up a romantic evening for him and Kurt if he'll stop following her. Blaine's a little taken aback—were his feelings for the other boy that obvious?—but agrees.

3. Tense

He regrets it later because it takes three months, one week, and four days for him to get Sunshine to trust him again. Kurt is relieved—the tension had been so thick he'd been half-worried it was because of major USC, (unresolved sexual chemistry). Blaine is relieved, because he finally feels comfortable enough to grill Sunshine about Kurt's responses to his (sometimes overly dramatic) romantic gestures. And Sunshine is relieved, because she really liked the honest, independent boy who Kurt fell in love with, and hated keeping him out.

4. Confession

"I shouldn't have accepted your bribe," Blaine says apologetically. He and Sunshine trapped at a bus stop, watching the rain falls. He glances at her suddenly tense features. "I wouldn't have told," he continues, a bit hesitant as she doesn't respond, "Firstly, I didn't have anything to tell, and if you have a secret—well, everyone's entitled to some of those." He coughs awkwardly. "So, I guess what I'm trying to say is—sorry."

Sunshine doesn't speak for a couple minutes, and then she abruptly turns to him and asks, "Want to make a run for it? I bet we could do a smashing 'Singing in the Rain' if we're actually in the rain." Blaine catches her smile and returns it. Running out into the downpour, he sings out, "Singing in the rain, I'm singing in the rain!" By the time he and Sunshine reach the relative shelter of the coffeeshop, they're both soaked and laughing.

5. Spies

Blaine's never told anyone—except maybe Kurt—that James Bond was his hero up 'till he actually read the books. Even after his infatuation with the spy faded, Blaine still retains a secret desire to be like 007 one day—a stealthy, skilled, secret intelligence agent. He totally blows his cover when Kurt—who is undoubtedly the worst spy ever—actually walks up to their target and demands, "Now, darling, why didn't you tell me you had an unresolved romantic relationship back at home?"

6. Active Spectator

Sunshine finds in Blaine a welcome oasis; he's not from McKinley, so he's not directly involved in her drama, and he's not Kurt, so he's not actively hounding her about it 24/7. She starts calling him on the phone to vent about how stupid Ramos is being, and how much of a jerk he is and how everyone else is being so freakin' annoying.

Blaine listens patiently, makes soothing noises, and then promptly calls Kurt with the new information. Hey, he might not be as obvious as Kurt is, but he loves gossip as much as the next person, and these bits of drama are just too good to miss.

7. Sexy

While Kurt is actively "pro-Celeste," Blaine develops a dislike for the French boy. (He suspects it might have something to do with the way Kurt gushes over the gymnast's "muscled abs" and "adorable accent.") Besides, anyone can see the USC between the two Filipinos. And to be honest, he finds the confident possessiveness Ramos emits around Sunshine just plain hot.

8. Listener

He goes back to wishing Kurt was still "pro-Celeste" when the other boy starts to waver in his convictions and starts using him as a way to argue for both sides. Blaine has to admit, he finds it adorable when Kurt chips at the coffee cup nervously as he debates the pros and cons of both boys, but do all their conversations have to be about the pairing war?

9. Irony

Sunshine laughs when he complains to her during their (now routinely) weekly calls.

"Kurt's stressing out about this? How do you think I feel? And besides, this was all Kurt's fault anyway. If he hadn't gotten me that stupid makeover—"

10. Tutor

With all the drama at McKinley, Kurt finds it very difficult to pay attention during class, and Blaine finally has to make a deal with him. If Kurt promises to focus during Blaine's tutoring sessions, he'll make sure that Sunshine spends no less than two hours answering, (or fielding), Kurt's questions. (The Filipina's been avoiding the fashionesta ever since he made her love life his number one priority.)

11. Brutal

"You said what?" Sunshine stared in horror at Dalton's lead singer, "You have no idea how tempted I am to make you a permanent soprano right now," she mutters, and Blaine takes an instinctive step back as her foot twitches dangerously.

12. Revenge

Sunshine gets her revenge on Blaine by being purposely mysterious and dropping contrary hints during Kurt's interrogation. The fashionesta, puzzled over the mixed signs the Filipina seems to be sending, doubles the intensity of his inner debate over who she really loves and therefore talks about it twice as much.

13. Sweet

He saw Celeste being Sunshine's knight once. The Filipina had just rush into the coffee house, half wet from the light drizzle, and the French boy took one look and offered her his jacket. He then proceeded to order her favorite type of drink, (hot chocolate), and muffin, (blueberry caramel). When the other boy leaves and Sunshine finally comes over to join him, Blaine raises one eyebrow at her but doesn't say a word. Kurt is desolate when he hears that he missed the episode—he'd had a pedicure, (aka: gossip about Sunshine) appointment with Mercedes.

14. Tender

Two days later, Blaine's walking through the plaza when he sees Sunshine playing her guitar on one of the benches. He goes over to say "hi," but stops when he spots Ramos sneaking up behind her. The Filipino puts his hands over Sunshine's eyes and whispers something in her ear. Blaine can't hear what they're saying, but Sunshine scoots over to make room for Ramos, and the boy starts harmonizing with her. Soon, they've drawn quite a crowd and the "donate, please!" can is full.

When the crowd finally disperses, Blaine sees Ramos smile teasingly at Sunshine and say something suggestive. She rolls her eyes but accepts his hand, allowing him to pull her up. Before he lets go, the boy drops a kiss on her knuckles. Blaine really wishes he can hear what they're saying, because Sunshine's cheeks redden and Ramos laughs.

Later, when he tells Kurt of the incident, the boy is completely inconsolable, bemoaning his bad luck and Blaine's strangely good fortune. Blaine talks him out of spying on Sunshine for a week to see if any more interesting developments will occur, but even as he does so he can't forget the look in Ramos' eyes when he kisses Sunshine's hand.

15. Epicenter

Blaine never tells anyone this, but privately, he thinks Sunshine is more like an epicenter than a beam of light. After all, light fades with distance, but an epicenter impacts all the areas around it. And Blaine can personally testify that, even all the way in Dalton, she's shaking up his life quite a bit.