"So, what do you think?" Blaine asked as he finished his pitch to the counsel. They had all sat and listened silently, and he couldn't tell whether it was in horror for what he was suggesting or whether they were that impressed that he'd left them speechless. He had a feeling it was the former, as the rest of the group were looking as though he had grown another head.

"It's certainly unorthodox." Nick replied carefully. "And it would require a much lengthier and in-depth discussion on just how we would pull it off."

"I can do it." Beat said quietly, shrinking when all eyes turned to him. "I can do this, and I think I want to do this. Blaine's right, we play it too safe too often. Let me at least give it a go." Seeing that the rest of the guys still looked unsure, Blaine pushed further to try and come to a compromise that they could all stomach.

"How about we set a time limit? We still have what, six weeks before Nationals? We work on standard choreography, and if we can't get the arrangements nailed down within the next two weeks, we go back to whatever original plan you guys had. I really do think we have to try this though."

"I agree." David replied from the other side of Wes. "What Blaine is suggesting is radical, but we have the talent in here to pull this off, and if Beat wants to give it a go then I say that we at least put it to a vote."

"Okay." Wes relented with a nod. "If you think we should attempt Sophomore Anderson's approach then please sing a G. If you would rather we stick to a more traditional program; then please sing a D." Voices rose in unison and the decision was made.

"Congratulations Blaine, now take us through what this will entail." Wes's gavel came down and Blaine's smile almost split his face in two.

"Want to tell me what has you in such a good mood?" Wes asked as they arrived back at the dorm. Blaine's plan was to ditch his stuff and get changed into lounge clothes before hunting Trent down for his study session but he couldn't stop bouncing on the balls of his feet and his grin had not shifted all afternoon.

"I spoke to your dad." He rushed out. "He's going to give me the chance to skip a year!" Wes froze at that, his mind blank as he took in his roommate's unexpected reaction to the news.

"And how do you feel about that?" He asked slowly and carefully, measuring his words and keeping his tone neutral. "It's going to require a lot of work on your part."

"I know." Blaine replied with a nod. "But I feel really good about this Wes. If what Trent and your dad is saying is true, then I could give the exams a really good shot at the end of the year. But the best part is that if I do become a senior next year, I will be allowed to have an academic assistant assigned to me, and your dad promised to look for one that could help me with everything else too. I could actually get a therapist! This is why I have to at least give this a try."

"Please sit down Devon." Wes sighed, running a hand over his eyes before patting the edge of the bed. "I need to talk to you about something before you get too excited." Blaine looked at him in confusion, but nodded and sat on the edge of Wes's bed, making eye contact with the older boy as he settled next to him. "I want to discuss the implications fully with you, to make sure that you understand just what you'll be putting yourself through." He said quietly.

"Implications?"

"Your senior year curriculum will be the hardest you have ever faced Devon." Wes started gently, not wanting to scare him, but needing to know that Blaine understood what he was getting himself into. "Your homework load will increase thrice-fold, and you will be at a disadvantage when it comes to extra-curriculars simply because you will have skipped your Junior year. Yes, being the head of the Warbler council will look amazing on your portfolio, especially if you guys are defending National champions, but you need other things too, and you have less than two months before the end of this year to find a solution to that."

"So, I need to get into more clubs."

"Not to mention you will be here on your own, with a new roommate, plus your move will garner gossip throughout the school, which means eyes are going to be on you. You need to make sure that you are ready for this Dev. You need to be absolutely sure that you are in the headspace for it, because it will be the hardest year you will have ever faced." Blaine went to cut him off and he held up his hand, silencing him in a heartbeat. "I know that your first year was brutal, I'm not disputing that fact, but you had us to help you. I have been here when you've woken from nightmares. I've been here when you've gone wandering around the school at god knows what hours of the night. I've been here when you've spent hours beating the shit out of a punching bag because you were stressed out. Right now, I'm here Devon, but next year I won't be, and I need you to understand that and try and get a hold on some of your more self-destructive tics."

"I understand Wes. It's going to suck without you guys. Beneath all of this excitement I'm shitting myself, but I honestly don't think I could spend another two years here without them being detrimental. Next year needs to be my baptism by fire, and I intend for it to be so. Life is going to throw us all massive, screwed-up curveballs, and I need to learn how to deal with them better. I think I might have sorted the roommate issue, and I have a plan to try to get a handle on the stress, I can do this Wes. I know I can."

"You understand that you will ultimately be moving into Hummel's year group, and so there are going to be questions, yes?" Wes asked a raised eyebrow. He watched Blaine blanch at that and sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I thought that might throw you off."

"Kurt will understand." Blaine said, not sounding as sure as he'd intended. This was supposed to be a good thing.

"Will he?" Wes asked. "Because from where I'm sitting, Hummel seems to understand very little apart from how much money you have, and how pretty you look on his arm." He hadn't meant for it to sound so bitter and resentful, but he still hadn't forgiven the public-school boy for the hurt he had caused Blaine. "You should never need to defend yourself Blaine, but against Kurt, I fear you won't have a choice. You and I both know that he will be unlikely to let the matter go and I need you to be ready for that."

"I need to tell him."

"No." Wes cut him off sharply. "No Devon I will not have you upsetting yourself over Kurt fucking Hummel. The person you do need to have a discussion with though, is whoever you decide to board with. You said you already had someone in mind?"

"Trent asked me to try and get to know Beat a little better, and after I talked to him before Chem class this morning, I realised that he needs a friend. Trent seems to think that we'll be good for each other, and I don't mind going over some of the stuff before he moves in."

"We could do it for you, if you like. Take him through the main points without you having to relieve it." Blaine nodded at that in relief.

"Yeah, that would be good. But what am I going to do about Kurt?"

"You aren't going to do anything." Wes replied sternly. "You aren't going to mention the possibility of you skipping. You aren't going to get into conversations about boarding together, if he even suggests it you need to shut down that line of enquiry immediately. Ideally, I would tell you to stay as far away from him as you can, but I know that he is your friend so I will try not to be that kind of douche. I just want you to be careful around him."

"But doesn't he have a right to know? I mean…"

"What kind of right does he have?" Wes growled, cutting Blaine off in irritation. "You owe him nothing Blaine. Quite the opposite; in fact. You were the one who introduced him to the Warblers, you were the one who stood up to his bully. You have bent over backwards to help him and you have gotten hurt in the process because he has turned out to be a jealous little shit. I need you to promise me that you won't upset yourself over him."

"I won't." Blaine whispered after a small pause. His eyes were now squarely fixed on his lap, and he could feel Wes's eyes boring through him. He wouldn't offer any information to Kurt, but he would certainly have to answer any questions that came up, otherwise he might cause more problems than he knew how to deal with. "I suppose I was just getting a little excited and not thinking this through fully."

"That's what I'm here for." Wes replied with a soft smile, rubbing the younger boy's arm. "To help you understand the full scope of things. That is something that isn't going to change Devon. I'm always going to be on the other end of the phone if you need me." Blaine nodded with a smile and rubbed his eye with his sleeve, even though no tears had spilt.

"I think I better go and find Trent." He said in a small voice, and he pulled on a pair of jogging bottoms and one of Wes's stolen Hockey tees; picking his bag up and heading out into the halls. Wes let him go with a sigh and felt like a right shit. He was beyond furious with his father, for getting Blaine's hopes up, as he now needed to play devil's advocate and look like an asshole in doing so.

He picked up his mobile and dialled his dad's office, hoping that he would have enough time to have the discussion he needed to have, before Blaine bot back from Trent's.

"Are you okay?" Trent asked quietly as he watched Blaine's hand come up to tug on his hair for the fifth time in an hour. He gently reached out and untangled the younger boy's fingers from his curls and hoped that whatever was bothering him didn't involve him having second thoughts about what he'd discussed with Montgomery at lunch.

"I don't know if I can do this." Blaine whispered, closing the calculus book and pushing it away, across the desk. He dropped his head into his hands and once again Trent had to stop him from pulling on his hair.

"Talk to me D." Trent said softly, coaxing the younger boy out of his office chair and onto his bed. "Is this about what you discussed at lunch?"

"I'm going to be sharing classes with Kurt, and a dorm with Beat." He stated. "What if I can't keep up? I can't start next year as a senior, only to flunk out and back into Junior classes half way through. I would be pulled out of school quicker than any of you could make it back, and they'll put me into conversion. I can't go to a camp." His breaths started to quicken as his brain flashed to pictures of being forced to do things he didn't want to. He had heard the horror stories. He'd read the news reports.

"D you need to calm your breaths." Trent said firmly, gripping onto the younger boy's hands. "Please D, focus on what's around you. Tell me five things you can see." It took a minute or two but eventually Blaine was choking out his answer.

"Your blazer, your bed, Beat's bed, your desk and your laptop."

"Good Blaine, now four things you can hear."

"Your laptop, the bathroom fan, your neighbour and the rain."

"You're doing wonderfully." Trent replied as his hand came up to rest on Blaine's neck, checking his pulse before moving up to his head to check for a fever. "Now three things you can smell." He ran his thumb down Blaine's cheek, checking for clenched muscles that would indicate a migraine, but everything so far was good. His pulse was slightly elevated, but as his friend started to calm, so did the rapid fluttering from under his fingers, where he'd placed them back, more as something to focus on than anything.

"Your deodorant, raspberry hair gel and Wes's wash powder."

"Now two things you can feel."

"Your fingers on my neck." Blaine's hands clenched into the sheets and he took a large rattling breath. "Your sheets."

"Now one more thing you can see."

"You."

"Now some deep breaths for me. They took a few deep breaths in unison, and by the time his pulse had slowed down, the younger boy was barely keeping his eyes open. "Okay D, just rest for a minute or two." Trent whispered; pulling him into a hug; tucking Blaine's curls under his chin and rubbing his back soothingly. The younger boy practically melted in his arms and he knew that he was going nowhere under his own steam for the remainder of the night.

He looked up as the door opened and Beat stepped into the dorm with wide eyes, indicating that he'd heard a good portion of what had just happened. Trent smiled at him reassuringly and gestured for him to take a seat at the other side of Blaine. Beat did so, dropping onto the edge of the bed and looking at them both fearfully.

"Is he okay?" He asked in a whisper.

"He will be after a good night's rest. He just gets overwhelmed sometimes." Trent answered, pretty sure that Blaine was now fully asleep in his arms. "He had some news today that has confused him, he just needs time to sort through it."

"Does this happen often?" Beat asked. There had been rumours of course about the eldest sophomore's mental state, and there had been quite a few people present at Blaine's meltdown in breakfast, two weeks prior; but he'd yet to witness it for himself, and he was scared.

"Not as often as it used to." Trent replied sadly. "But yes, he still struggles. Things that seem small to us, can be huge obstacles for him sometimes, and he just needs help dealing with them." A silence stretched between them, broken only by Blaine's soft breathing.

"I want to help him." Trent looked up from his charge to find Beat's huge, grey eyes staring at him. "I want to be here for him like you are."

"It's a big thing to take on." Trent whispered, in warning. "Blaine isn't easy. He has migraines, nightmares and anxiety problems, and the smallest of things can trigger him in a big way. If you are sure about this then I will help you to understand. But you can't decide in six months that he's too much to handle. You could do an enormous amount of damage."

"I get it Trent. My mom, remember?" Trent nodded in understanding and smiled at his younger roommate. "He can stop here tonight." Beat said. "He can have my bed, and I'll go bunk in with someone."

"If he's staying, it'll be in mine." Trent replied with a shake of his head. "I'll go sleep over at his and Wes's."

"What if he has a nightmare?" Beat asked. "I don't want him to wake up in a strange bed with only me, who is practically a stranger to him; trying to talk him down. He should be with you and Wes tonight."

"How about we all go over to theirs and have a sleepout?" Trent asked, finding the middle ground. "You need to know this stuff if you're serious about boarding with him, and he needs to learn that you are a safe space if anything happens to him." Beat nodded his agreement and Trent bundled Blaine up into his comforter and lifted him into his arms, carrying him down the corridor to his own dorm, where Wes was waiting worriedly.

This was going to be a train wreck, and all they could do now was try to limit the damage done.