When Kurt woke the next morning, it was to the soft, golden light surrounding him. He was momentarily confused, unsure of where he was, used to the all-encompassing darkness of his bedroom.

The next thing he was aware of was a heavy weight pressing down on his arm. He was lying on his back, with his arm flung out to the side, and it was quickly going numb. He turned his head to the side, and was immediately met by Blaine's face. He was lying over Kurt's arm, his nose pressed into Kurt's shoulder. His own arm lay clumsily across Kurt's stomach. Kurt smiled; there was something familiar and comforting about its presence there.

He returned his attention to Blaine's face. He knew it seemed kind of creepy, but he really couldn't help himself. Blaine looked beautiful as he slept, calm and relaxed. There was an openness to his face, a vulnerability, and it just made Kurt want to know Blaine all the more.

Blaine began to stir, his eyelids fluttering. He awoke suddenly, taking in his proximity to Kurt. Kurt opened his mouth, wanting to say something, anything, but Blaine just rolled over, away from him, clearly embarrassed. Wes, upon seeing them awake, began talking to the two, and Kurt accepted that it really was time to begin the day.

When they emerged from the tent a few minutes later, Kurt wasn't overly surprised to see Santana sneering at him. 'I see you two ladyfaces managed to actually spend the whole night in separate tents. I'm not sure how you do it.' It took a moment, but Kurt finally realised she was once again referring to Trent. Taking the high road, Kurt chose to just ignore her, passing by to serve himself breakfast.

After eating, it was decided that they needed bonding time, and in true showchoir style, they decided to do so through performance. They were divided into teams of three, decided at random, and given time to prepare a song.

Kurt was grouped with Brittany and Trent, and they quickly found their own space, ready to start their preparation. But before they could get started, Brittany began one of her confusing conversations.

'Are you a dolphin, too?' she asked Trent, her usual innocent smile plastered across her face.

Trent turned to Kurt, perplexed, silently asking for an explanation. 'She wants to know if you're gay,' Kurt explained.

'Yea, yea I am,' Trent replied, before turning to Kurt. 'But you need to know, I have a boyfriend. So I'm really not interested, no offence.'

'Really, that's fine. Actually, I'd love to hear about your man sometime. And I'm truly sorry for everything that Santana's been saying,' Kurt apologised.

'Yea, she's been really mean,' Brittany agreed. 'If you want, I could make her stop?'

'That would be really sweet of you,' Kurt replied. 'But first, there's a song we should sing. It would really wind her up.'

Xxx

When everyone regathered to see the performances, Rachel was quick to volunteer to go first. She stood at the front of her group, belting out a love song, alternating between singing to both Finn and Thad. But no one was really paying her any heed. They were all too busy focussing on Mercedes and David, standing behind her, singing backup. They kept sneaking glances, sharing looks, and the chemistry they shared illustrated the song more clearly than even the most emotional of Rachel's moments.

After several more performances, Kurt's attention was peaked when Blaine took to the makeshift stage, in the only group of four. He was singing a duet with Quinn, while Mike and Jeff danced up a storm. The song was upbeat and fun and Kurt found himself being drawn in. Blaine really came alive, bouncing around and really giving it his all. Seeing this new side to the guy, Kurt had to admit it; he was definitely crushing on him.

Finally, it was his Kurt's group. As they began to sing, Kurt glanced over at Santana, a smirk on his face. Her mouth fell open as she recognised the song. They were singing 3 by Britney Spears. Kurt knew that her reaction wasn't really about the concept of a threesome. It was more to do with the idea that they hadn't considered including her in their suggested activities. Regardless, Kurt was pretty sure it would be enough to make her cut him – and Trent – some slack.

Xxx

Sometime after lunch, the boys fell into a spontaneous game of soccer. Kurt, however, along with all the girls, sat out, finding a nice shady spot to gossip with Mercedes.

'So, you seemed to rather enjoy your performance,' he teased her, a knowing smile on his face.

He expected some form of retaliation, but all he received was a dreamy smile. 'Yea,' she agreed. 'David's so sweet. I've never had so much fun before while having to work with Rachel.' Kurt laughed at this. 'But now I need to be able to find a way to spend more time with him.'

'Well,' Kurt began, 'as his tent-mate I'm sure I'd be able to hang with him easily enough. And the fact that you're my bestie makes it completely legit for you to be tagging along.'

'Thanks Kurt, you're the best.' Mercedes gave him a quick hug. 'But as, you know, his tent-mate, is there anything you can tell me about David? I don't really know him that well.'

Kurt thought for a moment. 'I don't really know him either. But he was completely cool about me crashing with them. And in the few conversations that I've heard, he seems really funny. And he's a pretty good friend to the others. So he kinda seems like the ideal man.' Kurt couldn't help it, he let a bit of jealousy sound in his voice.

'Hey, you'll find someone too,' Mercedes promised. 'What about that guy? Trent, isn't it?'

'Please,' Kurt replied with an eye roll, 'when has Santana ever been right about anything. I'm actually interested in someone else.' At Mercede's best imitation of his eyebrow raise he continued. 'I kinda have a crush on Blaine.'

Mercedes paused for a moment, clearly confused. 'Blaine? Isn't he that super quiet guy? Has he actually talked to you at all?'

'Not really,' Kurt admitted, 'but that's kinda half the appeal. Mysterious, you know? Plus he's super gorgeous, an amazing performer, and he's so cute when he sleeps.'

Mercedes looked dubious at the last point, but finally just nodded her head. 'That settles it then, we're gonna get ourselves some men. But wait,' as another thought occurred to her, 'how do you even know he's gay?'

'I don't,' Kurt replied with a wry grin, returning his attention to the field. 'But when has that ever stopped me before?'

With the conversation over, Kurt spent several moments trying to search Blaine out on the field, but in the process found himself getting distracted. He watched Artie wheeling along behind the action, trying to work out how he could participate. And then he found Rachel, standing right on the edge of the field, cheering. He listened carefully; she was cheering for both Finn and Thad, a remarkable feat given they were on opposite teams.

He turned back to Mercedes. 'Do you know what's up with Berry? I thought she was back with Finn? But she's suddenly all over this Thad guy.'

Mercedes agreed. 'It's weird, alright. I've never known one person capable of creating a love triangle without any assistance.'

Xxx

As evening began to set in, they all trudged back to their tent site, where the football guys were attempting to light a campfire. Kurt looked around the hotch potch of people, before taking Mercedes by the arm and leading her over to David, Wes and Blaine, who were grouped in a corner.

'Hi guys,' he called as he approached. 'Mind if we join you? This is Mercedes, my bestie.'

The others greeted them both enthusiastically, and soon they were all lost in conversation, which mostly consisted of Wes and David recounting their craziest adventures at Dalton. Kurt couldn't help but notice that Blaine was as interested in the stories as both he and Mercedes, and he found himself getting confused.

When there was a lull in the conversation, he turned his attention to Blaine. 'Haven't you heard these stories before?' he asked. 'Surely you'd have even been around to see them happen?'

Blaine shook his head, not quite making eye contact. 'I haven't been at Dalton long. I only transferred a month ago.'

That was odd, Kurt thought. What a strange time of year to change schools. 'Why did you leave your old school?' He found himself asking.

As he studied Blaine's eyes, he noticed a sadness in them, the shiny glint appearing suddenly. But before Blaine had time to answer, Wes was changing the subject. 'So Kurt, can you explain to me what's up with that Brittany girl? She tried to tell me her cat was an alcoholic. Actually, better than that, you may as well just explain all the craziness that is your glee club.'

Kurt smiled at this. Yes, New Directions really was hard to understand for the casual observer. He and Mercedes launched into an explanation, going through each member one by one, and explaining all of the crazy drama that had gone on throughout the year. At some stage during the discussion, David and Mercedes got distracted by their own conversation, and Kurt couldn't help noticing the way they laughed and flirted with each other. But, while this was going on, he still finished the account of the group, and was pleased to notice that he had both Wes and Blaine in stitches.

Blaine really does have the nicest laugh, Kurt found himself thinking, as the other boy began to cry with laughter.