A/N: You guys are so amazing. I'm stunned by all of the reviews and positive feedback from this story. I hope you all like this chapter. Finally, there's a bit of Niff in action. ;) Reviews are always loved.

xxx, Elizabeth

Increasing Surface Area

As surface area increases, the number of molecules increases, concentration increases, and collisions increase, causing the rate of reaction to go up.

"Blaine, what exactly am I supposed to wear to this thing? I have no idea what's going on, and I don't want to get anything ruined," Nick complained from where he stood in front of the closet. It was Friday, and the boys were just getting ready to leave for their "camping excursion"—as Kurt liked to refer to it by.

Blaine rolled his eyes at the confused brunette from where he sat on his bed, waiting for Kurt to come tell him it was time to leave. "It's not like the mudslide is required."

"Mudslide? You're kidding, right?"

Blaine laughed, "Actually, no. David decided last year that it should become a tradition. He started it last year when he accidentally knocked Trent down. Thad of course flew down after him to make sure he was okay. Then David and Wes decided it looked fun, so they followed. It ended in a horrible mess. And everyone that did it was forced to jump in the lake after to get the mud off. We weren't having muddy teenage boys in the Warbler van. Wet? Maybe. Muddy? Hell no."

"Well, you can count me out of that one," Nick said as he ran a finger through his hair. He pulled out dark jeans, a faded grey v-neck shirt, and a soft green cardigan. "Is this too fancy?"

Blaine glanced at the outfit, then down at his own—an old pair of faded skinny jeans and a Dalton hoodie. "If you aren't planning on getting dirty, I suppose it'll do. I guess you'll just be sitting around the fire all night. That's fine. Kurt will be there, too." Blaine paused and looked up at Nick who was biting his lip in concentration, wordlessly debating on if he should wear the cardigan or one of his school sweatshirts. "And I'm pretty sure Jeff will be playing it safe as well."

Nick all but dropped the school sweatshirt and ran to change into his first choice of clothing. Cardigan it is, Blaine thought with a smirk on his face as he watched the door slam closed behind his roommate.

As Nick continued to get ready, Kurt decided to begin rounding up the Warblers in the common room. He walked down the hall to Jeff's room with a positive energy about him. Though he wasn't having the best day, he didn't want to ruin the fun for anyone else.

He swung the door open to a surprised looking Jeff who had been in the middle of rehearsing a song on his keyboard. "Oh, Kurt! God. I almost had a heart attack."

Kurt grinned and looked over Jeff's outfit carefully. Phase three of the plan would fall into place tonight, and he wanted to ensure that everything would go off without a hitch. "You look awfully charming today. Anyone in particular you're trying to impress?"

Jeff blushed madly and looked down to check his outfit—tightly fit skinny jeans, a black thermal, and a grey vest—for what seemed to be the millionth time. "Are you sure it's okay? I wasn't sure if it looked too dressy for the woods."

Kurt rolled his eyes and gestured toward his own outfit. "Trust me, if I can get away with wearing Marc Jacobs new collection to the campsite, your vest will be completely fine. But you avoided my question. Are you trying to impress Nick?"

Jeff couldn't help the smile that spread across his face just at the mention of the boy's name. He had been spending a lot of time with Nick since Monday. Every day they would talk in class about the different songs they were thinking about doing or how their voices would complement each other in a certain duet. After classes, they would rehearse together. And during Warbler practice, they would perform together. Jeff was glad that he was given the chance to get to know the lacrosse player better, and he felt really close to him now. He only hoped that Nick reciprocated those feelings.

"Of course, I want to look good for Nick. I mean, I'm assuming I'll be spending most of my evening with him anyways. There's no harm in looking nice, right?"

"I am so proud to say that at least one of my friends understands how an outfit can help make things run smoothly. That's what fashion does. It's magic." Kurt beamed at the blonde as he began to work out other new outfits that might make his mid-terms better.

Jeff rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but what I really need is something that will catch Nick's attention. Sometimes he gets so wrapped up with his lacrosse buddies that he forgets about me. I need something that will pull him away from them. I don't wanna end up spending the night watching Thad and Trent make out or something."

Kurt pulled a face. "That would definitely not meet par. What we're gonna need is music. You know, Sam and I sort of had a problem like that. I never really paid attention to him because he was just my brother's friend from school. I'd always be in my room with friends from Dalton or catching up with Mercedes and some of my girl friends from grade school, and he would be in the living room watching stupid movies with Finn or playing video games that make your brain rot and fall out of your head. But one time, I was home for the weekend, and I noticed Sam sitting in the kitchen tuning his guitar. I had no idea that he played, but when he saw me, I asked him about it and he would not stop talking about it. So I asked him if he knew any good songs. He started playing I'm Yours by Jason Mraz, and he looked at me with those gorgeous green eyes. And the way he smiled made me realize that maybe, just maybe, my gaydar had missed him. After he finished the song, he told me that he thought I was really cute and that he hoped we could spend more time together. Of course, after that, Finn walked in and ruined everything."

Jeff smiled at the story. Kurt never talked much about Sam—just that he loved him and he was a total nerd about sci-fi and super heroes. It was nice to hear about Kurt's life rather than having his constantly put under a microscope. "So music? That's all it took?"

Kurt grinned, "Well, Sam still had a bit of wooing to do, but I started hanging out with him and Finn whenever I was home, and after a while he finally decided to ask me out. Finn kinda freaked, but it's been a while now. He's had time to adjust. The music definitely helped, though. Maybe Blaine can bring his guitar and we can test it out."

"Yeah! Alright. Now, I need to think of a song. All I can think of right now are Taylor Swift songs. Maybe that would work. I really like her one song Ours. Or maybe something by Colbie Caillat or Lifehouse."

Kurt frowned, "Jeff, the thing is, you can't be the only one putting in effort. You sung a lot more to Nick than he has to you. Technically he's only sung to you in duets. He seems to shy away during solos. Maybe today he'll come to you."

"But what if he doesn't?"

"I'll get Blaine to make sure he does. Are you about ready to go? A bunch of people are already waiting downstairs. I just need to pick up Blaine and Nick."

Jeff got up and walked to the door, "Yeah, I've been ready, actually. But, Kurt?"

"Hmm?"

"Why the sudden change? You seemed sad when I thought about singing to Nick again."

Kurt cursed to himself because of course Jeff picked up on that. "It's just—I'm a little bitter lately. You know, about romance. Sam and I are sort of not doing so well."

Jeff frowned and walked down the hallway as the continued their conversation. "Well, what's going on?"

When Nick was finished getting ready, Blaine moved to enter the hallway, but paused when he heard a familiar voice on the other side of the door to his room. "Sam's sort of freaking out. He's paranoid because he's convinced himself that I'll find someone better than him. He misses me a lot, too. He told me he wishes I came home more. Then I said that I wished he would come visit sometime because I have to go to Lima all the time for him, but he barely ever comes here. Of course, he got mad at me and said that I should want to come visit home. Blah blah. One thing led to another, and now I haven't heard from him since earlier today."

Blaine could hear Jeff consoling him, but the voices died down a bit. He knew he should feel horrible for the wide grin crossing his face, but he honestly couldn't help it. It just sort of happened. He stepped away from the door and looked over to Nick. "Nick! Kurt and Sam aren't doing so hot."

Nick smirked, "I can definitely feel your sympathy for them. So what are you gonna do? Swoop in a save little Hummel before the Hevans crash and burn?"

Blaine rolled his eyes at the pun. "I don't want to mess up their relationship, but if Kurt mentions that he's open to other options, I won't have to be told twice."

Nick chuckled, "Oh? So what's the game plan? You gonna try to seduce the boy today?"

Blaine blushed deeply, "No. I might try singing to him, though. He has a bit of a soft spot for music."

"Do you think—" Nick furrowed his brow in thought. "Nevermind."

Blaine smiled deviously. "Do I think what?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you think that would work with Jeff? I've tried before, but I get so awkward when everyone's watching. I can't stop thinking about him, and it's starting to drive me insane."

Kurt barged into the room before Blaine had time to respond. "Come on, boys. Time to hit the road. If we aren't there by five, there won't be enough time to have any real fun."

Kurt and Blaine were the last to board the van that would be bringing them to the campsite. It was known to most of the population of Dalton Academy as the "Warbler Van" because, though it was also used on occasion for sports teams when meets overlapped, its main purpose was to serve the Warblers on any organized excursions or competition.

The boys sat on the bench all the way in the back and were forced to set in an almost uncomfortably close proximity of each other due to the bags of supplies, food, and instruments crowded on either side of them. The closeness wasn't all that bad, though because it gave them an excuse to have a more private conversation—one that had been going on throughout the week.

"So, phase three?" Blaine smiled and rubbed his hands together. This plan was set up meticulously, so if by any chance something were to go wrong, there was a backup, and a backup to the backup. And a backup to the backup of the backup. And—basically they had a lot of backups.

Kurt nodded. "Increasing surface area is a go."

Blaine bit his lip. "I'm still kinda confused about what this has to do with chemistry."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Blaine, the campsite is humongous. You've been there before. It's a lot bigger than a classroom or the choir room. That is the representation of increasing surface area."

"Oh," Blaine said dumbly.

"And what happens when surface area increases?" Kurt asked patiently.

Blaine sighed. He wished he hadn't brought it up. At least now he had an A in chemistry. "Concentration increases. The boys' concentration on each other has been increasing steadily over the week, so today it should be heightened even further. The number of particles increase. I guess that could represent all the other Warblers that'll be goofing around. Collisions increase. That should be easy because of our planning. We'll make it so that if Nick and Jeff ever separate, they will find each other again."

Kurt smiled. "I've taught you well." He then motioned to the blonde and brunette sat next to each other a few rows ahead of them, heads bent toward each other in conversation. Jeff was talking animatedly, causing the pair watching them to smile. "They look so happy. I think our plan is successful so far."

"Let's just see how it goes when we get to the campsite," Blaine shrugged as he watched the pair, silently wishing Kurt would open his eyes to the similar relationship growing right in front of his eyes. He just didn't seem to have enough—courage to speak up.

About an hour into the trip, Jeff was sitting on the dock by himself, as he had expected. Somewhere in the back of his brain, he knew it was a bad idea to get his hopes up, but he did it anyways. Now all he had left to feel was disappointment.

He absentmindedly threw a rock, attempting to skip it on the water and failing miserably. As he watched the rock sink, he frowned. This was not how today was supposed to go. Trent was off with Flint and some of the other Warblers attempting to make a bonfire. Nick was playing a mini game of lacrosse on the grass behind him with Thad, Wes, and some of the others.

Then there was Jeff.

Alone as always.

The blonde sat there staring at the sky as the sun began to descend. The colors began to change from seamlessly blended shades of blue to thousands of colors of pinks, purples, and oranges. The sun glowed bright, a deafening contrast to the sky around it. It shone against the water, causing the waves to sparkle. Everything was beautiful, but Jeff never felt quite so alone. He just wanted someone to sit with and talk to. Someone to cuddle with as they watched the sunset together. Someone like Nick.

But no. Nick was to busy with Lacrosse to even notice that he was sitting there on the dock all alone.

So Jeff did what he always did when he was alone. He began to hum. Slowly, as he realized no one was really listening, he began to sing to himself. The lyrics resonating in the atmosphere around him.

Weatherman said it's gonna snow

By now I should be used to the cold

Mid-February shouldn't be so scary

It was only December

I still remember the presents, the tree, you

And me

Nick slowly crept up behind Jeff, smiling at the honesty in Jeff's voice as he sang.

But you went away

How dare you?

I miss you

They say I'll be okay

But I'm not going to every get over you

Jeff jumped at the sound of Nick's voice completing the chorus for him. "W-what are you d-doing here?"

Nick smiled warmly and sat down on the dock beside Jeff, hanging his legs off the side. "A boy can only play lacrosse for so long."

Jeff laughed, "I thought you were just purposely avoiding me."

Nick's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would I ever want to avoid you?"

Jeff shrugged and threw another rock. This one skipped a few times before falling beneath the surface. "Dunno. Just—well, I thought maybe you were getting sick of me. You know, after next week's over, we won't have to sing together anymore if you don't want to."

Nick frowned, "Why would you say that? Jeff, I really like spending time with you. You're hilarious and wicked smart. And your voice is crazy good. How could I ever not want to sing with you?"

Jeff steadily avoided Nick's gaze, looking back toward the sky. "I guess I just thought—nevermind."

"Thought what?"

The blonde sighed and leaned back on his elbows. "I guess I just thought you'd be embarrassed by me. I don't know. It's stupid. Just, well, you've probably noticed. I'm not exactly the coolest guy around. I'm pretty much a nerd—unless you count chem. And you're, like, the most popular guy at Dalton. Why would you want to hang out with me?"

Nick shook his head. He just wanted to hug the blonde boy to reassure him, but he was scared that would startle him. Instead, he brought up a hand to cup Jeff's chin and turned his face so they were eye to eye. "Jeff, don't even think that again, okay? I like you. I think of you as a good friend. I'm not embarrassed by you in the least."

Jeff let a slow breathe. "There's one more thing."

"And what would that be?" Nick asked with a smile.

"I'm not straight. I'm—well I'm not exactly sure, but I think I'm bi," Jeff struggled to allow the words out of his mouth, but once they were out he just let them hang there. He'd never actually said it out loud before. He'd talked to Kurt about it, but Kurt had done most of the talking in that scenario.

"And I'm gay. What's that have to do with anything?" Nick answered without missing a beat. He tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach, but it just grew stronger. His heartbeat rose significantly at the news. He hadn't been completely sure if Jeff even leant his way before, and maybe that was why he was so nervous to open up. He'd been there before. It didn't end well.

Jeff's stomach flipped as he heard the words slip from Nick's lips. He was sure that by this point he was blushing the color of a raspberry, but, for once in his life, Jeff was just gonna go with it. "I don't know. I just—I actually have no idea. It's weird, though. That's the first time I've said it out loud."

Nick's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he understood where the worried blonde was coming from. "No, I get it. Maybe you just weren't completely sure until now."

A comfortable silence enveloped the pair, allowing Nick's words to sink in with Jeff. The pair looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, but only a second at the same time. Nick turned away first, blushing like crazy. "T-the sky is really pretty right now."

Jeff nodded and dared himself to move just slightly closer to Nick. "It is, but I really like the water. It's sparkling so much, like diamonds are floating along the surface."

Nick smiled as he took in the view. It was exactly as Jeff had described. The small brunette slowly allowed his head to fall onto Jeff's shoulder, and was pleased to feel Jeff's arm wrap securely around him in response. "This is nice."

Jeff let out a sigh of content and nodded, pulling Nick slightly closer to him to make their position more comfortable. "Yeah, it is."

But of course, all moments like this must come to an end eventually. Only seconds later, Jeff and Nick felt something wet and cold spray them. They turned around to complain, only to see Wes and David running over to them with several water balloons in tow.

Nick groaned. "You have got to be kidding me."

Jeff laughed, "Are we joining in or running away?"

"I think I'd rather run. How about you?"

Jeff smiled. "Running it is."

The pair took off, narrowly escaping running straight into Wes and David who had been jogging down the dock toward them. They ran quickly, only getting hit a few more times before making it safely to the crew attempting to start a fire.

"Trent, I thought you were a boy scout. Shouldn't you know how to do this?" Blaine complained as he sat on a log, leaning slightly against Kurt who was sitting next to him.

Trent rolled his eyes. "Just because I was a boy scout doesn't mean I automatically can make a fire in a couple seconds. It takes some time, Anderson."

The group surrounding the still unlit bundle of logs groaned in unison. This would take a while. Luckily Thad had run back to the van to find lighter fluid and would hopefully be back soon.

Even with the help of the lighter fluid, a fire wasn't steadily growing until about an hour later. It was starting to get dark out, and the stars were twinkling brightly in the sky. Most of the boys had disappeared to the mud slide area, or were still running around playing different games like "Ghost in the Graveyard". Jeff earlier joked about how everyone seemed to enjoy all of the childhood games even more now.

Kurt smiled as an idea struck him. There were only about seven people at the fire right now—mostly couples or people avoiding ruining their clothing. "We should play a game."

"And what would that be?" Blaine asked excitedly. Kurt's games were usually pretty fun, so he was definitely in. He was still cuddled into Kurt's side. They had been talking all day, and at one point he had asked Kurt about Sam. The lithe brunette had sighed and explained that the relationship was hanging by a thread, and that he knew things would be ending soon. Sam's trust was nice, but he practically smothered Kurt with affection, and Kurt wasn't sure if he was still reciprocating those feelings to their full extent. Blaine shouldn't have been happy to know this, but he couldn't control his emotions.

Kurt smiled deviously, "We should play Never Have I Ever."

After a unanimous cheer of approval, Kurt pulled away from Blaine and walked over to the cooler, where he pulled out a few bottles of brown liquid. "Technically we aren't supposed to drink—ever. But no party is a Warbler party without a little bit of alcohol. Am I right?"

Blaine grinned. Maybe with a little liquid courage, he would be able to tell Kurt how he felt. Maybe.

The bottles were passed around, and a few more boys made their way to the circle. Wes came running with David behind him. "I smell Miller. Are we drinking now?"

Kurt laughed, "Yes, Wesley. Never Have I Ever. You're always the first out."

Wes smirked, "Can't help it that my life is a little more interesting than yours."

Kurt shrugged and gave each of the boys a bottle. "Fine." He sat back next to Blaine, allowing the smaller boy to cuddle back into his side. Blaine's close proximity throughout the evening was odd, but not unwelcomed to Kurt. "Who wants to go first?"

Blaine grinned. "I will! Never have I ever been able to speak French." Kurt, along with a few others groaned and took a swig of their beer.

Nick was next. "Never have I ever been out of the country." Almost everyone in the circle drank to that. He loved that one because it got people every time.

Jeff bit his lip. "Never have I ever kissed a boy." Thad and Trent grinned at each other and sipped in unison. Kurt rolled his eyes and did the same. Blaine and Nick blushed and drank as well.

Kurt cocked his eyebrow at the boy currently curled up and leaning against his side. "And who is this boy?"

Blaine blushed madly and looked at Nick. "It was for Truth or Dare! Not like I wanted to kiss him!"

Nick grinned. "Should I take offence to that?"

Jeff groaned, "Can we just move on?"

Nick shoved his shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Have you really never kissed a guy?"

Jeff shrugged, "Not unless you count my dad or cousins or whatever when I was younger."

Nick shook his head in amusement. "Interesting."

Jeff blushed. "Oh? And why's that?"

The brunette looked down at the ground and bit back a smile. "Just—you're cute. I thought you'd be more—experienced."

The taller of the pair laughed, "Hey, I never said I've never kissed anyone period. I've had girlfriends before. They were kinda obnoxious, though. But what can you expect from the private school girls?"

"Hey! My sister's in private school!" Nick giggled as he chastised Jeff.

"Oh my God. I'm sorry! I was just—well, I probably. Okay, I'm just gonna stop talking."

Nick laughed, "I'm just kidding. I don't have a sister."

Jeff rolled his eyes and jabbed Nick with his elbow. "You jerk!"

Kurt smiled fondly at the two as they continued to talk throughout the entire game. The one beer wasn't enough to get anyone drunk, but a lot of the boys were just mildly looser than they were before. Blaine was cuddling even closer to his side. "Hey, B?"

"Hmm?" Blaine hummed, and he hugged Kurt's arm.

The taller brunette grinned affectionately at his best friend. "You're being really cuddly today. What gives?"

Blaine looked up with big, innocent eyes. "I just wanted you to know that there are still other options."

Kurt bit his lip. "What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I—" but he was interrupted by Nick who had brought his guitar out. He was glad he had thought to put it in the van earlier in the day.

"How about some music, guys?" he asked with a smile on his face just for the blonde sitting next to him. Nick began to strum his guitar and smiled fondly at Jeff as the blonde hummed along to the melody. "This one's for my lovely duet partner." He winked at Jeff who blushed crimson in response.

I hear your heart cry for love

But you won't let me make it right

You were hurt before, but I decided

That you were worth the fight

Every night, you lock up

You won't let me come inside

But the look in your eyes

As I can turn the tide

Jeff smiled as he recognized the song. It was something he needed to hear. He always felt so alone, but hearing Nick sing those words, he felt just a little bit better. He picked up on the bridge to the chorus, looking directly at Nick as he sang back. And just like every time before, when he looked into those gorgeous eyes, everything else around them seemed to disappear.

In your heart, in your heart, in your heart

I can tell you can fit one more

In your heart, in your heart, in your heart

I don't care who was there before

Kurt felt his heart melt as he watched his plan unravel before him. The boys were absolutely perfect for each other, and their voices complemented each other flawlessly. He leant in to whisper to Blaine, "They look so happy. Looks like our plan is working."

Blaine sighed and held on even tighter to Kurt's arm, wishing again that he could have with Kurt what Jeff and Nick had with each other. "Looks like it," he said in a voice tinged with sadness.

I hear your heart cry for love

Then you act like there's no room

Room for me or anyone

"Don't disturb" is all I see

Close the door, turn the key

On everything that we could be

If loneliness would move out,

I'd fill the vacancy

Nick continued to sing the song, looking directly at Jeff the entire time. The look on the blonde's face—so alone and confused—was something that Nick wanted desperately to fix. He wanted to tell Jeff exactly how he felt, but he was scared out of his mind.

If loneliness would move out,

I'd fill the vacancy

In your heart, in your heart, in your heart

Nick smiled as he strummed the last few notes. He dropped the guitar and took Jeff's hand in his.

The guitar made its way around the circle as other Warblers strummed happy songs about parties and having a good time. Blaine, of course, sang the newest Katy Perry single. Everyone was having a good time.

Eventually the rest of the Warblers showed up, soaking wet from their time in the lake, and the boys were forced to pack up and leave before they broke curfew.

The ride back to Dalton was loud and full of laughter and sing-alongs to any song that came on the radio, and when they got out of the van and walked back to their dorms, Jeff was still holding tightly onto Nick's hand.

When the pair reached Nick's room, the smaller brunette squeezed Jeff's hand one final time before letting go. "I had a really good time with you today, Jeffy."

Jeff grinned at Nick's use of the pet name Trent had adopted for him. "Me too, Nicky."

Nick blushed. "Well, goodnight." He leaned in closer to Jeff and tilted his head up to reach Jeff's cheek, where he placed a soft kiss. He allowed his lips to linger for a moment, then he pulled away. He would later admit that the way Jeff's entire face resembled the color of a tomato was very satisfying.

"G-goodnight, Nick," the blonde stuttered to get the words out correctly. He stood there as Nick entered his room and closed the door behind him, and couldn't quite figure out how to use his legs again for another minute.

As he made the trek to his own room, he brought his hand up to his cheek right where Nick had kissed him. The spot was still warm with the presence of Nick, and Jeff honestly could not stop smiling. His head was still spinning when he entered his own room and plopped down on his bed, completely ignoring Trent's interrogation of what was going on between him and Nick.

He honestly had no idea. All he knew was that he liked it.

Over You-Miranda Lambert [Jeff Nick]

Heart Vacancy-The Wanted [Jeff Nick]

Next Chapter: Increasing Temperature