Author's notes: Apologies for the late update. I've been both ill (potential infection from a cat scratch, stomach flu, etc.) and distracted, so you all get an extra long chapter this time around. However, I want to let you all know that this story is almost at an end (only one or two chapters left), and I'd like to say thanks you all you guys who've followed this silly thing through. I need to start taking on stories that won't end up at 35,000+ words. I also tried to keep the song lyrics in this bit to a minimum; I'd been planning on putting in this song since something like the third chapter.

Time always seemed much slower in his French class. Kurt wasn't sure if it was the language itself or Mr. Langley's terrible accent, but he never failed to leave the class without craving a nap or at least a cup of coffee to wake himself up. It didn't help that the other boys in his class were always itching to leave for dinner. Kurt fought back a yawn, and the minute hand finally hit twelve.

His classmates bolted from their chairs and hit the door running like a pack of wild dogs. Kurt hung behind, slowly stuffing his notes into his bag, letting the haze of sleep that had washed over him during class hide his unease at the boys brushing past him. It was always easier to hang around a little after this class to avoid the crowds headed for the dining hall.

He was jolted from his trance by the gentle tones of his phone going off. Someone was texting him. Probably Finn, but there was a chance it was Mercedes or maybe even his dad. He dug his phone out of his bag and stuffed it into his pocket before shuffling out of the room. Everyone else was too concerned with the promise of food to give him little more than a passing glance.

He slunk down the hall, careful to avoid as many people as possible, and pulled out his phone to see who was trying to contact him.

One new message, one little yellow envelope lighting up the screen. He slid his phone open and opened up the text. It was from Blaine. Not necessarily the person he wanted to talk to right now, but not really unwelcome either. They had barely said a word to one another over the past couple of days, and the loneliness was starting to get to him. Something like guilt twisted in his gut. The silence between them wasn't Blaine's fault. Not exactly, anyway. He opened the message and quickly scanned over the words.

Do you know where the warblers practice room is?

A bit of an odd question for Blaine to be asking since Kurt was nowhere near being a Warbler. Kurt frowned and tapped in his reply.

Maybe. It's on the east end, right? Room 113?

115. Right next to it.

Ok. So what about it?

Can you meet me there?

Kurt paused, his thumbs hovering over the keys of his phone. Blaine wanted to meet him. In some room that Kurt was pretty sure he'd never been to. He felt his heartbeat quicken as he typed out a reply.

Why?

His hands were shaking as he waited for a reply. It came a lot slower than he'd expected, like Blaine wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to say. That could be troublesome.

I have something for you.

Kurt froze. He didn't know what to do, what to say. The words ran through his mind on repeat, and he found that he could hardly breathe. Blaine wanted to meet him in a place with little foot traffic during dinner to give him something. After they'd exotically been fighting for almost a week. He swallowed. His heart was racing, and a terrible humming sound was filling his ears with static. He didn't know what to do.

His phone beeped again.

I wanted to sing a song for you but i need the piano for it. This is the only place where i know dalton has one.

Oh. That sounded a lot like Blaine. Singing solved everything to him. Kurt felt himself deflating, but something was still gnawing at the back of his mind. This whole situation didn't sit right.

He bit his lower lip and looked out across the hall. It was completely deserted now, quiet and empty. He looked down at his phone, at Blaine's message staring back at him, and tried to figure out what to do. He and Blaine weren't on the friendliest terms right now, which was understandable. But this, this felt an awful lot like an apology even though Blaine hadn't really done anything wrong. Kurt had been the one to freak out. He'd kicked Blaine out of his room over such a little thing, and he'd done so without an explanation. He owed Blaine that at the very least, especially after keeping his silence for the past few days. Kurt could do this one thing for him. As grating as the boy could be sometimes, it had been nice to finally have a friend here.

He sucked in a deep breath and steeled himself before quickly tapping out a message.

Ok. I'll be there in a few minutes.

The click of the door handle as he pressed it down was loud in his ears, echoing a bit off the halls as he peeked inside the room.

"Blaine?"

The other boy was sitting at the piano. He spun around on the bench and gave Kurt a warm smile. "You came." He sounded mildly surprised. "I was afraid you wouldn't show."

Kurt stepped inside and looked around the empty room, keeping the door open just a crack. His hands never left the doorknob lest the thing shut and trap him in here with Blaine. He trusted the other boy but not enough for that. "Why wouldn't I?" he asked, still studying the room like he expected the whole thing to be booby trapped.

Blaine shrugged. "You and I haven't exactly been on the best of terms for the past couple of days."

Kurt turned to look him in the eyes. "About that, Blaine, I—"

"It's okay." He turned around to put his hands on the keys, but he kept his eyes on Kurt. "Can I play you something?"

"I—" Kurt looked outside to the hallway. No one was there. He knew that. But he owed this to Blaine. This song was what he was here for, after all, and it was too late to turn back now. He swallowed and let go of the door. It swung shut with a soft click that Kurt could feel resonating throughout his whole frame. Blaine patted the space next to him on the piano bench.

"You can sit down if you'd like."

Kurt shuffled closer and grabbed one of the large wooden chairs that were scattered around the room, turning it around to face the piano about an arm's length from where Blaine sat. He laid his bag down at his feet, his eyes never once leaving Blaine. The other boy was openly staring at him, still smiling as much as ever, and Kurt felt his face light up in a blush.

"What is it? Do I have something on my face?"

"No." Blaine turned to face the piano. "It's nothing."

Kurt shifted about on his chair, shoving his hands under his thighs to keep his fidgeting to a minimum. Blaine's fingers danced over the keys, and Kurt felt himself smiling sheepishly as the notes washed over him. He knew this song. It was entirely wrong, but he didn't have the heart to tell Blaine to stop.

This was perfect. It had to work. Serenading was romantic, right? Blaine had always found it easier to express his feelings through music, and this was definitely a romantic song. It had to do something for Kurt. He opened his mouth and let the music flow.

It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside.

I'm not one of those who can easily hide.

He looked over at Kurt as he went along, his fingers moving almost of their own accord. They knew this song by memory now anyway. All that practicing had been worth it.

You can tell everybody this is your song.

Kurt was blushing; a faint hint of pink had crept up his neck to stain his ears and what little Blaine could see of his cheeks with color. He turned back to the keys and allowed himself a tiny congratulatory smile.

Perfect. This was working. Kurt couldn't turn him down now.

I hope you don't mind. I hope you don't mind that I put down in words

How wonderful life is while you're in the world.

Blaine took his time making his way through the song. Everyone was off at dinner, and the Warblers weren't practicing tonight. He had all the time in the world. He looked up at Kurt and found the other boy staring back at him, his blue-green eyes fixed on his face. Blaine went on autopilot, praying the words didn't get stuck in his throat. No one had ever looked at him like that.

So excuse me for forgetting these things I do.

You see if I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue.

Funny how well that applied to Kurt. The boy's eyes never seemed to be the same color when Blaine looked at them. He hadn't thought of that when he'd chosen this song.

Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen.

He made his way through the rest of the song, letting the last notes linger in the air for a while before letting out a heavy breath and turning to Kurt with a grin. He'd done it. There was no way Kurt could resist that. He had this in the bag. "So, what did you think?"

Kurt looked at the floor. "It was nice."

Nice? That was the best he could do? Blaine clenched his teeth and fought back the urge to explode. "Just nice?"

Kurt looked up at him and shot him a smile, but it felt too much like pity. Blaine felt heat rising up at the back of his neck. Great. He'd just humiliated himself for nothing.

"Look, Blaine, you're a nice guy and all, but I don't see you like that."

"What do you mean?"

"I just want to be friends. Nothing more."

Just friends. Just friends. No, no, no, no, that wasn't going to work. Not unless they tacked on a 'with benefits' at the end of that label. Otherwise Blaine was screwed, and Kurt didn't really seem the type for casual sex. Hell, he was barely one for casual conversation. Blaine swallowed and tried to figure out his next move and fast. Kurt was shifting about in his chair like he was making to leave, and honestly, Blaine couldn't blame him. He rather wanted to sink down into the ground in embarrassment himself. Kurt bent down low like he was reaching for his bag to leave.

"Why won't you give me a chance?" Blaine blurted out. Oh god, that was whiny, wasn't it? But he was out of options at this point. He'd messed this up too many times already to fail again now.

Kurt looked up and their eyes locked. "Blaine, I—"

Blaine stood from his seat and began to pace across the floor, waving his arms in frustration. "I don't know what else I can do." He stilled and looked Kurt in the eye. His desperation must have been showing through because Kurt wasn't moving anymore. "I really, really like you, Kurt. What is it about me that's so repulsive? Am I ugly? Do I smell?"

"No, Blaine. You're fine."

"Then what is it? What am I doing wrong?"

"Nothing, Blaine. You're doing nothing wrong. It's me. I don't—I can't be in a relationship right now."

Blaine deflated, feeling his anger drain out of him faster than water through his fingers. "Why? Why won't you even give me a chance?" If he was going to have to forfeit the bet, if he was going to have to give up everything he loved and all of his friends, he wanted to at least know why.

Kurt fidgeted a little in his chair, refusing to meet Blaine's eyes. He looked an awful lot like he wanted to run, but should he take the opportunity to do so, Blaine wasn't going to give him the chance. He was closer to the door than Kurt was; he could easily cut him off if he tried to escape. He needed an answer, and he needed one now.

Kurt seemed to curl in a little bit around himself. "I, ah." He sucked in a shaky breath and looked Blaine directly in the eye. "Blaine, something happened to me at my last school."

Blaine walked back over to the piano bench and sank down onto the smooth surface. "What do you mean?"

Kurt released his hands from under his thighs and ran his fingers through his hair with a heavy sigh. "I…" He was shaking. Blaine felt his throat go tight. "I was attacked. By another boy at my school."

Blaine was confused. He understood bullying. Bullies were the reason he was here at Dalton, but this made no sense. "What does that have to do with dating?"

"Blaine, I was raped." His voice was deadly soft but firm. Blaine felt his mouth go dry, and his heart dropped down into his shoes. He didn't know what to say.

Kurt was smiling gently now, but it was shaky and painted with a hurt Blaine couldn't put a name to.

"You're a nice enough guy, Blaine, and I'm sure there's someone out there who'd love to date you, but I'm not him. I'm not ready to trust anyone like that just yet, and I don't know that I ever will be."