Hey Guys! In the last however many minutes since I put this story up, I've gotten a bunch of story alerts and favorite story additions. I just want to thank you! I never thought people would cotton on to this. I just wrote because Glee has that bracket up, and I was watching Misery again and thought, "I bet I know how that whole episode happened." Thanks so much! I hope you like this next installment, if there's enough interest I'll keep up and finish the whole thing. I have the time, so, why not?

This is fan-produced, not for any profit or gain (except the power of daydreaming). I don't own the characters, nor do the characters own me (even though sometimes I feel like they might).

Blaine was considering calling Finn for some advice on Kurt. Maybe Mercedes. What did Kurt need when he was stressed out? What things made Kurt mad? When he was stressed, what did he do? He'd seen scared, freaked out Kurt, with the whole Karofsky thing, and he'd seen happy, excited Kurt, with any number of Vogue covers. Every day Kurt was playful and funny, a little bit of armor and a lot of sass. But this was the first time he'd seen pissed off Kurt.

Pissed off Kurt showed up for breakfast.

"No, Blaine, I can pay for my own meal, thank you," and, "Why should you walk me to class? Your homeroom is on the opposite side of campus. You're always late. Get moving." The last one, the cincher, the one that had Blaine blinking and scrolling through his contacts, hoping he'd exchanged numbers with Mercedes last time they met (nope, no dice), was, "No, I don't think I want to watch YouTube videos of Wicked this afternoon." That was when Kurt politely excused himself, spun on his heel and walked away.

Blaine just looked after him for a minute. No one was bothering Kurt-Blaine knew because he was with Kurt almost every second of every day, except for class and every so often when David needed to spill about his girl problems, or whenever Kurt shoved Blaine out of his room because he had to study or sleep or shower or something. So this wasn't a bullying thing. Maybe something happened with Burt. Blaine seized on that idea. It was probably a family thing. But then, no; Kurt would have mentioned something-and pissy wasn't the reaction Kurt would have if Burt had had more heart troubles; at least, he wouldn't be pissy without telling Blaine why.

Blaine, still watching Kurt's retreat, reached out an arm, blocking David from walking by. "Hey, David, does Kurt seem...upset to you? Or mad, or something? Did he say anything to you?" David looked down at the arm barring his way down the hall, then slowly swung his body around it, like he was Neo in The Matrix.

Blaine shot him a look and dropped his arm.

David rolled his eyes. "Blaine. I don't talk to Kurt every day like some people. How should I know?"

"He just said he didn't want to watch YouTube Wicked Videos."

"Yeah, neither do I; you're the only freak who likes that stuff."

Wes caught up to the two, slow-motion karate-chopped David, and said, "Who's a freak who likes what stuff?" as David performed another matrix move in response.

"Wes, was Kurt being weird this morning?"

"I don't know, I don't drop by his dorm to kiss him good morning like some people." David and Wes snickered, and began to pretend punch each other.

"Holy Toledo, guys. Could you get a grip?" Blaine said. "Maybe Kurt's upset about something."

"The only thing Kurt's upset about is that you're not in bed with him right now."

"David!"

"It's true!"

Blaine closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again to glare at his friends. "For the last time. We talked about this. We're friends. Just because we're both gay and appreciate the unique understanding, insight and perspective that gives us doesn't mean we have to jump each other or-you know what, never mind. Clearly you won't listen to my problems like I listen to yours."

David said, "Oh come on, Blaine! That's not fair. Your problems are like, which characters from RENT are actually going to live past thirty, or whether Kurt's right that our uniforms are outdated. My problems are like, whether Jenny is going to bring the entire sky down on my head, and then talk about it to Vivi, who will then collapse the solar system when she finds out what Wes made me do."

"I didn't make you do anything, David, that's such bull."

"Nu uh. You totally sucker punched me when I wasn't looking. You totally wormed your way into my skull and set little subliminal messages. 'David, playing Halo is much more important than calling your girlfriend on her birthday; she won't mind; she'll be glad you were having fun. She'll think you're such a strong man for defeating all the aliens.' Like that."

Wes looked outraged. "I absolutely did NOT send you subliminal messages. YOU hopped into my room and said 'Hey, Wes, let's play Halo.' How was I supposed to know it was Jenny's Birthday? I don't miss Vivi's, that's just mean. Take That!" Wes slo-mo punched the side of David's head.

Blaine rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Oh my god, you guys are no help what so ever. If you see Kurt, be nice to him, ok? Maybe promise him a cake or something."

Wes groaned. "Blaine, have you thought that maybe Kurt is overwhelmed with schoolwork? Or that, I don't know, he had a bad dream last night? Or maybe he ran out of moisturizer? Maybe it has nothing to do with you at all."

"I don't think Kurt is upset because of me. Wait. What? You think Kurt is mad because of something I did? I didn't do anything! Last night I brought him coffee. Why would he be mad at me?"

"No, Blaine, I'm saying I don't think that."

"Good. Because I'll have you know that I'm an awesome best friend."

"Maybe you should ask him. Like when Jenny didn't call me for three days, I finally called her and asked what was up. See? I took the high road, there."

Wes said, "No, you took the 'I forgot about your birthday now let's get it on' road. Just so you know, that road is decidedly middle ground."

"I cannot believe we're friends."

"Halo after class?"

"I'm so done with that game."

"Fine. Ghostbusters?"

David pretended to consider for a moment. "Yeah ok." He turned to leave. After a couple strides he swung around to face Blaine, who was standing in the corridor, frowning. "Hey Blaine!"

"What?"

"Just talk to him. Gay guys love talking about their feelings, right?" Then he grinned and turned around to follow Wes to their homeroom.

As the course of the morning inched forward, Blaine decided that actually, maybe Wes and David were right. Maybe Kurt was mad for something silly. Maybe Kurt really wanted someone to ask what was wrong. He would ask. He would listen. Kurt was adjusting well to Dalton and maybe felt like he didn't want to complain to Blaine about anything. But Blaine hadn't transferred in that long ago himself (ok, a year and some change, but still, that was nothing compared to Wes, who had gone to Dalton Pre-K, or David, who's parents had gotten him a Dalton prescribed wet nurse while they were commuting to various international conferences). He knew what it was like to have to try and fit in and try to seem grateful all the time. Blaine knew about that stuff. He would ask, and it would be great, and Kurt would lean his head on his hand the way he did, sometimes, and sigh and say, "Blaine, how do you always know what I need?" and Blaine would say, "It's not a big deal. What else are friends for?" Kurt would then hug him, Kurt's cheek pressed against his neck, and then they'd lay on Kurt's bed, side by side, as they watched YouTube videos and laughed and laughed. It would be awesome.

As soon as Kurt turned the corner, out of range of Blaine's gaping mouth, he leaned against a wall and rubbed his forehead. There was no reason to be mad at Blaine; he was being friendly. Always so very friendly. He couldn't know that Kurt had gotten practically no sleep last night, thinking about their friendship. Whether he could have a friendship with Blaine if he was in love with him or not. Unrequited love never ended well, not in real life, at least. Blaine would find another Jeremiah-one who wasn't overage-and then Kurt would still be pining away, even as Blaine walked hand in hand with someone else, as Blaine went off to college with someone else, as Blaine sent out wedding invitations for him and someone else. It was inevitable, with Blaine as charming, as talented, as caring, as funny and as smart as he was; he was sure to be scooped up in next to no time.

And admittedly, that might be a good thing. Blaine needed to be with someone he was interested in-not just a friend he felt sorry for. And he needed to be with someone who could be physical the way Blaine liked and needed to be physical. The hug from last night was not the first demonstrative act that Blaine liked to pull from nowhere. Touches to the knee, a hand on the back of Kurt's neck, sure thumbs smoothing out a wrinkle in the shoulder of Kurt's shirt, fingers brushing Kurt's hair back into place, a hand at the base of Kurt's spine as they were walking to class. Man, when Kurt counted them all up it seemed like Blaine was always touching him, somehow. Had it always been like this? Was this recent?

It didn't really matter. Kurt liked being touched (by Blaine, at least) but he couldn't just jump into bed the way Blaine probably could. That whole afternoon with Blaine in Kurt's room a couple weekends ago was so awkward and it told Kurt exactly where they both stood when it came to sex. Blaine was comfortable with himself, and probably ready to try things out with another guy; Kurt was not ready.

Although, Kurt admitted to himself last night, he hadn't ever really thought of himself with another guy. When he imagined himself and Finn last year, he just imagined Finn coming up to him in the hall, slinging an arm over Kurt's shoulder, and showing the whole school that yes, the quarterback approved of the well dressed gay kid. Finn's love would have been a popularity force field around him even without Finn around. People would accept him because people accepted Finn. Kurt once imagined kissing Finn, and had blushed so violently his biology teacher had sent him to the nurse.

Blaine was different, obviously. Kurt knew he liked Blaine not because of the side effects a relationship with him would have, but because he had seen Blaine, every once in a while, let his guard down and say something that hinted that Blaine wasn't always so dapper. Kurt wanted to be the one Blaine turned to about his popping knees, or failed french tests. Kurt wanted to be the one to make Blaine feel really good-happy and comforted and relaxed.

Blaine relaxed was a good thought. Blaine smiling, his curly dark hair back on a pillow, breathing deeply, toned chest (a sprinkle of hair on the chest, more in a line pointing donwn his torso), legs splayed out along Kurt's 1000 count cream sheets-holy mackerel, Kurt had just pictured Blaine naked. Blaine naked.

It was a really nice image, actually.

So for the rest of the night Kurt explored the whole idea of Blaine naked, and things that he and Blaine might do, together, when they were naked, and the conclusion Kurt had finally drawn at three in the morning was that if he had been in doubt about his sexuality before, he was not in doubt now. Kurt was very interested in Blaine's man parts. Kurt was interested in everything those man parts might do or feel like, and what Kurt's own man parts might do and feel in return.

All the soul/sexuality searching was great, but it didn't make for a lot of sleeping, so when Blaine caught up with Kurt in the hall that morning, Kurt looked into Blaine's eyes, remembered that while Kurt now knew he would be very ok with getting physical with Blaine, Blaine did not want to get physical with him. Blaine did not want to be anything but friends, and actually, Blaine wanted to be friends only so long as Kurt agreed with Blaine, followed him around, stayed under Blaine's mother hen wing, and in general consented to be a push over. Not cool.

Kurt shoved off the wall with a sigh, walked to class with the beginning of a headache. When he sat down and opened his notes on watersheds, he looked at his papers without fully comprehending what was written on them. He kept his head down, doodling, and let his thoughts roam while his professor showed slide after slide of water cycles. Kurt finally realized (somewhere in between precipitation and condensation) that it wouldn't help anything to be frustrated; Blaine hadn't done anything wrong, strictly speaking. Kurt was the one allowing this relationship to continue as is. So he would apologize and try to assert his opinions more often in the future. That way, Blaine would gradually begin to have to accept Kurt as an equal partner in this friendship.

So that afternoon, before Warbler practice, when Blaine jumped off the couch he was sitting on across from Thad, mouth open, ready to say something, or ask something or whatever, Kurt held up a hand. Blaine promptly shut his mouth. That was kind of hot, how he shut his mouth with one move of my-ugh. Task at hand, Kurt, Task at hand!

"Blaine. I'm sorry I snapped at you this morning. I stayed up really late because of my paper on Thoreau and hadn't had any coffee. So-um, yeah. I didn't mean to snap at you. So yes, I'd love to watch Wicked videos with you, but, well, actually, I just found this new musical I think you'd like, called Starship. It's right up your ally-singing, dancing, puppets of giant bugs, you know, so if you don't mind, I think we should watch that instead. And, also, actually, tonight I can't. I forgot I have family dinner and have to be home tonight. But maybe tomorrow." Wow that came out formal. Whatever. Blaine was smiling.

"Sure. Sounds great."

"Hey Kurt, come here, we need your girlish," David's eyes widened a fraction as he hastily continued, "But oh-so-manly voice for the gi-gigigits!" He held out a piece of sheet music.

"You're not going to make me sound like Quagmire, are you?" Kurt reached forward, but not before he heard a chuckle from Blaine.

"Kurt, you could never sound like Quagmire. Quagmire's raunchy and you're-not raunchy." Blaine said, still smiling a little.

Kurt flushed, remembering last night's personal sex-capades. He looked at the ground. "Well it's good to know I have a clean reputation." Oh, but he wasn't supposed to be letting Blaine make him feel like a young schoolboy who needed tutoring! That's right. Kurt lifted his eyes and locked them on Blaine's. Face hot, he said, "That said, I am a teenaged boy. Just because I don't advertise it doesn't mean I've got the purity of a saint."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "I thought you were into romance."

"I may have recently...decided to try adding other things to my repertoire." Kurt held Blaine's glance for a moment longer and then turned back towards the room at large. Several groups were forming.

"Kurt, if you're done flirting with Blaine, we could use your impeccable tone with the tenors over there," Wes said in his ear, clapping him on the shoulder.

"I wasn't-"

"Mmm hmm. His jaw is on the floor, your ears are red, and I want those gi-gigigit's to be snappy!" Wes shoved Kurt towards one corner. Kurt spent the rest of the hour trying very hard to concentrate on what was in front of him. He was relieved when Wes called a halt, said they'd practice some dance moves, run through the whole combined number once or twice, and then call it a night.

Once or twice turned into eight or nine times, and each time Blaine got more and more rambunctious, as he got more and more comfortable with his cues. First he started jumping on furniture, then he started throwing papers, and then Jeff suggested maybe he should burst into the room for the beginning of the song, like they'd done for Bills Bills Bills. That made Wes suggest they expand out into the hallway in general, so they'd have more room for dancing. Kurt was tired, his head hurt from the lack of caffeine, and although he had suggested some group choreography, he'd been shot down in favor of the boys recreating the various wedding's they'd been to, where guests formed two lines and then did individual dances through the center. Kurt rolled his eyes. Even if Rachel corralled everyone into singing about only unicorn sweaters and knee highs they'd beat the Warblers, if said Warblers were sporting wedding dance material. Mr. Shue had gotten much better at choreography recently, and the Warblers obviously hadn't.

"Ok ok, ok guys, I know we're all tired, but lets marshal everything we've got for one more run through. It's almost five-yes, the bells are starting now- but let's make this last one count. Blaine, I really liked what you did last time, throwing papers up in the air as soon as you come through the doors. Try that again, but maybe-maybe fling them higher this time. Joey, remember to keep up the Bom Pows throughout the whole song. Everyone, places!" Wes scuttled to the side as Blaine winked at Kurt, stepped out the doors, and waited a couple seconds (the bells tolling in the background) before throwing them open, singing, "Oh Yeah!" and scattering sheet music so that they all fell on Kurt.

And yeah, Kurt might have grimaced throughout the entire performance, and Wes may have glared at him for it a couple times, but Blaine was being chipper enough for the both of them. So when Blaine asked what Kurt thought, at the end, Kurt knew exactly what he wanted to say.