Author's notes: Um… I'm a mean, evil, lazy tease? Forgive me… at least I wrote something, dammit. And I never made any claims about being nice. Just ask the people who sit next to me in English. And Physics. And Pre-Calc. And… um… all of my friends…

"Hmmm?" Kurt turned, momentarily distracted, and Scott hurried to close his eyes again. The younger boy was standing only in his damp, white briefs, muscles stretching and tensing with movement.

"Where'd you go?" Scott repeated, his words slightly too quick. Kurt nodded thoughtfully as he picked up the large pants and held them in front of his small frame.

"Ja… nowhere, really," he replied with a shrug, "Just went wandering and thinking." With a sigh, he slipped on the soft material and tied a loose knot in the ropy waistband, which allowed the elastic to slip down and rest at his hips.

"Oh…" Scott whispered, finally daring to open his eyes for good, "What did you think about?" He watched with silent fascination as Kurt pulled the fresh t-shirt down over his head and smoothed it over his chest. "Anything special?"

A nervous giggle he hadn't really been expecting erupted from Kurt's lips. It ended almost instantly. "No… nothing special."

"Oh…" Scott swallowed hard, trying to think of something to say to smooth over the awkward silence. "Do you… d'you want to talk about it?"

"No!" This time it was Kurt who spoke too quickly, and Scott narrowed his eyes in vague suspicion. "I mean… you wouldn't be interested. It was just the usual… silly self-pity…" Kurt smiled wanly, sitting himself gingerly on the edge of Scott's bed.

"Well… you can always talk to me… i-if you need to, of course. I mean, hey… that's what I'm here for." Scott flashed a bright smile, and Kurt instinctively smiled back, his fingers twisting absently in the bedcovers. Encouraged by the other boy's beaming face, Scott crossed to where Kurt sat, absently picking up the soggy clothes that had been left on the floor. He situated himself carefully, hyperaware of where his body was in relation to Kurt's, and hazarded a big-brotherly hand on the boy's shoulder. "Anything you want to talk about? Really?"

Golden eyes stared straight ahead for a moment, lost in dreamy thought. Then, suddenly, Kurt turned and focused on Scott. "Hmm? Oh, no… no, it's nothing I need to talk about."

"Oh…" Scott found himself to be somewhat disappointed that Kurt didn't want to confide in him and tried desperately to keep the emotion out of his voice. "Ok, then." He patted Kurt's shoulder once and stood, clothing balled in one hand. "You sure?" He asked with a final smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Kurt nodded. "Pretty sure." But, before Scott turned away, he thought he saw a moment of doubt cross those pale, yellow cat's eyes. As he crossed the carpet, heading for the radiator a second time, he counted to himself. One… Two… Two and a half… Two and three quarters…

"Scott?" Three.

"Yeah?" He called without turning around, busying his hands with folding the wet clothes.

"If… well, if I told you something… could you keep it secret?" Kurt's voice almost trembled with nervousness; Scott glanced at him over his shoulder.

"Of course," Scott furrowed his eyebrows with concern, hands automatically folding the white t-shirt and throwing it over the warm coils of the radiator. "What's up?" He cocked his head and leaned against the wall, ready and willing to be attentive.

"Well, well first… um… first, could I ask you another question? If that's ok…" Kurt wrung his hands together desperately, the good-natured expression completely gone from his face, replaced by one of abject worry and fear.

"Sure…" Scott shrugged, bemused by Kurt's mannerisms. "Go ahead."

"How do you feel about…um… boys who like other boys?"

Scott blinked. "Come again?"

"Gays!" Kurt's nervous energy exploded. "Fags! Fruits! Whatever!" He buried his face in his hands with a strangled sob.

"Hey…" Scott sprinted to Kurt's side and took his place on the bed next to him. With little hesitation, he wrapped the younger boy in a hug, allowing his fingertips to savor the soft feel of blue fur tickling his nerves. "Hey… um…" He floundered for the proper response to Kurt's question. "Um… I like gays…" He finally said lamely.

"Good…" Kurt sniffled into Scott's shoulder. "Because I think I am one."

Scott froze mid comforting pat. He took a deep breath and began to sort out various thoughts in his head. Was that why Kurt had run away? Did he even understand what he was doing, confessing himself to Scott? What about Kitty?

Well… what about Jean, then? Scott's brain did a full turnaround. And what about… what about this being your chance? Wasn't this what you'd been hoping for ever since you first met Kurt?

Scott cleared his throat nervously. "Really?"

"Uh-huh," came the somber answer.

"Well… er… what about Kitty?"

"I don't know!" A wail surged from within Kurt and escaped into the folds of Scott's t-shirt. "I'm so confused! I don't understand at all…"

You're talking to the wrong person, kiddo. Scott gritted his teeth. "Look, Kurt. I… it's ok."

That golden pair of eyes looked up from beneath a mass of thick, raven-blue bangs. "No, it isn't." Kurt sniffed again, and Scott felt his unusual fingers clutching wildly at the material of the elder boy's shirt, scrambling for mad purchase. "I think I'm in love with absolutely the wrong person, too… I just… Gott in Himmel! Why am I telling you this?"

"I…er… don't know," Scott coughed uneasily and stretched one trembling hand to stroke the flat curls of Kurt's hair as soothingly as he possibly could.

"Nein. Nor do I." Abruptly, Kurt pushed away the solid warmth of Scott's body and stood, blindly running for the door. "I should go now… thank you for everything…" he mumbled as he darted past.

"Hey, wait!" Scott's voice was just the right timbre and held just the right amount of angry resentment to make Kurt stop with his hand on the doorknob. "I think that… if you…" The wheels in his head turned, cogs slowly finding their places. "If you got to ask me a question, than I should get to ask you a question!" He finished triumphantly.

"What…?" A melancholy whisper was returned. Scott hesitated a moment, unsure of exactly where he was going.

"… who are you in love with?" He finally queried, face appearing frighteningly cold, sharp, and calculating behind the necessary ruby-red glasses. Kurt's body sagged slightly against the doorframe; his limp hair fell like a curtain across his face.

"And I suppose I must tell you the truth?" Scott nodded, a little put off by the question.

"I would hope that you would feel… comfortable enough with me to… to tell me."

"I love…" Kurt's voice was very small in the large, barren room. "I love… you."